Intervention a focus of new youth justice plan

A new two-year youth justice plan for Wolverhampton has been welcomed by one of the city's main youth centres, which has helped thousands of youngsters.

The plan was approved by councillors last week and set out priorities in prevention, safeguarding, education and community outreach.

The report detailing work done by Wolverhampton Youth Justice Service cited successes in lowering rates of children re-offending and a continued reduction in the use of custody.

Paul Snape, CEO of The Way, which opened in 2016 and supported more than 3,400 young people in the city last year, said they were encouraged by the focus on intervention and prevention.

Up to 25 children successfully completed a Ministry of Justice pilot programme called Youth Futures, which has now been extended for another 12 months, the report said.

Ten out of 80 children that were tracked reoffended, a rate of 12.5%, compared to a national rate of 31.7% and regional rate of 27.8%.

There was a 50% reduction in the use of custodial sentences in 2025-2026 compared to eight in 2024-2025, figures showed.

Up to 121 interventions by teams were recorded for "violence against the person" offences in 2025-2026, a fall from 152 in 2024-2025.

In 2024, the West Midlands Police area had the highest rate of knife crime offences in England and Wales, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Since then, figures in the region have dropped.

Earlier this year police said a mentoring programme in the city to divert young people away from carrying knives was successful, with teenagers engaging with music projects and one-to-one support.

Wolverhampton Youth MP, Sienna Ahir, has also made knife crime a priority by founding an initiative called Daggers Down to promote an anti‑crime message across the city she is from.

The youth justice plan before council stated it was delivering "effective packages of support and interventions" for children involved or at risk of knife-related behaviours along with a multi-agency response to children involved in or at risk of gang and youth violence.

Concerns for over serious violence remained, although overall levels have reduced, it added.

"Our plan, through its focus on preventing and reducing offending behaviour, [is] contributing to ensuring stronger families where children grow up well and achieve their full potential, healthy and inclusive communities," it stated.

Snape said the youth centre, which served 28,000 hot meals to children last year, welcomed the "strong emphasis" on prevention, diversion and early intervention.

By providing trusted relationships, safe spaces and positive opportunities, youth centres helped young people build confidence and resilience that reduced the likelihood of them becoming involved in risky behaviours.

"We are encouraged by the positive outcomes being achieved, particularly the high rates of young people being offered support for mental health and emotional wellbeing," he said.

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