Four Ways to Improve Youth Diversion – National Children’s Bureau 

Youth diversion can change a child’s life at a critical time. The National Children’s Bureau has conducted a review of existing research to find out how diversion programmes can be improved, so more children and young people can benefit from them. Diversion aims to reduce reoffending by diverting children and young people away from formal criminal justice processes and outcomes, such as conviction, and custody, through an alternative community-based intervention. Children can be diverted at different stages in the criminal justice system (e.g., at point of arrest, before being charged, or in court). Diversion is important for children and young people because it prevents their labelling as “offenders” or “criminals”, in this way it supports the reintegration and developing of pro-social behaviours. From that point it can be easier to change the trajectory of a child’s life. If interested in the NCB’s report, please follow the link below: