Local authority secure children's homes are lagging far behind the rest of the secure estate for young people in training staff on standard qualifications.
The YJB wants 80 per cent of youth justice workers to gain the professional certificate in effective practice (PCEP), or equivalent accreditation under the National Qualification Framework, by next March.
The YJB developed the PCEP to meet the need for a standard qualification for staff across the sector.
Mary Graham, chair of the Secure Accommodation Network, the body that represents Laschs, said they were falling behind because the YJB did not meet "backfill" costs to pay for substitute staff when existing staff were released for training.
She said this put extra pressure on social services budgets that fund welfare beds in Laschs, adding: "It's unfair to expect local authorities to give extra money so Laschs can get more staff on the training."
However, the YJB said YOIs had started the training first in 2004-5, and that Laschs and STCs were "on track to deliver more training to a tighter schedule".
A spokesperson for the YJB said it did not meet "backfill" costs for any establishments.
Graham also said the shorter contracts given to Laschs by the YJB - two to three years compared with about 15 years for STCs - "raises the question of whether it is worth paying for staff to do the training".
The YJB spokesperson said STC contracts were longer because the companies that set them up and operated them needed to recoup capital costs.
Meanwhile, the Youth Justice Board has sanctioned a controversial "nose distraction" technique for staff in STCs to control young offenders, reportedly involving a "karate chop"-style blow to the nose.
It has also permanently suspended the seated double embrace restraint following the death of 15-year-old Gareth Myatt at Rainsbrook STC in April 2004. He lost consciousness while being restrained by three staff.
