Bill Kerslake, Head of Effective Sentences, Youth Justice Board for England and Wales

Bill Kerslake has been Head of Effective Sentences since August 2007 prior to which he was Head of Policy for Health and Substance Misuse at the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales, a post he has been in since 2003. Bill leads the YJB’s sentencing strategy which includes courts, community and custodial sentences, victims and restorative justice. Bill lead the YJB’s work on the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008 including the Youth Rehabilitation Order, the revision of the Referral Order Guidance and joint work with HMCS on the revised guidance ‘Making it Count in Court’. Bill previously led the development of improved substance misuse services for young people in custody and the development of the Board’s Resettlement and Aftercare Provision (RAP) providing intensive support for young people with substance misuse and dual diagnosis needs, when leaving custody or on community sentences.

Bill worked for ten years, as a social work practitioner in New Zealand and London in Hospital, Local Authority and Adult Community Mental Health Teams, and has practiced as an Approved Social Worker managing assessments under the Mental Health Act. He spent 2 years as a research associate with the Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health before joining the Audit Commission as a Value for Money auditor of Local Authority and Health Services, from which he was seconded to the YJB in 2002.