Swindon Youth Justice Service

Our strategy and priorities

Swindon Youth Justice Service (YJS) priorities are set out each year within our local strategic plan (PDF). This plan outlines the service's performance against local priorities for the previous year. It also shows how we perform against local, regional and national statistics in areas such as:

  • use of custody
  • first time entrant rates
  • reoffending
  • serious youth violence

Child First and the ABCD framework

The 'Child First' (Podcast) approach in youth justice prioritises the well-being and best interests of children, and its core principles remain central to the way Swindon YJS continues to practise.

We use the ABCD framework to guide our work:

  • A - As children
  • B - Building a pro-social identity
  • C - Collaborate
  • D - Divert

This helps ensure children are seen and treated as individuals, and that their needs are recognised throughout the youth justice system.

Developing a Centre of Excellence

Our ambition is to become a Centre of Excellence for Child First practice. This progressed in 2024/25, with developments in both our practice model and our offer.

A purpose-built centre for children, The Base, opened in Swindon in March 2025. It provides a bookable space for the YJS to support children and work with them on identity development through positive activities, interactions and roles.

The Base will become a facility of excellence for Child First practice, and we intend to work collaboratively across the partnership to showcase Child First practice and excellence, no matter where we are working from.

Our strategic priorities agreed as a partnership for 2025 to 2026

  • Reducing first time entrants
  • Reducing reoffending rates and offences per child
  • Reducing the use of custody - including police custody and the use of custodial remands
  • Reducing youth violence
  • Reducing disproportionality with a continued focus on children from global majority backgrounds
  • Supporting victims of youth crime

Cross-cutting themes and priorities

  • Becoming a service that is recognised as a Centre of Excellence for Child First and identity development practices
  • Increasing participation with a focus on our practice model - identity development
  • Improved identification and outcomes for children with speech, language and neuro-disability concerns
  • Reducing the number of children who are not in education, employment or training

Further information

If you have any questions, concerns, or would like to know more about restorative justice, contact us:

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