A SENEDD report is demanding the Welsh government take action over the high number of young people with communication needs entering the criminal justice system in Wales.

That’s the message in 60 Per Cent – Giving Them a Voice, published today by the Senedd’s equality & social justice committee.

The scrutiny committee found at least 60 per cent of young people involved with the youth justice system have a speech, language or communication difficulty, compared with an estimated 10 per cent for children and young people as a whole. 

Committee chairwoman Jenny Rathbone said: “This over-representation of young people with communication challenges getting dragged into the criminal justice system is deeply worrying. 

“Compare this 60 per cent with just 10 per cent of young people in the general population and it is obvious we have a serious issue to be tackled. 

“This report is aimed squarely at giving a voice to these young people.”

Speech, language and communication needs includes a range of challenges from language delay, stammering, dyslexia, deafness and autistic-spectrum difficulties. 

The committee reported that children with these needs are likely to find it difficult to understand and make sense of what people say or struggle to consider other people’s perspectives or intentions.

The Senedd panel found clear support for embedding speech and language therapists in youth offending teams and recommended the Welsh government work with local authorities to plan for embedding speech and language therapists into every youth offending team.

Criminal justice is the responsibility of the UK government, but youth offending teams are part of local authorities in Wales, which are funded by the Welsh government. 

The Welsh government was asked to comment.