‘A second chance’: children guilty of serious offences will no longer have to declare criminal records

Government proposal aims to reduce number of children in custody in England and Wales and boost youth employment

Children found guilty of robbery, dealing drugs to other children or violent disorder will no longer have to disclose their criminal records to prospective employers under sweeping government proposals to change the youth justice system.

People in England and Wales will not have to share records of crimes committed when they were under 18 for the rest of their lives under the proposals, which ministers say will boost youth employment and make life fairer for people from disadvantaged backgrounds in particular.