Member

There are broader and very serious questions about the suitability of youth diversion orders themselves. Amendment 409G in the name of the noble Baroness, Lady Doocey, rightly asks whether a youth diversion order is necessary in the first place. This amendment addresses the equally important question of what happens next. It aims to take a practical approach to working with what we have in the Bill. If such orders are to be introduced, the framework governing them must be rooted in what we know actually works for children. As drafted, Clause 185 gives the courts extremely broad discretion to impose conditions, without any clear duty to consider whether those requirements are suitable or achievable in practice. This amendment intends to address that gap. Proposed new subsection (4A) would require courts to consider evidence of suitability, taking into account a child’s