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ITEM SH10 Supplement

SOCIAL & HEALTH CARE SCRUTINY COMMITTEE - 11 DECEMBER 2002

YOUTH JUSTICE PLAN - UPDATE

Supplementary Report by the Head of the Youth Offending Service

1. This report gives additional information about the required content of the Youth Justice Plan 2003-04 in the light of guidance recently received from the Youth Justice Board. This supplements the brief report presented to the Executive on 26 November, which is also circulated with the agenda for the Scrutiny Committee meeting.
2. The Youth Justice Plan 2002-2005 was submitted to the Youth Justice Board In March 2002. Annual updates to this Plan are required, the first of which has to be submitted by 31 March 2003. While the specification for the original Plan was very detailed and the submitted document ran to about 100 pages including many extremely detailed statistical tables, new guidance recently issued allows for a simpler and shorter update Plan.
3. Crucially the Plan addresses performance data for the calendar year 2002. Such data is not available until the third week in January 2003 at the earliest. The Youth Offending Team, in common with all other Youth Offending Teams (YOT’s), makes use of an effective Management Information System (YOIS), which is designed, along with other functions, to provide this data.

Contents of the Plan

4. The following sections summarise the prescribed format and guidance from the Youth Justice Board.

Section A: Summary and Approval

5. This section provides a brief review of YOT performance, derived from performance indicators, analysis of recidivism and cohort evaluation, and includes a brief summary of key objectives for the forthcoming year. Additionally the Chair of the YOT Steering Group must provide an assessment of the group’s functioning and its role in performance management.
6. Approval of the Plan has then to be indicated by the signatures of the Chief Officers of the participating agencies who have responsibility for resourcing the YOT. They are the Chief Executive and the Chief Officers of Learning & Culture, Social Care & Health, Probation, Police and Health (in Oxfordshire’s case Oxford City PCT). Other parties, although statutorily not required, are also asked to indicate their approval (in Oxfordshire’s care they are H.M.P. Huntercombe and Magistrates Courts).

Section B: Prevention

7. The YOT’s Prevention Strategy and plans for the spending of the 25% of the Children Fund allocation on youth crime prevention needs to be briefly detailed.

Section C: Governance and Resources

8. This section needs to make clear the management arrangements for the YOT and present an accountability framework indicating how the Chief Officers’ Steering Group oversees the performance management of targets.
9. Details of YOT staffing (currently about 80) must be provided, along with that of the membership of the Steering Group, and posts held. All sources of funding of the YOT, including details of each agency’s contribution and the impact that present and planned funding levels have on the capacity of the YOT to meet performance targets, must also be listed.

Section D: Performance Targets

10. The longest section of the Plan addresses the 13 Performance Measure set by the Youth Justice Board using a template provided. These 13 sub-sections compare 2002 data with that of 2001 and compares performance against targets included in the Youth Justice Plan 2002/2005. An 80 page accompanying document describes in substantial detail, the Counting Rules that must form the basis of these summaries.
11. The 13 Performance Measures are:

1. Reduce the number of young offenders committing offences of domestic burglary vehicle crime and robbery;
2. Reduce re-offending rates for pre-court disposals, first tier penalties, community penalties and custodial penalties;
3. Increase the proportion of final warnings supported by intervention;
4. Reduce the use of the secure estate for remands and custodial sentences;
5. Increase the use of restorative justice processes;
6. Increase the proportion of victims, who have been either consulted or who have participated in restorative processes, who are either satisfied or very satisfied with the outcome;
7. Parental satisfaction with parenting programmes;
8. Ensure ASSET (YOT Assessment Tool) is completed for all young people subject to community disposals and custodial sentences;
9. Ensure that 90% of Pre-Sentence Reports are submitted to timescales prescribed by National Standards;
10. Ensure that all initial Training Plans for young people subject to Detention and Training Orders are drawn up within prescribed timescales;
11. To ensure that all young offenders supervised by the YOT are either in full time education, training and employment (80% by December 2003, 90% by December 2004);
12. All young people subject to community intervention and on release from the secure estate have satisfactory accommodation;
13. All young people manifesting acute mental health difficulties to have a formal assessment by Child and Adolescent Health Service with in 5 days and all those with non-acute mental health concerns within 15 days.
    
    
12. For each of these measures very challenging targets, approved where appropriate by relevant government departments (eg DfES, DoH) have been set. Funding from the Youth Justice Board is dependent on performance against these measures. Failure to make progress towards their achievement to an acceptable standard will lead to abatement of such funding.

Section E: Learning and Development

13. By 2003/04, the YOT will be expected to have in place a Learning & Development Plan authorising all training and learning priorities for practitioners, managers and volunteers.

Conclusion

14. The Youth Justice Plan represents a summary of the actions and commitments of a number of statutory agencies and mechanisms will need to be in place for its approval not only by the County Council, but also Thames Valley Police, Thames Valley Probation Service and Oxford City PCT.
15. The Plan will need to be written to a very tight timescale commencing on the 20 January 2003 (when analysed data will become available) to allow for such approvals to be obtained.

MICHAEL SIMM
Head of Youth Offending Service

Background papers: Nil

Contact Officer: Michael Simm Tel: (01865) 202218

December 2002

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