Youth Justice Strategic Plan 2023
Performance
Existing Key performance indicators
Latest Offending Data of Gateshead 2022/23 Statutory Cohort
Offending Data of 2022/23 Non-Statutory Cohort
Over-represented groups
Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic (BAME) In Gateshead April 2019 to March 2023
Girls
Children in our care
Key Performance Indicators:
The Youth Justice Board (YJB) introduced new key performance indicators as of April 2023 to replace those already in place, namely First Time Entrants, Reoffending, and use of Custody. There are a total of ten new indicators that have been introduced to help prove how services and partners are involved with more complex caseloads despite an overall reduction in the number of children coming into services.
The new KPIs set by the YJB are:
Suitable Accommodation - looking at the type and suitability of accommodation for young people in the community and those being released from custody
Education, Training and Employment - concerned with the number and proportion of children in ETE and the suitability
Special Educational Needs and Disabilities /Additional Learning Needs - includes the number of children with SEND and whether they have a formal plan and are in suitable ETE
Mental Healthcare and Emotional Wellbeing - services are required to record the number of children screened or assessed to understand their mental health and emotional wellbeing needs
Substance Misuse - this KPI looks at children with a screened or identified need for an intervention or treatment to address substance misuse
Out of Court Disposals - reporting on the outcomes of interventions in each period and the rate of completion by young people
Links to Wider Services - services are required to record the status of children classified as currently care experienced. Those children that have a 'Looked After Child,' Child in Need status or have a Child Protection Plan in place
Management Board Attendance - services are required to record the number of senior partners attending quarterly meetings and the data presented that identifies any areas of disproportionality
Serious Violence - requirement for services to record on the caseload children cautioned or convicted of Serious Violence
Victims - details of the number of victims created from the offences committed by children on the caseload and the involvement with the service.
As the above KPIs have been introduced by the YJB this year there is not yet a sufficient amount of data to provide any real analysis. Gateshead YJS will be monitoring all ten indicators and using the data to support in the processes and interactions with all those that come into the service.
Existing key performance indicators:
First Time Entrants (FTE) data source - Police National Computer (PNC) & Gateshead YJS (Where stated) First Time Entrants (FTEs) are young people referred to the Youth Justice Service in Gateshead that have received a substantive outcome for the first time. Substantive outcomes can be Youth Cautions, Youth Caution + Conditions, Referral Orders, Youth Rehabilitation Orders, or custodial sentences.
The chart above shows the numbers of FTE's in Gateshead since April 2018 and is taken from Police National Computer (PNC) data that is published by the Youth Justice Board (YJB). Overall, the number of FTEs in Gateshead has been significantly reduced (51%) since 2018. During the height of the covid pandemic (from March 2020) the country was in lockdown on several occasions which may account for the significant reduction in the FTE numbers in 2020/21 from the previous year.
The most recent published PNC data from the YJB is for the period April 2021 to March 2022. The figures in the chart above and table below for 2022/23 have been taken from the Gateshead YJS due to the lag in published data and is therefore provisional but show there has been no increase in FTEs.
The following table shows FTE numbers and rates (per 100,000 of 10-17-year-old population) in Gateshead.
Gateshead's FTE's | 2018/19 | 2019/20 | 2020/21 | 2021/22 | 2022/23 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Number | 51 | 38 | 18 | 25 | 25 |
Rate per 100,000 10-17 population | 298 | 218 | 103 | 145 | 147 |
Reoffending Data Source - Police National Computer (PNC) & Gateshead YJS (Where stated)
The reoffending rate within Youth Justice is measured as the percentage of young people involved with the service that commit further offences. Published re-offending data is provided on a lag therefore 2021/22 and 2022/23 data is taken from the Gateshead YJS tracking tool as provisional as it is expected to change. The most recently published PNC data period is April 2020 - March 2021. This data shows the rate for Gateshead was 37.5% which shows an increase of 6% on the previous year.
For the re-offending cohort, each young person is monitored for a 12-month period starting from the date they enter the cohort (i.e., when their disposal is received).
The published data from the YJB for Gateshead reoffending rates and reoffences/reoffender (total number of further offences committed by young people that have gone on to reoffend) can be seen in the table below upon updating the cohort offending data, the YJS management team reviews those cases each month to ensure the plan in place is robust and includes the necessary objectives to prevent further offending where possible.
