*/
The Bar Standards Board (BSB) announced proposals to raise standards in the youth court so that it is no longer seen as a training ground for advocates but an area of specialism.
It followed research, commissioned by the BSB and CILEx Regulation last year, that found the quality of advocacy was ‘highly variable’, a lack of specialist knowledgeand training, and that the court was seen as a place for advocates to ‘cut their teeth’.
The BSB wants to establish youth court advocacy as an area of specialism, setting competencies and providing guidance on how to satisfy them. To improve performance, it is considering a range of options, from risk-based or sampled court visits to observe advocacy, to encouraging those who come into contact with a youth court advocate to bring concerns to the BSB’s attention.
Where identified, poor performance would be addressed by supporting the advocate to improve, with enforcement action reserved for the most serious or persistent cases. The BSB also plans to work with others in the youth justice sector to raise the status of youth advocacy work.
BSB director of supervision and authorisation, Oliver Hanmer, said: ‘The youth court deals with some of the most vulnerable people within the criminal justice system and the impact of poor quality advocacy is therefore grave.’ He said the BSB is committed to improving standards and making a positive difference to the lives of those who appear in the youth court.
The Bar Standards Board (BSB) announced proposals to raise standards in the youth court so that it is no longer seen as a training ground for advocates but an area of specialism.
It followed research, commissioned by the BSB and CILEx Regulation last year, that found the quality of advocacy was ‘highly variable’, a lack of specialist knowledgeand training, and that the court was seen as a place for advocates to ‘cut their teeth’.
The BSB wants to establish youth court advocacy as an area of specialism, setting competencies and providing guidance on how to satisfy them. To improve performance, it is considering a range of options, from risk-based or sampled court visits to observe advocacy, to encouraging those who come into contact with a youth court advocate to bring concerns to the BSB’s attention.
Where identified, poor performance would be addressed by supporting the advocate to improve, with enforcement action reserved for the most serious or persistent cases. The BSB also plans to work with others in the youth justice sector to raise the status of youth advocacy work.
BSB director of supervision and authorisation, Oliver Hanmer, said: ‘The youth court deals with some of the most vulnerable people within the criminal justice system and the impact of poor quality advocacy is therefore grave.’ He said the BSB is committed to improving standards and making a positive difference to the lives of those who appear in the youth court.
Update from the Chair of the Bar
By Clement Cowley, Partner at The Penny Group
Modernising communication and collaboration at a leading Chancery set. A Zexi case study
How to build profile without compromising professional duties. By Naumaan Farooq, Co-Founder of Inked PR
Marie Law, Director of Toxicology at AlphaBiolabs, examines the role of cut-off levels, and the wider range of factors that must be considered when interpreting results for family court proceedings
Endometriosis Awareness North, a charity raising awareness of endometriosis and supporting those affected across the North of England, has received a £500 boost from AlphaBiolabs via the company’s Giving Back initiative
The case against judge-only justice – and why efficiency is not enough. By Professor Leslie Thomas KC
Jemima Coleman and Zoë Leventhal KC on the evolving global movement seeking to reframe how we view nature: to recognise that nature possesses inherent rights and to enshrine these rights in law
Heritage as an anchor and a compass, finding our common humanity and embracing the power of the outsider – Melina Antoniadis’s lessons learnt
Seeing the full picture – Baljit Ubhey OBE outlines the CPS action plan to tackle violence against women and girls, offering insights directly relevant to courtroom practice
Lauren Fullerton examines the how, what and why of setting up a second chambers base
