• After years of decline, violence involving children in England and Wales has risen in 2023/24: homicides among 13–19‑year‑olds surged 64%, and hospital admissions for knife injuries in 0–17‑year‑olds climbed 58% over the decade, with a 9% rise in the latest year.
• Knife-related homicides among teens more than doubled (+141%), now making up 83% of all teenage killings—up from 56% a decade ago

⚖️ Justice system trends

• Overall youth justice entries dropped by 62% since 2014, largely due to diversion programs .
• However, arrests for violent offences increased 32% since 2020/21, while proven violent youth offences rose 9% in 2023/24
• Homicide convictions among 10–17‑year‑olds rose 77% over the decade .

🏙️ Regional insights

• London records the most youth violent offences (~2,700/year), followed by West Yorkshire. Nottinghamshire has the highest rate per 100,000 youths Youth Endowment Fund.

📉 System strain

• Police solve just 1 in 10 crimes (down from 3 in 10). Persistent school absence remains high at ~20%, double pre-pandemic levels
• Referrals to child mental health services more than doubled since 2016/17, but under half (46%) get treatment
• Youth service spending halved since 2013/14; slight recovery only in Wales .

🎯 Racial disproportionality

• Black children remain disproportionately impacted: Though overrepresentation is declining, Black Caribbean children are still 3.3× more likely to be arrested than their population share

✅ Path forward

• The YEF advocates evidence-based interventions—such as diversion, mentoring, education, and system-wide reforms—via its Toolkit and guidance, emphasizing that change is possible and supported by strong evidence
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