Barnet Council's Youth Justice Plan is demonstrating significant success, with a notable reduction in reoffending rates and a sustained zero custody rate for young offenders.
The plan, which covers 2025-2027, has seen the reoffending rate decrease to 28.6%, outperforming both London and national averages. The service has also maintained a 0% custody rate, a testament to its focus on community-based interventions.
Councillor David Longstaff highlighted the positive performance across all indicators, stating, Prevention is the key.
He noted the reduction in first-time entrants to the youth justice system, a key performance indicator for the plan, and praised the effective interventions made by social workers and multi-agency teams. The service's child-first approach
and strong multi-agency governance and partnership working
are also cited as crucial factors in achieving the 0% custody rate.
Councillor Sara Conway expressed pride in the Youth Justice team's achievements, particularly the zero custody rate and the focus on a child first approach,
restorative justice initiatives, and high levels of satisfaction reported by children, young people, and families. The service demonstrates high levels of satisfaction and engagement with children, young people and families, reporting positive experiences and outcomes.
The plan emphasizes prevention and diversion, with an increased use of Out of Court Resolutions and early intervention programmes. This approach aims to address the underlying causes of offending, including trauma, mental health, and school exclusion. The Child First approach
is embedded across all practice, focusing on understanding individual needs, addressing underlying causes of offending, and promoting positive development. This is supported by clear, child-friendly language, accessible tools, and digital innovation like QR-enabled feedback tools. Feedback from children shows high satisfaction with sessions being helpful (90%), feeling listened to (95%), and involved in decision-making (83%). Restorative Justice is implemented through Referral Order Panels, supported by community volunteers, and a clear victim pathway with strong partnership working with the Barnet Victim Hub. Victim work was rated Outstanding
in an independent audit.
However, challenges remain. The NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) rate for young people in the Youth Justice cohort aged 16-18 is 42.5%. Specific programs are in place to improve educational and employment outcomes, including the Alternative Provision Specialist Taskforce (APST), which provides targeted intervention to address barriers to education. A Post-16 Education, Employment and Training (EET) worker embedded within YJS supported 22 children into college placements in 2025/26, and the service plans to increase capacity within the EET function to a full-time role from 2026/27.
Persistent disproportionality affecting Black and racially minoritised children within the youth justice system is also a significant concern. While the report highlights that 60% of the 191 children open to the service are from Black and other racially diverse backgrounds, it does not provide a specific reoffending rate for this demographic. To address this, Barnet YJS has implemented a Disproportionality Action Plan (2025–2027) which includes strengthening culturally informed practice, improving data oversight, and embedding anti-racist approaches across the partnership. They have also delivered Barnet's first Girls Residential Programme and are involved in pan-London initiatives like the Stop and Search Focus Group and the London Accommodation Pathfinder.
Beyond reoffending rates and custody rates, the Youth Justice Plan's success is measured by the reduction in first-time entrants to the youth justice system, increased use of Out of Court Resolutions, increased early intervention programmes, high levels of satisfaction and engagement with children, young people and families, and progress on the Disproportionality Action Plan. Further details on the plan can be found in the Public reports pack Public reports pack 07th-Jul-2026 19.15 Council.pdf.
