PRESS RELEASE FROM THE CHILDREN'S RIGHTS ALLIANCE FOR ENGLAND

The Children’s Rights Alliance for England (CRAE) welcomes Gordon Brown's continuing determination to end child poverty but urges him to be the first British Prime Minister to make fulfilling the detailed obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child a priority right across government.

NAYJ is deeply saddened to hear of the resignation of Professor Rod Morgan from the Youth Justice Board.

Most children are looking forward to Christmas – a happy family occasion. But nearly 3000 children will spend Christmas behind bars, often hundreds of miles away from their home and family.

As Youth Justice Board figures reveal that nearly 3000 children in England and Wales will spend Christmas 2006 in custody, an influential group of organisations – including Barnardo’s, the NSPCC, The Children’s Society, Nacro and others – have called for a new approach to youth justice.

The National Association for Youth Justice (NAYJ) welcomes the recommendations published in the Zahid Mubarek Inquiry and the Home Secretary's announcement that he accepts a substantial number of them

The National Association for Youth Justice (NAYJ) shares the concerns expressed by Grant Shapps, MP about the retention of DNA samples taken from children.

NAYJ would agree wholeheartedly with the comments made by Rod Morgan (Guardian Society 24.08.05, pg.5) that children in custody in the UK are among the most disadvantaged and damaged.

Today's Home Office announcements of measures to protect witnesses and more funding for Individual Support orders are accompanied by figures showing that over a 1000 ASBOs were made on children in 20

Professor Rod Morgan, Chair of the Youth Justice Board, has challenged politicians and the media to stop calling children 'yobs' and warns of a Britain demonising a generation.