Buckinghamshire Youth Justice Strategic Plan 2026 to 2029
Section 2: Disproportionate outcomes for children
Over six months, the YJST caseload remained predominantly male, although the proportion of girls increased from the start of 2026.
Ethnically, the caseload broadly reflects the diversity of Buckinghamshire's 10 - to 17-year-old population, with some variation across ethnic groups.
Monitoring these trends helps the service understand caseload representation and ensure support responds to the needs of all children and young people.
Chart one: YJST Caseload by Ethnicity Compared with the 10 to 17 Population
The following chart provides a six-month snapshot of the YJST caseload by ethnicity, compared with the ethnic profile of Buckinghamshire's 10- to 17-year-old population.
Ethnicity comparison: YJST caseload and Buckinghamshire's 10 to 17 population
| White | Mixed |
Asian / Asian British |
Black / Black British |
Other | Unknown | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10-17 Pop | 71 | 7 | 17 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Sep-25 | 59 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 1 | 0 |
| Oct-25 | 59 | 13 | 15 | 12 | 1 | 0 |
| Nov-25 | 63 | 13 | 11 | 9 | 1 | 0 |
| Dec-25 | 64 | 13 | 13 | 8 | 1 | 1 |
| Jan-26 | 61 | 16 | 13 | 7 | 3 | 0 |
| Feb-26 | 58 | 16 | 13 | 9 | 3 | 1 |
Black/Black British children remain over-represented on the YJST caseload. Whilst this percentage has reduced over the last 6 months, as of February 2026 the caseload proportion was three times the size of that found within the 10 to 17 population.
Children from a Mixed ethnic background also continue to be over-represented. This proportion has increased over the last 6 months and is just over double the proportion of those within the 10- to 17-year-old comparator group.
Chart 2: Gender Trends in the YJST Caseload
The following chart shows an increase in the proportion of girls on the YJST caseload since the start of 2026. However, boys continue to make up the majority of the caseload throughout the period.
Male and female representation in the YJST caseload
| Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 25 | 88 | 12 |
| Oct 25 | 86 | 14 |
| Nov 25 | 88 | 12 |
| Dec 25 | 87 | 13 |
| Jan 26 | 83 | 17 |
| Feb 26 | 83 | 17 |
The average percentage of Children Looked After on the YJST caseload between September 2025 and February 2026 was 16%.
The average percentage of children with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) in the same period was 31%. The average percentage of children with a Special Educational Needs Support Plan was 24.1%.
Key actions taken over the last 12 months to dddress disproportionality
The following are some of the things that Buckinghamshire YJST have been doing collaboratively over the last 12 months to address disproportionate outcomes for children:
- Refreshed the ethnic disproportionality statement that is contained within all reports submitted to the Court. This outlines a summary of the data to raise awareness for sentencers.
- Following the successful roll-out of a briefing to solicitors raising awareness of factors impacting disproportionate outcomes, there has been a reduction in First Time Entrants
- Introduced a process to share Education, Health and Care Plans with the Police for children who are in custody. This supports Police in ensuring children understand what’s happening.
- Communication Profiles are now completed for children with identified speech and language needs, with the aim of empowering the child to share their communication needs with others
- Due to the increase in girls on the YJST caseload, an audit has been completed to better understand the needs of this group and the service being offered to them. This has led to the commissioning of specific training on working with girls, which will take place in 2026.
- Board members have received Anti-Racism training. The learning from this is being incorporated into a renewed Disproportionality Plan for 2026/27
- Training continues to be delivered to local authority residential homes in Buckinghamshire, focusing on Restorative Justice. This supports the aim of diverting children from entering the youth justice system and the criminalisation of those in the care system
- Collaborated with the YP4All group to explore their experiences of disproportionate outcomes.
Our children have told us that addressing disproportionality is important for them. This remains a key priority for Buckinghamshire YJST and the wider partnership.