Looked-after children, turning 18, especially those with a background of offending, often fall off the bureaucratic cliff due to a distinct lack of support.

That's why the Youth Justice Board (YJB), welcomed the news that all children in care may elect to stay with their foster families until their 21st birthday.

Children and families minister Edward Timpson announced last month that he was placing a new legal duty on local authorities to provide financial support for every young person who wants to stay with their foster parents.

Local authorities will receive £40m, over three years, to put the necessary support arrangements in place.

Looked-after young people in the criminal justice system are a much neglected and under-resourced group, with a high likelihood of re-offending, because they are offered a low level of specific and targeted support.

These young people are often expected to manage the difficult and often traumatic transition from childhood to adulthood, when they turn 18 with little help from the
local agencies around them.

That's why the work of the T2A Alliance is so essential. The alliance is a broad coalition of organisations, convened by the Barrow Cadbury Trust, which promotes ‘the need for a distinct and radically different approach to young adults in the criminal justice system'.

The alliance has also done valuable work in bringing an understanding about the concept of maturity, which is not the same as biological age. Blowing out the candles
on an 18th birthday cake does not magically transform a child into a fully functioning and mature adult.

The T2A Alliance pilots in Birmingham, West Mercia and London, which have been running since 2009, show that providing a rigorous and distinct focus – by walking alongside young people as they try to change the narrative of their lives – does work.

Since the YJB launched a new framework for supporting young people in the youth justice system through the difficult transition into the adult justice system at 18, Youth Offending Teams across England and Wales have been working closely with their probation partners to make it a reality.

The intention is to ensure that young people are enabled to get back into education, or training, or a job; have somewhere suitable to live – not just ‘sofa surfing' or unsuitable bed and breakfast accommodation – and have the mental health or other
support services they individually need.

We know that this helps young people to cease or reduce their offending, increases their compliance with court orders and helps them on the difficult path to a successful life

Recent government initiatives have also adopted this thinking, introducing specialist sentencing guidelines for young adults – the Crown Prosecution Services Code of Conduct relating to young adults and the recent Department for Education initiative in relation to extended support for looked-after children.

There are no simple solutions to turning around already damaged lives – this process is a journey, not an event.

Children in the justice system are among the most in need of our focus and support.

Frances Done is chair of the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales