AYJ Response: Ministry of Justice consultation on youth remand funding arrangements
The AYJ has responded to a Ministry of Justice (MoJ) consultation on youth remand funding arrangements. The consultation asks for views on current localised funding arrangements around children on remand, and proposes a number of options for the future of the funding, including looking at a regional model, changing the funding formula, and centralising funding.
On 12th October 2023 the AYJ brought expert members together with the MoJ remand consultation team to feed in their views. The discussions from the session are summarised in the written response.
The response warns the MoJ to take great care before deciding to depart from the current funding system, suggesting tweaks rather than rewrites, and encouraging the MoJ to also look at communtiy-based solutions outside of investment in alternative accommodations. The response summarises views on whether a regional approach to funding would suit all areas, and urges the MoJ to consider whether expanding local remand budgets out to also include custody budgets would achieve their aims.