Havering Council has set out how youth justice services will be delivered and governed locally in its 2026 to 2027 Havering Youth Justice Plan.
Councillor Kevin Gill, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, said it was important that the youth justice service plan was judged for its outcomes for children and young people and their families, not simply on the volume of activity delivered.
Last week’s Full Council (Wednesday 22 July 2026) adopted the annual plan, which gives a clear vision of how the local authority, police and other partners will work to keep Havering’s children safe and support them to lead happy, healthy lives into adulthood.
Cllr Gill said: “We have an action plan in place focused on the different aspects of our support to young people to address the needs and vulnerabilities of individual children; as well as any risks to them and how we continue to improve their participation in the support being offered to them.
“By having full Council sign up, it signifies our commitment to ensuring the work of the Youth Justice Service with our partners continues to be effective.
“Through close monitoring, it will allow us to see what is having the strongest impact, for which groups of children, and where more action or service improvement is required.”
Among the improvements the Council expects to see is a reduction in young people committing crimes for the first time, reduced reoffending and improved participation in education, training and employment.
The youth justice service will be regularly reviewed and where there is no evidence of improvements for our young people involved in the criminal justice system, resources will be redirected to ensure public funds are invested where they can achieve the greatest benefit for children, families and communities.