This textbook provides a comprehensive introduction to the theory and practice of assessment and intervention planning with young people who offend. It will help equip practitioners with the knowledge and professional skills central to these critically important tasks in youth justice. Assessment in Youth Justice includes learning features such as review questions and case studies, plus an online resource. It covers varied theoretical and practical topics, including decision-making, use of standardized tools, report writing, and improving assessment quality. It also takes into account current UK policy developments along with a range of literature on assessment in criminal justice and social care. Assessment in Youth Justice encourages readers to think critically about their role in assessment and planning, to engage with current debates, and to take practical steps to enhance their own practice.

This textbook provides a comprehensive introduction to the theory and practice of assessment and intervention planning with young people who offend. It will help equip practitioners with the knowledge and professional skills central to these critically important tasks in youth justice. Assessment in Youth Justice includes learning features such as review questions and case studies, plus an online resource. It covers varied theoretical and practical topics, including decision-making, use of standardized tools, report writing, and improving assessment quality. It also takes into account current UK policy developments along with a range of literature on assessment in criminal justice and social care. Assessment in Youth Justice encourages readers to think critically about their role in assessment and planning, to engage with current debates, and to take practical steps to enhance their own practice.

Alongside the current media public preoccupation with high-risk offenders, there has been a shift towards a greater focus on risk and public protection in UK criminal justice policy. Much of the academic debate has centered on the impact of the risk paradigm on adult offender management services; less attention has been given to the arena of youth justice and young adults. Yet, there are critical questions for both theory - are the principles of risk management the same when working with young people? - and practice - how can practitioners respond to those young people who cause serious harm to others? - that need to be considered. The distinguished contributors to "Young people and 'risk'" consider risk not only in terms of public protection but also in terms of young people's own vulnerability to being harmed (either by others or through self-inflicted behaviour). One of the report's key objectives is to explore the links between these two distinct, but related, aspects of risk. Maggie Blyth is a member of the Parole Board for England and Wales and independent chair of Nottingham City Youth Offending Team. She also works independently as a criminal justice consultant. Kerry Baker is a researcher in the Centre for Criminology at the University of Oxford and also a consultant to the Youth Justice Board on issues of assessment, risk and public protection. Enver Solomon is Deputy Director of the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, an independent charity affiliated to the Law School at King's College London.

Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) are now one of the central features of government policy in the UK for managing the risk presented by violent and sexual offenders. Although there has been research and debate concerning the use of MAPPA with adult offenders, their application to young people has received relatively little attention until now. Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements & Youth Justice extends the existing literature on public protection. It provides a detailed exploration of MAPPA policy and practice in order to prompt further debate about the implications of the risk paradigm for young people and youth justice practitioners. In the book, key academics, practitioners and policy makers consider a range of theoretical and practical issues raised by the introduction of MAPPA including risk and children's rights, the use of professional discretion by practitioners, alternative approaches to risk management and suggestions for future policy development. It will be of interest to both professionals and academics working with young offenders and in youth justice.

Maintaining a balance between managing and assessing risk and upholding the required high standards of practice in health and social care can be demanding, particularly in the current climate of increased preoccupation with the difficult tensions between rights, protection and risk-taking. Good Practice in Assessing Risk is a comprehensive guide to good practice for those working with risk, covering a wide variety of health, social care and criminal justice settings including child protection, mental health, work with sex offenders and work with victims of domestic violence. The contributors discuss a range of key issues relating to risk including positive risk-taking, collaborating with victims and practitioners in the design of assessment tools, resilience to risk, and defensibility. The book also explores the role of bureaucracy in hindering high quality professional practice, complex decision-making in situations of stress or potential blame, and involving service users in assessment. This book reflects the latest policy and practice within health, social care and criminal justice and will be an invaluable volume to all professionals working in these fields.