Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has to develop a consistent pathway for (a) prison staff and (b) Departmental officials to refer young people in the justice system to speech and language therapy.
To ensure consistent referral pathways throughout the youth justice system, the Youth Justice Board have developed a screening tool which provides a holistic assessment and intervention plan that can be used in a variety of settings. In custody, NHS England screen and assess every child for neurodisabilities using the Comprehensive Health Assessment Tool (CHAT) and put in place an individual care plan.