Parents and carers to face greater responsibility for children who commit crime or cause anti-social behaviour, Government announces

As part of an overhaul of the youth justice system, the Government has said it will “strengthen and expand” Parenting Orders, which can compel parents or guardians to address their child’s behaviour – including attending counselling or guidance sessions – or face penalties such as fines.

The move comes after the use of Parenting Orders declined dramatically, from more than 1,000 in 2009/10 to just 33 in 2022/23.

Published by the Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy, the new Youth Justice White Paper sets out measures intended to stop more young people falling into crime.

Under the plans, every child in England and Wales caught carrying a knife will be given a mandatory specialised plan to stop them reoffending, as part of an ambition to halve knife crime within a decade.

Meanwhile, the Government announced it will pilot new Youth Intervention Courts, which will for the first time bring together judges, youth justice services and specialist support to tackle the drivers of offending.

The MoJ said: “The courts will also provide intensive supervision and tailored interventions, including health or educational requirements, while closely monitoring compliance to break cycles of repeat reoffending.”

Further measures set out in the White Paper include:

• To explore strengthening Youth Rehabilitation Orders with intensive supervision and surveillance, allowing electronic monitoring to track their whereabouts alongside robust rehabilitation activity to keep the public safe.
• Taking a “fundamental” look at the function and purpose of criminal courts for child defendants, reporting by August 2027.
• Delivering on the commitment to create a new child criminal exploitation offence - going after the adults who draw children into offending.
• Consulting on childhood criminal records reform by the end of the year. This will consider potentially ending lifelong disclosure requirements for childhood offences so people aren’t forever held back by mistakes made as children.
• Widening the range of tough community sentences available to the courts and reducing ineffective short custodial sentences.
Deputy Prime Minister, David Lammy said: “Too many young people are being drawn into crime, with devastating consequences for victims, communities and their own futures.
“These reforms lay the foundation to intervene far earlier, support families, and tackle the drivers of offending so fewer young people become trapped in cycles of crime, creating safer streets and fewer victims.”

Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza said: “As Children’s Commissioner, I have consistently been clear about the need to reform the youth justice system. We must build an approach that keeps children safe, diverts them from crime wherever possible, and prioritises meaningful behaviour change.

“Education is central to this. It is the most powerful tool we have to prevent offending in the first place, and it remains vital for those in Young Offender Institutions (YOIs) who have already fallen through the cracks. I am therefore pleased to welcome the Youth Justice White Paper published today, and that I have been asked to undertake a review of the education children in YOIs receive, with the aim of improving outcomes and giving these children a better chance for the future.”