Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to improve recruitment and retention in the Youth Custody Service.

The Youth Justice Worker (YJW) recruitment process includes multiple assessment stages designed to test candidates against the YJW success profile and give them realistic insight into the role. The success profile is based on job analysis with serving YJWs and identifies the knowledge, skills and behaviours needed for effective practice.

YJWs have a defined progression pathway. After completing their 12 month probation, they are offered a Level 4 qualification focused on working with children and young people in custody.

His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service has a comprehensive approach to improving retention across the Prison and Probation Services. The Retention Framework sets out how data and insight are used to identify drivers of attrition and guide targeted interventions. This is supported by a retention toolkit, structured exit interviews, and an oversight process that conducts deep dive reviews at high attrition sites. National activity is coordinated through the Retention Delivery Committee to ensure alignment and minimise operational impact.