Secure platform aims to improve coordination between police and youth services
The Youth Justice Board for England and Wales (YJB) has launched a new national digital collaboration platform designed to improve coordination between youth justice services, police forces, and partner organisations across England and Wales.
The platform, known as “Basecamp: Diversion and Youth Justice Policing”, officially launched on 8 May 2026 and is intended to provide a secure space for real-time collaboration, information sharing, and problem-solving across the youth justice sector. The initiative has been developed jointly with the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), with support from the Youth Endowment Fund and the Centre for Justice Innovation.
According to the YJB, the platform aims to strengthen cooperation between youth justice professionals and police colleagues by allowing them to share evidence-based approaches, practical resources, and operational guidance. The organisations involved said the platform is intended to support efforts to reduce offending and reoffending among children while improving safety for communities and victims.
The system will not contain information relating to specific cases. Instead, it will focus on sharing best practices, training materials, operational tools, and examples of local approaches used across different regions. The new collaboration space also includes features designed to support live queries, frequently asked questions, networking between services, and discussion of emerging challenges affecting youth justice and diversion work.
Stephanie Roberts-Bibby, Interim Chief Executive Officer, said strong outcomes for children depend on effective partnership working between organisations involved in youth justice and policing. She stated that the platform would help professionals connect and share evidence of what works in real time, strengthening collective responses to harm reduction and child support.
Catherine Roper, Chief Constable for Wiltshire Police, said the initiative reflects ongoing efforts to improve collaboration between police and partner agencies working with children and young people. Roper said the platform would help policing become more child-centred and support improved sharing of best practice across services.
She added that children affected by criminality should be regarded as vulnerable and in need of support, including those suspected of committing offences. The YJB confirmed that access to the platform will be restricted through a permission-based system managed directly by the organisation.
The launch forms part of broader efforts within the youth justice sector to improve information sharing, consistency, and coordination between agencies working with children involved in or at risk of entering the criminal justice system. The YJB said the platform is expected to support faster responses to operational challenges while helping services identify and adopt effective approaches from other areas.