Those who are medically discharged are entitled to the full range of resettlement provision, regardless of how long they have served or the nature and cause of injuries. We also offer specialised support for wounded,
injured and sick personnel and those with the most complex barriers to employment to ensure they receive the most appropriate employment and recovery pathway. This is delivered through the Recovery Career Services in conjunction with the MoD and key charities.
Vocational Training
Question
Asked by Lord Allen of Kensington
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action, beyond the changes they are to make to apprenticeships, they intend to take in order to prepare young people for the world of work and deliver businesses with a supply of young people with appropriate skill sets for the business environment.[HL1136]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (Baroness Neville-Rolfe) (Con): The Government is taking a range of actions to ensure young people have the skills and experience needed in the workplace.
The Government published a Careers Inspiration Vision in September 2013 calling on schools and colleges to work closely with employers to provide more inspiration and career insights for children and young people for example through workplace visits, inspiring speakers, coaching and mentoring. To help schools achieve this we have published revised Statutory Guidance which underpins their duty to secure independent careers guidance. This makes it clear that schools should inspire their pupils through more real-life contact with the world of work. We have also published new departmental advice, which provides examples of good practice and case studies, demonstrating how schools can build closer links with employers.
Youth Custody
Questions
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many children currently in (1) secure children's homes, (2) young offenders' institutions, and (3) secure training centres, have previous convictions.[HL1178]
The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord Faulks) (Con): Reducing reoffending and better rehabilitation of young offenders are key priorities for the Government and we are committed to providing young people with the support they need to achieve this.
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) holds information on previous convictions for young people who offend, but this is not held by individual establishment or by sector for the youth secure estate.
The Youth Justice Board (YJB) Placements Team holds the assessment record of each young person currently in custody, which would indicate whether or not they have a previous conviction. However, this is management information used to inform individual custody placement decisions. It is not intended for official reporting purposes and is not therefore of the same nature as offending history data published in the MoJ official statistics report: ‘Criminal Justice Statistics Quarterly Bulletin’, which is sourced from the Police National Computer (PNC).
Statistics on offending history for juvenile offenders are published by the MoJ on a quarterly basis in the ‘Criminal Justice Statistics Quarterly Bulletin’ at the link below:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly-december-2013
The MoJ and YJB are investigating the feasibility of linking between YJB administrative systems and the PNC to establish offending history by secure estate sector.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what the reoffending rate is for children who have served sentences in (1) secure children’s homes, (2) young offenders’ institutions, and (3) secure training centres. [HL1179]
Lord Faulks: Reducing reoffending and better rehabilitation of young offenders are key priorities for the Government. In January 2014 we set out our plans to transform youth custody and put education at the heart of detention, to equip young people in custody with the skills, qualifications and self-discipline they need to build a life free from crime and become productive, hardworking members of the community.
Statistics on proven re-offending for juvenile offenders are published by the Ministry of Justice on a quarterly basis in the “Proven Re-offending Statistics Quarterly Bulletin” at the link below:
www.gov.uk/government/publications/proven-reoffending-statistics-quarterly-statistics-july-2011-to-june-2012
The latest proven re-offending rates[1] for juvenile offenders in England and Wales who were released from the youth custodial estate, by individual establishment, can be found in Table 23 of the “Proven Re-offending Statistics Quarterly Bulletin”, July 2011 to June 2012.
Different establishments cater for offenders with different risks and needs, so these figures should not be used to compare re-offending across establishments.
[1] A proven re-offence is defined as any offence committed in a one-year follow-up period that leads to a court conviction, caution, reprimand or warning in the one year follow-up or within a further six-month waiting period to allow the offence to be proven in court