Stephanie Roberts-Bibby, Chief Executive of the Youth Justice
Board (YJB), responds to the publication of the Southport Inquiry
report.
Stephanie Roberts-Bibby, Chief Executive of the YJB, says:
“This report lays bare the devastating consequences when risk of
harm and offending is not fully understood, owned or acted on
across the system.
“This is an unimaginable tragedy. Three young girls lost their
lives in an act of extreme and devastating violence, and many
others - children, families, professionals and an entire
community - will carry the impact of that day for the rest of
their lives. No words can do justice to the loss felt by the
families, or the harm caused to the survivors, but this Inquiry
must be the catalyst for meaningful change and at pace.
“Today's report sets out in stark terms how a child with a known
history of concerning behaviour was able to reach a point of
catastrophic harm, despite contact with multiple agencies. The
Inquiry has exposed serious systemic issues, including failures
in information sharing, risk identification and ownership and
aligned objectives of agencies to manage, mitigate and reduce
harm.
“What the Inquiry shows is not a failure of one agency alone, but
a failure of the system to come together around a child who was
clearly in need of intervention throughout years of contact with
agencies that was all too often, “light touch”.
“I recognise the need for collective action across the system.
Youth justice is one part of a local safeguarding and public
protection landscape that includes education, health, social care
and police. But I must be clear - contact with youth justice most
often happens much later in a child's journey. The report
reinforces the need for earlier, more joined-up intervention long
before a child reaches the point of entering the justice system.
This is something we have long advocated for and strongly
support.
“The YJB's role in supporting the system with the evidence of
what works remains and we will do everything in our power to
provide national leadership to youth justice services and the
broader system. One of the recommendations is for a lead agency
to be considered as Phase 2 of the Inquiry. We fully support
clearer ownership of risk but this must be reinforced by
professional curiosity and responsibility.
“With any local service or agency that comes into contact with
children there must be a culture that supports frontline
practitioners to challenge, escalate and tenaciously persist
where concerns remain. This should be underpinned by robust
ownership of risk and firm collective leadership.
“The YJB is committed to ensuring this Inquiry is not just a
moment of reflection but a turning point to prevent further
tragedies. Through these recommendations, learnings must be
translated into action, action that delivers safer outcomes for
children, victims and communities.”
Phil Bowen, Chair of the YJB, said:
“This report demands more than acknowledgement – it demands
action. As Interim Chair of the YJB I am very clear that the
system must respond differently, with stronger shared
accountability across government departments, much earlier
intervention and a relentless focus on preventing harm.
“It is the Board's role to influence change across government and
support a whole system response. While no system can eliminate
risk entirely, we must press for every professional who comes
into contact with children to understand risk, support better
information sharing and strengthen how agencies work together.”
