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For youth justice professionals

Appropriate adults for children are a statutory youth justice service, a legal duty of local authorities

Youth justice officers may be asked to act as appropriate adults, or work in partnership with them to support children in police custody and interviews.

Standards

The NAAN National Standards are approved by the Youth Justice Board. Under the standards for children in the youth justice system (2019), set by the Secretary of State for Justice on the advice of the Youth Justice Board (YJB), the provision of appropriate adults must be in line with the NAAN National Standards.

Read: NAAN National Standards

Bail and remand

Appropriate adult provision is part of a youth justice services's bail and remand strategy.  

Read: How to manage bail and remands: section 3 case management guidance

 

Local authority accommodation

When a child under 18 is refused police bail, with few exceptions they must be transferred to local authority accommodation pending the first available court appearance. 

This is an important part of minimising detention times for children, which is a requirement under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. 

Resources from NAAN

Read our policy briefing: Transfers to local authority accommodation

Download our flowchart: A guide to the legal framework for post-charge transfers of children (under 18 years) to local authority accommodation

Wales

Read: All-Wales guidance for the appropriate management and transfer of children and young people by the Police and Local AuthoritiesAll-Wales guidance for the appropriate management and transfer of children and young people by the Police and Local Authorities (Welsh Government, 2016)

England

Read: Concordat on Children in Custody (Home Office, 2017)

London

London Protocol for the provision of local authority accommodation for children held in police custody (LSCB, 2019)

Resources from Just for Kids Law

No child in cells campaign

Briefing: “It’s horrible when they keep you in there at night” Ending the overnight detention of children in police custody