Youth Justice Strategic Plan 2023

Improve the education, training and employment offer to young people

Develop the Education Training and Employment Offer for young people so they can fulfil their full potential. Gateshead YJS and our partners will further develop our response to ensuring all children have access to appropriate education, training, and employment (ETE) provision. This will include improving data analysis and escalation routes to assist effective challenge when there are concerns about ETE provision. Gateshead Youth Justice Service will work with education partners to improve the education offer for young people and increased the amount of suitable provision they can access. The YJS is part of the improving attendance strategy in Gateshead and is collaborating with the virtual school who are developing an implementation plan for education. Jointly collaborating with partners in a focused way will provide support to young people to access education and reduce exclusion. The development of the education worker post with the YJS is crucial to improving outcomes for young people. Children and young people schools and education providers need to be involved in the Out of Court Disposal panels to ensure a joined up approach to working together with the young person. 

Gateshead Youth Justice Service will work with Trusting Hands GATESHEAD (See innovations section) to ensure that young people have quick access to specialist mental health provision and pathways into speech, language and communication provision is fully embedded. The service will provide the opportunity to develop trauma-informed formulations and speech and language screening for Children and young people. Trusting Hands GATESHEAD will offer a consultation service to consider the wellbeing needs of children involved with the YJS from a trauma-informed perspective. 

Youth Justice Service staff will be trained and supported by Clinical Psychologists, speech & language therapists and nurse practitioners to develop an initial screening and triage process for every young person involved with the service. We will strengthen our partnership arrangements and pathways to support with CAMHS, CYPS and Counselling services to ensure young people have direct access to the appropriate counselling and support for emotional health issues.  

Understand and provide an effective response to youth violence

Understanding Serious Youth Violence in Gateshead is a key priority for 2023 /2024. Gateshead has had high profile violent incidents in the last 12 months. The YJS will work with the Violence Reduction Unit and the Community Safety Partnership and other partners to complete the serious violence strategy. Gateshead Youth Justice Service will deliver interventions to young people involved in carrying weapons this will be coproduced with young people. 

Further develop our diversity, inclusion and equality strategy

Gateshead Youth Justice Board will work with the YJS to further 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. Diversity needs to be fully understood by the service 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.

In line with the YJB Strategic Plan 2021 - 2024, Gateshead Youth Justice Service will also take a Child First approach to promote young people's strengths and help to develop pro social identity. We will take a strengths-based model to ensure that young people can be part of our service development and they can fulfil their potential. Young people open to Gateshead YJS are proactively involved in developing how services are delivered and have been involved in developing the key priorities for 2023 / 2024.

The Youth Justice Strategic Partnership board has agreed that board members will continue to take lead roles in reporting to the board on key areas identified in the Youth Justice Plan. This will enable the board to have an overview of key wider partnership information so resources within the scope of the board can be better aligned to identified need with a view to achieving the above key priorities.

Strengthen our resettlement policy

Gateshead Youth Justice Service will review our resettlement policy and provision to develop clear guidance in relation to preparing children for release. This will include the responsibilities of the partnership to ensure robust and effective resettlement provision across wellbeing, accommodation, education, training, and employment.

Challenges, risks and issues

The cost of living is rising rapidly and is having a significant impact on families in Gateshead. Families already experiencing financial hardship will be further affected. A key challenge in the year ahead will be to continue to prevent young people entering the criminal justice system.

The service has reported two serious incidents to the Youth Justice Board for two separate murders, learning reviews are taking place for both young people. The young people are currently remanded into secure accommodation and are being supported by the YJS. The service is working closely with partners and regional colleagues to continue to strengthen our response to serious youth violence in communities.

Gateshead Council and statutory partners continue to face significant budget challenges which may in turn reduce Youth Justice Service funding contributions and/or lead to removal of seconded staff in the future. A reduction in budget would directly impact on the work undertaken with young people and their families.