Policy Hub
On 1 November 2006, the Healthcare Commission and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate
of Probation published a report (Let's talk about it: a review of healthcare
in the community for young people who offend) which finds that too many
young offenders have insufficient access to healthcare, particularly the
large proportion needing mental health services.
The report looked at 50 out of 155 youth offending teams (YOTs) in England
and Wales. These are multi-agency groups that bring together experts in
education, health and social care, as well as the police and probation services.
The report says that one in six YOTs did not have a healthcare worker, even
though primary care trusts (PCTs) have a statutory duty to provide one.
A third of YOTS did not have a mental health worker, even though 40 per
cent of child and young offenders have emotional or mental health needs.
The full report can be viewed on the Healthcare
Commission website