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ITEM EX11

EXECUTIVE – 7 JANUARY 2003

YOUTH JUSTICE PLAN

Report by the Head of the Youth Offending Service and Assistant Chief Executive

Introduction

  1. The annual Youth Justice Plan is one of the strategic plans which are subject to approval by full Council following consideration by both the Executive and relevant Scrutiny Committee in accordance with the Budget and Policy Framework Procedure Rules set out in the Constitution. The Executive on 26 November 2002 authorised consultation with the Social & Health Care Scrutiny Committee on the basis of initial proposals to be drawn up within the constraints identified in a report to that meeting by the Head of Youth Offending Services.

    2. Scrutiny Committee Views

  2. The Social & Health Care Scrutiny Committee considered the consultation on 11 December, when they had before them both the report to the 26 November Executive and a supplementary report giving further information about the Plan; this information is reproduced in Annex 1. The Committee agreed to advise the Executive of their appreciation of the hard work undertaken by the Youth Offending Team which had resulted in recognition of the team as a leading body by both the Home Office and the Youth Justice Board. The Committee offered no further comment at this stage in the light of arrangements for further consultation outlined below.

    3. Process

  3. At the 26 November meeting the Executive also asked officers to consider how best to accommodate the various stages of the preparation process within the Council’s calendar of meetings. This was in response to the requirement that the Youth Justice Plan be submitted to the Youth Justice Board by 31 March 2003, when (as can be seen from Annex 1) much of the content of the Plan cannot be produced until well into the New Year. This obviously presents particular difficulties in terms of consideration of a draft Plan by the Social & Health Care Scrutiny Committee, the Executive and Council in turn.

  4. However, it is now understood from the Youth Justice Board that it will be acceptable to submit the Plan to the Board subject to subsequent endorsement by Council, thus enabling a draft Plan to be drawn up for consideration by the Scrutiny Committee and the Executive in March, with submission to Council for approval at the 1 April meeting. The Social & Health Care Scrutiny Committee on 11 December were content with these arrangements and agreed that their meeting scheduled for 26 March should be brought forward to 13 March to enable views to be made known to the Council via the 18 March Executive.

    5. RECOMMENDATION

  5. The Executive is RECOMMENDED to approve the arrangements for consideration of the draft Plan outlined in the report and authorise the Head of the Youth Offending Service, in consultation with the Executive Members for Children & Young People and Community Safety, to prepare a draft Youth Justice Plan for submission direct to the Social & Health Care Scrutiny Committee for comment, in time for consideration by the Executive on 18 March, and onward transmission to Council for approval.

MIKE SIMM
Head of the Youth Offending Service

CHRIS IMPEY
Assistant Chief Executive

Background Papers: Nil

Contact officer: Mike Simm Tel. (01865) 202218

November 2002

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