Youth Justice Strategic Plan 2023

Gateshead Youth Justice Service consulted with partners and agreed nine key priorities as defined in the Strategic Plan for 2021 - 2023.

Priority 1 

Ensure our young people are "children first and offenders second"

Progress 

Gateshead Youth Justice Service worked with Digital Me to produce a short film asking young people about how they became involved in offending and their experiences of being involved with Gateshead Youth justice Service. The film focuses on some of the key issues that lead them into offending behaviours and allows them to reflect on opportunities for change. This is a local resource which can be used by partners and across the children's workforce including schools, health, police, and MASH.

HMIP found "Understanding the experiences of children, families and victims is a priority for the YJS. It is proactive in ensuring that their voices are continually heard at the board and used to influence service delivery. This ethos is shared by the wider partnership, which also recognises the importance of working and collaborating with children and families".

Life story work continues to be a key priority for Gateshead Children's Social Care, the Youth Justice Service provide information and material to help to build the young person's story.

Priority 2

Ensure Children in Our Care are not over represented in the Criminal Justice Service

Progress 

Gateshead Youth Justice Service is acutely aware of the over representation of Cared for Children's in the Youth Justice System. As a result of this the cohort of young people are monitored through the performance framework and weekly risk register. There is a clear understanding of the need to divert Cared for Children and avoid formal intervention. The circumstances of each offence and the young person is assessed at the point of diversion and throughout the Out of Court Disposal process. There are examples of Cared for Children not being progressed through Youth Justice but rather diverted by not coming into service or by using a lower-level intervention such as Outcome 22. Youth Justice Staff have a regular presence in local Children's Homes, meet with young people during their intervention and keep in touch after to provide ongoing support. The 10-point check list ensures that offences within care homes are dealt with by way of a restorative intervention (where appropriate).

Priority 3

Identify and intervene early with young people to address behaviour that could lead a young person into the Criminal Justice System

Progress

Divert from Charge is a referral process which will no longer see young people being charged by police unless in extreme cases, such as offences that could lead to a remand. Youth Justice Service Police Officers apply an eligibility test which will assess whether an Out of Court option is appropriate. If the young person is eligible and willing to engage, they will receive either a Youth Conditional Caution (YCC) or an Outcome 22 (deferred prosecution).

Priority 4

Ensure education teams effectively meets the needs of young people within the criminal justice system

Progress 

The Youth Justice Service, along with Information Advice and Guidance service, education partners undertake joint reviews of education for statutory and post statutory age young people and report regularly to the Gateshead Youth Justice Board. Gateshead Youth Justice Service is an active member of education panels including, fair access, complex pupils, exclusion, the attendance strategy and SEND. Education, training, and employment status is assessed with each young person in Youth Justice Service, and support offered in response to individual need. Young people in the Youth Justice Services continue to be disproportionately permanently excluded, have SEND and not being offered or engaging to full time, main stream education. The is an area of further development in 2023 / 2024. There is a strategic plan across Children's Social Care to ensure vulnerable groups of young people are actively supported to access appropriate education, YJS children are part of this group.

Priority 5

Promote the health and wellbeing of young people in the Youth Justice System

Progress 

Gateshead Children's Social Care and Early Help and the North Cumbria Integrated Care Board have developed the Trusting Hands service. The service will focus on the children and young people who need it most, providing support to carers, social workers and other advocates of children and young people and their families to enable them to recognize the signs and symptoms of trauma, respond appropriately and seek further help and support when needed. The service will also provide speech and language screening and support recognising the impact on speech, language, and communication of trauma in childhood.

Young people in the police station are offered a Liaison and Diversion health screen, this can be followed up in the community to support the young person.

North East Counselling Service (NECS) have worked with Gateshead Youth Justice Service to support the team in their work with children and young people, specifically in terms of ongoing emotional, mental health and wellbeing needs. Intervention development sessions have been delivered to the Gateshead Youth Justice Service team by the Counselling Lead/Manager. Gateshead Youth Justice Service has direct access to counselling services with NECS. Young people and their parents have been offered counselling support. There is scope to provide family counselling if needed. These types of wider supportive approaches can often be more impactful than directing counselling interventions towards the individual.

Priority 6

Support young people transitioning between Children's and Adults Service

Progress

The overriding objective of the Joint National Protocol for Transitions in England and behind an effective transition process is that it should be managed safely both for the child and their community. Whilst there are limited restrictions on the type of youth statutory orders that can be transferred to the Probation Service, where the child meets the age eligibility threshold, what remains fundamental is the need to jointly assess the appropriateness of the child's transfer. Gateshead Probation Service and Youth Justice Service have processes in place to make sure relevant young people are regularly discussed and decisions are made as to which service is the most appropriate to meet their needs. Gateshead and South Tyneside Probation were inspected by HMIP in September 2022, it was reported on good practice between the services "there were very low numbers of children transferring from the Youth Offending Service (YOS) to The Probation Service after reaching age 18. Decisions about whether to transfer were made jointly between YOS and the PDU based on maturity and the needs of the young person rather than on rigid." This was seen to be positive practice.

Priority 7

Understand and intervene with young people experiencing criminal exploitation

Progress

Gateshead Youth Justice Service is an active partner at the Missing, Slavery, Exploitation and Trafficking panel. Young people at risk of exploitation are supported by the Youth Justice Service and referrals made to appropriate services. Gateshead YJS has made a number of referrals to the National Referral Mechanism for young people who we suspected had been exploited into committing crime. Gateshead Children's Social care and YJS are actively involved in the Missing Exploitation hub across Northumbria. There are clear communication routes with the Missing Co-Ordinator and Return Home Officer to ensure information is shared effectively to understand the potential risk to the child or young person. Gateshead Youth Justice Service also works with SCARPA who provide one to one support for young people at risk of exploitation.

Priority 8

Understand Serious Youth Violence in Gateshead and what can be done to reduce harm to the public and manage the risk.

Progress

Serious youth violence continues to be a priority for the partnership. A serious Youth violence strategy is being written by the Violence Reduction Unit, Community Safety, Youth Justice and other partners are involved in this work.

Priority 9 

Build our understanding of the specific problems faced by young people in Gateshead

Progress

We need to develop a culturally competent workforce, who are able to work effectively and inclusively with children, young people and families from all backgrounds. Gateshead Youth Justice Service needs to embed a strategic and operational approach to diversity, policies and procedures need to capture how the service will respond to all protected characteristics. This will also include addressing disproportionality.