Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to support young offenders identified as SEND.

The Ministry of Justice does not currently hold the requested data on the number of young offenders identified as having Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). However, in 2023 the Ministry of Justice introduced a new Key Performance Indicator (KPI) for Youth Offending Teams (YOTs) which measures the proportion of children with identified SEND and whether they have a formal support plan in place. KPI data is intended to be published by the Youth Justice Board (YJB) after complete collection of 2025/26 data and ensuring quality standards are met.

The Ministry of Justice and the Department for Education jointly hold a linked dataset - the MoJ DfE share - which may provide helpful context: Education, children's social care and offending. This analysis examines a cohort of children who were cautioned or sentenced for an offence between the ages of 10 and 17, comparing their education and social care characteristics, including whether they had ever been identified as having Special Educational Needs, with those of the wider pupil population.

The Ministry of Justice recognises the importance of SEND within the youth justice system and is committed to ensuring that children with SEND receive the right support to meet their individual needs and reduce reoffending.

Last year, this Government invested over £100 million for Youth Offending Teams (YOTs) to deliver multi-agency support for young people, including those with SEND, who have offended or are at risk of offending. This included extending the Turnaround early intervention programme until March 2026. Turnaround supports children on the cusp of the justice system, via bespoke interventions including social and emotional support and mentoring. In the first year of delivery, to December 2023, 27% (2,214) of children who proceeded to a Turnaround assessment had a formally recognised SEND.

Moreover, the Ministry of Justice has funded training for youth solicitors, through the Youth Justice Legal Centre, to help them identify and respond to children’s individual needs, including communication difficulties. The Department also funds intermediaries to facilitate effective communication with children who have specialist communication needs in court.

To support inclusion, Young Offender Institutions (YOIs) have Neurodiversity Support Managers, and public-run YOIs have qualified Special Educational Needs Coordinators and psychologists to meet the needs of children.