27 Nov Launching ‘Getting it Right’: Young People’s Vision for Liaison and Diversion Services
At the Annual Youth Justice Convention, hosted by the Youth Justice Board, Peer Power launch new publication ‘Getting it Right’: Young People’s Vision for Liaison and Diversion Services, messages for Commissioners
You can access the report here
Who this guide is for
This guide is for commissioners of liaison and diversion services for young people including services linked to police, Police and Crime Commissioners, Youth Offending Teams and young people’s health services. It will also be relevant to any commissioner or service lead who wants to make sure that their services are designed in a way that is accessible and relevant, and which meets the needs of, vulnerable young people who have had, or may in future have, contact with the youth justice system.
Why this guide was created
In 2016 Peer Power was commissioned by NHS England (London) to engage young people who had been in contact with the youth justice system in sharing their experiences to inform the future design and delivery of health and wellbeing services for young people in the justice system. The engagement, delivered in partnership with ClearView Research and published as ‘Just Health- an enquiry into the emotional health and wellbeing of young people in the youth justice system’, engaged both professionals and young people and generated a set of recommendations. One of the leading recommendations was for the redesign of liaison and diversion services to better meet the specific needs of young people.
This guide follows on from ‘Just Health’ by engaging young people in exploring what those redesigned liaison and diversion services should look like.
From Peer Power report Just Health 2016
“Liaison and Diversion (L&D) services aim to provide early intervention for vulnerable people as they come into contact with the justice system. L&D services provide a prompt response to concerns raised by the police, probation service, youth offending teams, or court staff…Additionally, L&D services act as a point of referral, and are assertive with follow-ups for these service users, to ensure they can access and are supported to attend treatment and rehabilitation appointments […] L&D services are expected to help reduce offending, reduce unnecessary use of police and court time, ensure that health matters are dealt with by healthcare professionals, and reduce health inequalities for some of the most vulnerable in society.”
“[…] The L&D service must be accessible at the earliest stage once an individual is suspected of having committed a criminal offence. It must also be available at the point of need and at all relevant points of the youth and criminal justice system.”
(Just Health, 2016)
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