Agenda item

The Crime and Disorder Act 1998, requires Local Authorities to have a Youth Justice Plan, which is updated annually to set out how youth justice will be delivered locally within available resources.

This plan (attached at Appendix 1) is a completely new plan in line with guidance distributed to local authorities in March 2024. The format of the plan follows guidance and headings provided by the National Youth Justice Board for England and Wales in the guidance mentioned, detailing best practice in the Youth Justice plans completion.

Discussion:

The Committee received a presentation and the annual report which set out how youth justice would be delivered locally. This new plan was developed in line with the new guidance that was distributed to Local Authorities in March 2024.

Members raised several comments and questions which included:

The Team was commended for the work being undertaken in addressing re offending rates

Prevention -  it was commented that over the years, there had been funding cuts to budgets  which negatively impacted the ability to implement preventative measures, and it was asked what was being done to address issues despite reduction in funding. It was also commented that it was vistal that community groups affected were held accountable and that families take ownership of issues with youth offending, Additionally, future reports presented to the Committee detail preventative measures alongside outcomes and not to just provide headlines of what was or was not working.

Members were informed that Medway was in a good position, had an outstanding youth team whose priority was a focus on prevention, by targeting and working with children that they had concerns about before they came into the youth justice system.

Workforce – in response to a question on what was being done to further mitigate issues locally amidst national challenges, the Committee was informed that this was an area of continues focus. There had been an increase in staff within the team and there were currently plans in place to recruit a second team manager to focus specifically on quality assurance. There was ongoing investment in upskilling the workforce, retention of staff and building relationships with partners.

Victim Support - it was asked what conversations were taking place with partners on the views of victims and the Committee was informed that this would be the focus of the next report . The Assistant Director of Education and SEND confirmed  that as Chair of the Community Partnership Board, a review of the service had been undertaken as well as a review of the Terms of Refence and training for Board Members, to ensure that they understood their roles. Victim support was a priority on the agenda for the Community Partnership Board as it was important to have victims at the heart of the service and work being carried out.

Disproportionality -  it was asked what was being done to educate  all to recognise and address issues and to understand all the characteristics that fall under this umbrella. The Committee was informed that there was continuous extensive work undertaken with families as it was vital to view young people as a whole package and not insolation. There was also a comprehensive assessment tool in place to assist officers with their work. There was work undertaken on development of plans around the young person, plans which set goals and objectives and there was ongoing work with parental support of the plan, and making sure they understood the experiences of young people. It was important to note that whilst often parents can be a risk factor in a young person offending, they were also a huge preventative factor, so it was important to secure their support with the plans.

Not in Education Employment or Training -  it was asked what was being done to address issues with offending in young people and the Committee was informed that this was a national challenge. The service had submitted a bid for additional funding to enable them, to work with a number of schools on different areas that may contribute to offending such as prevention of repeated suspension. The team currently provided support to children that had fallen out of the school realm and also worked with virtual schools to provide support for families.

Decision:

a)     The Children and Young People Overview & Scrutiny  noted the Medway Youth Justice Plan 2025 - 2026, as set out at Appendix 1, to Cabinet.

b)     The Children and Young People Overview and Scrutiny Committee recommend Full Council to approve the Medway Youth Justice Plan 2025 – 2026.

c)     A briefing note be provided to the Committee on Disproportionality.