The Youth Justice Board (YJB) for England and Wales has recently published a Victims Evidence and Insights Pack. 

The pack brings together national evidence on child victimisation across England and Wales and its relationship with offending by children. One finding is that children who are victims of crime are more likely to enter the youth justice system. 

A summary of the report outlines:

• Recent estimates suggest:
  • Around 1 in 5 children in England and Wales report being victims of violence.
  • Around 1 in 5 children report being victims of robbery.
  • Around 1 in 3 children report being victims of fraud and financial crime.
  • Around half of children in relationships report experiencing at least one form of emotionally or physically abusive behaviour from their partner in the last 12 months.
  • Around half of children who perpetrated violence had also been victims.
• Black and mixed heritage children and boys are disproportionately affected by violence. Girls are at higher risk of sexual exploitation and relationship abuse, particularly where school exclusion, ‘gang’ affiliation, or children’s social care involvement are present. Children’s risk of victimisation is shaped by overlapping factors such as living in urban areas, having special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), school exclusion, substance misuse, and children’s social care involvement.
• Many children who offend are also victims. Experiences of domestic abuse are common among children involved in serious youth violence and ‘gangs’, and current youth justice responses to child criminal exploitation (CCE) often fail to recognise and support victims effectively, especially as they get older, instead reinforcing criminalisation and overlooking complex vulnerabilities.
• Data on child victimisation remains uneven. National sources provide limited and inconsistent information on victims’ age, ethnicity, disability and prior offending, particularly for theft, fraud, online harms and child sexual abuse and exploitation. Data quality across England and Wales is uneven and rarely disaggregated per country, requiring cautious interpretation.
• Many children, particularly care-experienced children, those from minority ethnic backgrounds, and those living in deprivation, feel ignored and unsupported; research in England shows children’s rights are poorly communicated, while police data from England and Wales highlights gaps in mental health and advocacy support and justice system delays that can re-traumatise children, with voluntary and youth justice services valued for more personalised support.
• Evidence-informed interventions such as restorative justice, A&E navigator programmes, focused deterrence, trauma-specific therapies and IDVAs (Independent Domestic Violence Advisors) / CHISVAs (Children's Independent Sexual Violence Advisors) show promise, but evidence quality varies and further evaluation is needed. Interventions must also address the growing risk of online harms and digital exploitation.
• Youth Justice Services must follow the Victims’ Code by keeping victims informed, signposting support, offering safe and voluntary restorative justice, ensuring trained staff, and providing personalised, well-recorded support, with this work now more closely assessed through strengthened HM Inspectorate of Probation inspection standards.

The findings highlight that children’s vulnerability to victimisation is shaped by a combination of individual, social and economic factors. These include poverty, care experience and exposure to violence. The evidence also points to growing risks linked to online harms and digital exploitation, alongside gaps in access to advocacy, mental health support and consistent, trauma-informed support.

A range of promising programmes designed to support children and reduce harm have been identified in the report.

This evidence pack is for youth justice services, children’s services and wider partners. Its purpose is to inform governance, decision making, commissioning, workforce development and partnership working. It also aims to strengthen how children who experience harm are identified, supported and protected.