Manchester Centre for Youth Studies»Our Research»SEND Project
Supporting youth offending teams
Supporting youth offending teams, the youth secure estate and local authorities effectively to identify and meet young offenders’ Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).
The Youth Justice SEND Project brings together the Manchester Centre for Youth Studies (MCYS), Achievement for All (AfA) and the Association of Youth Offending Team Managers (AYM) to form a powerful partnership to transform outcomes for young people who offend, (or are at risk of offending), and who have special educational needs, through supporting professionals to bring about a culture and behaviour change around effective SEND joint working.
All children and young people in the youth justice system are vulnerable by virtue of their age and developmental immaturity. High numbers of children and young people who come to the attention of youth justice services also have complex support needs, low levels of educational attainment and far more unmet health needs than their peers. SEND is often undiagnosed, with many in this vulnerable group not receiving the support and provision they need to achieve positive change.
In recent years, the custodial population has fallen, with the number of children and young people in custody now standing at just below 1000. This reduced population size presents a real opportunity to better understand SEND in these young people and upskill the professionals who work to support them.
The Youth Justice SEND Programme is funded by the Department for Education and builds collaboratively upon the pioneering work of both the Council for Disabled Children and Sheffield Futures as part of their DfE funded work to support children and young people with send in custody 2015-2016.