THE WELSH Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Jane Hutt, has visited the Carmarthenshire Youth Support Service along with representatives from the Youth Justice Board.

The service brings youth work and the Youth Justice Team together to support young people. Youth justice services are vital in preventing children from entering the criminal justice system, minimising their contact with it and supporting them to lead crime-free lives.

Carmarthenshire Youth Support Service provides a range of specialised support for children and young people from 8 to 25 to help them reach their full personal, social and educational potential. A recent youth justice inspection gave the service an ‘outstanding’ rating, highlighting the level of care and dedication from staff and partnerships with other organisations which helped children and families to access a range of services.

The Youth Justice Team has benefited from the Welsh Government’s Children and Communities Grant which includes the Promoting Positive Engagement fund for young people at risk of offending. This funding offers preventative and diversionary support for children at risk of entering and for those already within the youth justice system.

This grant funds projects includes restorative justice, such as children writing letters of apology to the victims of their offence and reparation work within the community. It also funds interventions to support young people to lead productive lives free from further offending and receives referrals to the service for young people who are at risk of offending.

Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Social Justice, Chief Whip and Trefnydd, Jane Hutt, said: “Carmarthenshire Youth Justice Team is dedicated to supporting children, which is evident from their positive inspection report. I was pleased to see first-hand how the committed and motivated team prioritise the needs of the children and young people they support providing creative and innovative interventions.

“The Welsh Government’s approach to youth justice puts children first, centring their needs and ensuring services work in a way that recognises their best interests. With the right support, children can be empowered to live positive, crime-free lives now and in the future.”

Chief Executive of the Youth Justice Board, Stephanie Roberts-Bibby said: “It was a pleasure to visit Carmarthen Youth Justice Service along with the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Jane Hutt, to see such great practice being described with infectious enthusiasm. What struck most was the commitment to apply the child first evidence base to local practice and how much everyone cared about their work, the children, victims and families they work with.

“The extent to which Carmarthen focussed on achieving positive outcomes for the children and young people they work with was truly impressive, I have no doubt this is why they are rated as an outstanding service by HMI Probation and a quadrant 1 service through our oversight framework. The leadership we witnessed was exemplary and the team, and children they work with, are thriving as a result.”

Director of Community Services for Carmarthenshire County Council, Jake Morgan and Director of Education and Children’s Services, Gareth Morgans said: “We are incredibly proud of each and every member of our Youth Justice Team and grateful for their incredibly important work, which they conduct to very highest standards.

“Carmarthenshire Youth Justice Team are leaders in their sector and play an integral role within the local authority’s wellbeing objective of enabling our children and young people to have the best possible start in life.”