Gateshead's Proven Rate of Reoffending | 2011 / 12 | 2012 / 13 | 2013 / 14 | 2014 / 15 | 2015 / 16 | 2016 / 17 | 2017 / 18 | 2018 / 19 | 2019 / 20 | 2020 / 21 | 2020 / 21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Reoffences/ reoffender | 2.98 | 2.83 | 2.57 | 3.49 | 3.69 | 3.51 | 3.23 | 2.98 | 3.89 | 6.52 | 6.11 |
% Reoffending | 40.1% | 45.7% | 40.7% | 32.9% | 47.8% | 33.3% | 35.2% | 40.1% | 36.5% | 31.5% | 37.5% |
Latest Offending Data of Gateshead 2022/23 Statutory Cohort
Young people receiving a caution or court disposal between April 2022 and March 2023 entered into the statutory cohort and are tracked for 12 months from the date they enter (date caution or court disposal is received). The data from Gateshead YJS tracking tool (as of the end of March 2023) shows the provisional reoffending rate at 18.8% (which is currently a 23.3% decrease when compared to the previous year's rate) as 6 cohort members have committed further offences since receiving their original disposal. Compared to the previous year, in total, there have been 10 further offences committed meaning the reoffences per reoffender rates is at 1.67.
The 2022/23 cohort consists of 32 young people of which 28 are still within their tracking period which means the reoffending data for this cohort is provisional and is expected to change.
In this cohort all 32 members are male and 88% (28) are from a white British background. This means those with a Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) background account for 12% of the cohort which may appear high however, the number of BAME young people is low at 4. 81% (26) are between 14 and 17 years old (at the date of entering the cohort) which has been the trend in Gateshead.
Of all the young people over half (56%) were previously known to the service i.e., they had received disposals before entering this cohort.
Offending Data of 2022/23 Non-Statutory Cohort
Like the statutory cohort a tracking tool is used for those young people referred to the Gateshead service that receive an out of court disposal (OOCD) between April 2022 and March 2023 and are tracked for 12 months from the date they enter (date OOCD received).
This non-statutory cohort comprises of 92 young people with 80 still within their tracking period meaning this data is provisional and expected to change over the course of each member's 12-month period. The most recent cohort of young people that have entered the service receiving a non-statutory outcome (April 2022 to March 2023) shows a reoffending rate of 9.8% compared to 18% in the previous year. Again, this is provisional data and expected to change until tracking periods have ended for all the young people.
Of the 92 young people that received an out of court disposal three quarters (69) are male, 93% (86) are White-British with only 7% (6) from a BAME background. Those aged 14-17 at the date they received their disposal account for 79% (73) of the full cohort members. One in four of this cohort had previously received a disposal from the YJS in Gateshead.
Offending Data of 2022/23 Non-Statutory Cohort
Like the statutory cohort a tracking tool is used for those young people referred to the Gateshead service that receive an out of court disposal (OOCD) between April 2022 and March 2023 and are tracked for 12 months from the date they enter (date OOCD received).
This non-statutory cohort comprises of 92 young people with 80 still within their tracking period meaning this data is provisional and expected to change over the course of each member's 12-month period. The most recent cohort of young people that have entered the service receiving a non-statutory outcome (April 2022 to March 2023) shows a reoffending rate of 9.8% compared to 18% in the previous year. Again, this is provisional data and expected to change until tracking periods have ended for all the young people.
| April 2020 - March 2021 | April 2021 - March 2022 | April 2022 - December 2022 | |||
Custodial Sentences | Rate per 1,000 of 10-17 population | Custodial Sentences | Rate per 1,000 of 10-17 population | Custodial Sentences | Rate per 1,000 of 10-17 population | |
Gateshead | 2 | 0.11 | 1 | 0.06 | 1 | 0.06 |
England & Wales | 728 | 0.13 | 645 | 0.11 | 468 | 0.08 |
From the period above there were a total of 4 custodial sentences between April 2020 and December 2022 all of which were male and all aged 17 at the time of sentencing. In 2022/23 the only custodial sentence (as of December 2022) was given to a young person from a BAME background with all other sentences being given to males from a White-British background.
