Young People in Focus

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Understanding and Working with
Children and Young People in Custody

Young People in Focus’ long-running collaboration with the Prison Service (HMPS) moved into a major new phase in 2004 with the completion of the Prison Service’s first foundation training programme for staff working with children and young people aged 15-17: The Juvenile Awareness Staff Training Programme (JASP). This was a major step forward in the training of staff caring for children and young people in custody.

The five-day JASP programme includes a two-day YPF module, Understanding and Working with Children and Young People in Custody which covers issues such as: the role of staff; child and adolescent development; environment and family; health and wellbeing; young people and their peers; youth crime and developing a positive culture.

YPF staff have worked with the National Offender Management Service to update this programme on a regular basis, as well as support the training of Prison Service facilitators. Several thousand staff have been trained on how to use the programme, which as most recently updated in 2011 to include a new training DVD which was developed in conjunction with the Prison’s Video Trust.