Agenda item

The Commission considered a report of the Director of Children and Family Services which provided an update on the delivery of the Youth Justice Plan 2016 – 2019.  A copy of the report marked ‘Agenda Item 8’ is filed with these minutes.

Arising from discussion the following points were raised:-

(i)          The Crime and Disorder Act 1998 set out the statutory partners in delivery of youth justice services and required them to make a contribution to the service.  The level and nature of the resource that partners should contribute was not defined.  Locally, funding was agreed annually by the Youth Offending Services Management Board, although for organisations such as the National Probation Service a national agreement was in place.  There were some risks to the ongoing levels of partnership funding but these were mitigated by the fact that a large proportion of the work was statutory.

(ii)         It was expected that the 2018/19 budget would be similar to that of the previous year.  Notification of partner contributions had been received although confirmation of funding from the Youth Justice Board was still awaited.  The Youth Offending Service was accustomed to these circumstances and had a good track record for management of its budget.

(iii)       Members welcomed the reduction in custodial sentences for young offenders but sought assurance that robust alternatives were in place.  It was confirmed that a breadth of community-based alternatives to a custodial sentence were available and that the Magistrates’ Courts had confidence in the recommendations of County Council officers and their ability to deliver.  The re-offending of young people who had been given a community sentence was monitored and could be compared with re-offending rates where a custodial sentence had been given.

(iv)       The Commission was pleased to note the strength of arrangements in the Youth Offending Service for oversight and audit of caseloads, along with the strong performance management culture.  The increased complexity of cases meant that a holistic, partnership approach to service delivery was being developed.  Work to prevent young people from entering the youth justice system also helped with caseload management, although it was noted that reductions in funding made the delivery of preventative work more challenging.

(v)        The Early Help Review would provide an opportunity to align early help services to support the Youth Offending Service.  The Plan would not need amending in the light of the review as it was not expected to alter the strategic objectives for the service.

(vi)       The improvement in the numbers of young people in education, employment and training at the end of supervision was noted and assurance sought that this was sustainable.  The Commission was advised that the conversion of schools to academies had initially affected performance in this area, but that once new arrangements were in place performance had improved.  There was confidence in the quality of provision as the affected young people would not engage unless it was meaningful.

(vii)     There was a nationally agreed protocol in place for when a young offender was placed in another local authority area.  Arrangements under this protocol were felt to work well.

(viii)    Out of court disposals were used to keep young people out of the criminal justice system and to deal with their offence in a proportionate manner such as through restorative work or a warning.  National guidance on their use had been issued.  Locally, it was not felt that pressure was applied on young people to accept an out of court disposal, acknowledging that this would become part of a criminal record.

RESOLVED:

That the update on the delivery of the Youth Justice Plan 2016 – 2019 be noted.