Over-represented groups
EHCP & SEN SUPPORT
The table below shows the number and percentage of young people that have been involved with the Gateshead YJS since 2019 that have either had an Educational Health Care Plan in place or have been receiving SEN Support.
| 2019/20 | 2020/21 | 2021/22 | 2022/23 | ||||
No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
Single Plan (EHC Plan) | 3 | 3% | 6 | 4% | 15 | 10% | 10 | 7% |
SEN Support | 12 | 10% | 13 | 8% | 3 | 2% | 2 | 1% |
Total | 15 | 13% | 19 | 12% | 18 | 13% | 12 | 8% |
Between 2019 and 2022 there were more young people involved with the YJS that were also involved with the SEN Team year on year but fewer in 2022/23. For the whole period the average of young people involved with both services was 11%.
We have identified education as a priority area for development in 2023/24 and have partnered with out Trauma Informed Team colleagues to provide a dedicated speech and language resource.
Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic (BAME) In Gateshead April 2019 to March 2023
| 2019/20 | 2020/21 | 2021/22 | 2022/23 |
BAME No. | 2 | 4 | 10 | 9 |
BAME % | 1.7% | 2.5% | 7.0% | 6.1% |
The chart shows a year-on-year increase in the number of BAME cases coming into the Gateshead service with binary percentages for; 2019/20 1.7%, 2020/21 2.5%, 2021/22 7% and 2022/23 6.1%. the 2022/23 rate is just below the BAME estimate of 6.5% by the Gateshead Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA). The overall figure for the four-year period is 4.4% (25 BAME cases from a total of 566).
This data shows in Gateshead we are seeing more young people with a White European background than previous years along with those from Black African and Other Asian backgrounds. Whilst the service remains mindful of the increase in BAME representation it is aware the actual numbers remain low and form a significantly smaller proportion of those coming into the service. An example of this would be in relation to custodial sentences in 2022/23 as 100% receiving custody were of a BAME background however, this is only 1 young person receiving 1 sentence.
A difference was noted with 34% of BAME young people receiving statutory interventions (e.g., youth Caution, referral orders, custody etc) compared with 32% from a white ethnic background in 2022/23. In the previous year, the BAME figure was 31% whilst white ethnic background was 36%, this shift would indicate BAME young people are slightly more likely to receive a statutory outcome. We must also consider the actual number of cases in Gateshead which are small, so caution needs to be exercised when drawing any conclusions
There needs to be more focus on assessing, identifying and meeting the needs of Black, Asian and minority ethnic children.
In 2023 / 2024 the YJS board will work with the YJS to develop its diversity strategy and capture this in guidance and processes. The management board will also support the YJS in embedding its strategy and ensure that managers and practitioners are trained and supported to deliver it. Training will be offered to staff to recognise and respond to the diversity needs of children and families. Diversity needs to be fully understood and that practitioners have the skills and continued support to translate this understanding into practice. Recognition of and responses to diversity needs to be strengthened in casework. Greater exploration of religion, sexuality, culture, learning or communication needs will assist in understanding children's lived experience.
Girls
The number of girls within the service are closely monitored though the performance subgroup and the Gateshead Youth Justice Board. Cases are allocated to workers who have a good understanding of the different approaches required to engage young women. Young women are significantly less lightly to be sentenced in the court arena and are predominantly dealt with by an Out of Court Disposal. The nature of girls and young women's offending is different to that of young men, this is recognised, and interventions are delivered to reflect this. With female Case Managers and advocates available to support girls within the youth justice service with skills, knowledge and experience to meet the needs of this cohort.
To monitor and highlight changes in trends Gateshead YJS records the characteristics of the young people involved with the service. The following charts outline the demographic trends of the young people that become involved with the service.
The first charts show the proportion and number of females and males coming into the service and the second shows the same information but as a rate per 100,000 of the 10-17 population for each year.
The chart above highlight the continual trend in the ratio between the genders of young people involved with the service and is approximately 3:1 towards males. The proportion of females coming into the service has remained static over the last two years showing no significant increase or decrease.
Children in our Care
The charts below show the CIOC status of young people at the start of their intervention and their current status (as of March 2023). The data shows the majority of young people coming into the Gateshead service never have a CIOC status and for those that have or have had a CIOC status there are no significant increases or decreases.
