Happy New Year to you all.

I'm delighted to to be writing this post in my new position of chair of NAYJ.

I'd like to express my appreciation to all committee members past and present who have contributed so much to the association. I'd especially like to thank Geoff Monaghan, the outgoing chair, for all his hard work and I look forward to his continued input as he takes on the association's 'Practice, Policy and Campaigns' portfolio.

The coming year will see the run up to the introduction of the Youth Rehabilitation Order and the 'Scaled Approach' to youth justice. In addition, the closer working ties with other agencies within the prevention arena brings with it both opportunities and challenges. The NAYJ will continue to be at the forefront of developments effecting young people in trouble with the law.

We are also intending to make some changes to the website to allow a greater degree of interaction with the membership and the website users. We hope to convince those of you who are regular website users of the benefits of becoming a member of the association!

One of the many benefits of being a member of the association is the copy of 'Youth Justice' which comes as a part of the membership package. The editors, Barry Goldson and John Muncie, continue to put together a journal of high quality articles, book reviews and reference material.

We are in the process of making the sign-up process for membership and events even easier by integrating PayPal into the site, although you will still be able to all the existing methods!

We are also getting ready an updated version of the website that will help highlight new content and improve your navigation through the site.

There will be a lot to keep an eye on in the coming year so make us a regular stop as you surf the net.

Regards

Andrew Blyth
Chair: National Association for Youth Justice