The number of children and young people sent into custody in Caerphilly County Borough and Blaenau Gwent is dropping at a faster rate than anywhere else in the UK.
The Prison Reform Trust has written to the leader of Caerphilly Council congratulating the authority on its efforts to keep children out of custody during 2009/10.
In Caerphilly and Blaenau Gwent there has been a 66% decrease compared to the national average of 24% according to figures releases by the national Youth Justice Board.
Council leader Lindsay Whittle said: “The Youth Offending Management Board is working hard to drive forward improvements in this area and it is clear from these latest findings that their approach is leading the way in the UK.
“The council is also a key partner in the Safer Caerphilly Community Safety Partnership and we are working closely alongside colleagues in the police and other agencies to tackle this issue at a grassroots level. Hopefully we can continue to keep more children and young people out of custody thanks to our proactive approach.”