Croydon Council's Cabinet has approved a new Youth Justice Plan for 2026/27, aiming to reduce re-offending rates among young people aged 10 to 18. The plan, a statutory requirement linked to Youth Justice Grant funding, highlights that Croydon's re-offending rates are already lower than both London and national averages. The proven re-offending rate for children supported by the Youth Justice Service currently stands at 29.1%, which is lower than the London average of 30.4% and the national average of 32.1%.[1]
The plan was recommended for approval by Full Council on 9th December 2026, with implementation expected to begin in the 2026/27 financial year.
Councillor Ola Kolade, Cabinet Member for Communities, Safety & Justice, stated that the plan is an important part of delivering those commitments
to stronger support for families and young people, safer streets, and zero tolerance for crime and anti-social behaviour. He added, Zero tolerance for crime does not mean writing off a young person who has made a mistake. It means protecting victims, confronting harmful behaviour and intervening early enough to prevent that behaviour from escalating. Every child successfully diverted from crime means a safer future for that young person, greater security for their family and potentially one fewer victim in our community.
The plan outlines strategic and operational objectives for preventing and reducing offending behaviour. Key strategies and interventions include prevention and diversion programmes such as the Turnaround Project and Engage, as well as specialized group work for girls (Starz and Sistas). Custody suite Youth Work will provide support to children arrested, and reintegration support will be offered through alignment with the voluntary community sector and local resources. The plan also addresses exploitation and Serious Youth Violence (SYV) through trauma-informed approaches and contributes to safeguarding frameworks. Furthermore, it emphasizes education and employment support, noting its importance as a key desistance factor, and aims to evolve the health offer for children known to the Service, including mental health provisions. Restorative Justice principles will be embedded to help children understand the impact of their actions, and a core Child First Approach
will guide delivery, focusing on treating children as children, building pro-social identity, and diverting them from stigma and the justice system.
However, the plan also addresses issues of disproportionality, noting the over-representation of minority ethnic groups and children in care within the youth justice system. Data from the Croydon Youth Justice Plan 2026/27 indicates that black children remain over-represented, despite a positive reduction in black and mixed heritage children in 2025/26. This reduction aligned with a decrease in first-time entrants and is attributed to earlier, preventative access to services. In terms of children in care, 27% of the overall cohort were deemed a Child Looked After (CLA), a reduction from the previous year. Notably, 32% of the girls supervised within the cohort were CLA. Overall, 66% of children open to the Youth Justice Service (YJS) were known to Social Care. The plan explicitly states that the over-representation of certain groups, particularly black/mixed heritage boys and girls, aligns with regional and national trends and can be explained by structural and systemic racism, which increases children's susceptibility to contact with the criminal justice system.
To address this disproportionality, Croydon has established a specific 'Disproportionality Action Plan' involving all partner agencies. The Youth Justice Crime Board has a dedicated 'Championing Difference' subgroup, led by the Head of Service, to focus on over-representation. The service is actively reflecting on anti-racist practice, joining relevant networks, and participating in policy reviews. The vision for the service includes culturally responsive, trauma-informed, and gender-sensitive practice, aiming for practitioners to be representative of the community and to foster anti-discriminatory approaches. The Child First Approach
is central to this, being trauma-informed and sensitive to individual needs and cultural awareness. Systemic practice will involve exploring families, communities, and surrounding structures to understand and respond to behaviours. A specific focus will be placed on children in care, with measures to reduce their entry into the system and support those already subject to it. The service also aims to treat children looked after by other local authorities placed in Croydon holistically.
The Croydon Youth Justice Plan 2026/27 has a projected net budget of £2,245,000 for the year. This is funded through core revenue from Croydon Council, an annual grant from the Youth Justice Board, and staff secondments from partner agencies, with additional funds for prevention projects. The budget for 2025-26 saw a reduction due to the removal of MOPAC funding, with further reductions in 2026/27 including the Unaccompanied Minors Grant.
Success will be measured through 14 national key performance indicators (KPIs), with specific relevance to reducing re-offending rates and addressing disproportionality including binary and frequency of re-offending rates. KPIs for disproportionality include identifying and reducing racial disparity at decision points, a specific focus on children in care, and measuring the reduction of black and mixed boys entering the system, alongside the alternatives offered outside the Criminal Justice System. Other relevant KPIs contributing to overall success include accommodation suitability, education, training and employment rates, identification of special educational needs and disabilities, access to mental and emotional health support, substance misuse support, use of out-of-court disposals, links to wider services, management board attendance, victim engagement, serious youth violence levels, first-time entrants, and use of custody.
The Cabinet resolved to approve the Youth Justice Plan and recommend it for Full Council approval, in line with the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. The plan itself outlines strategic and operational objectives for the forthcoming 12 months
, implying implementation begins in the 2026/27 financial year. The full report can be found in the Public reports pack for the Cabinet meeting.
[1] The Croydon Youth Justice Plan 2026/27 states that the proven re-offending rate for children supported by the Youth Justice Service is 29.1%. This is lower than both the London average of 30.4% and the national average of 32.1%.