Issue - meetings

The Local Authority has a statutory duty, in partnership with Health, Police and Probation, to produce an annual Youth Justice Plan. The Plan sets out how services will be organised and funded and what functions they will carry out to prevent youth offending and re-offending across Bath and North East Somerset.

The Head of Young People's Prevention Servicesintroduced the report to the Panel. She explained that the Local Authority has a statutory duty, in partnership with Health, Police and Probation, to produce an annual Youth Justice Plan. She said that the Plan sets out how services will be organised and funded and what functions they will carry out to prevent youth offending and re-offending across Bath and North East Somerset.

She informed the Panel that this year’s plan incorporates a number of work streams commenced last year and includes work that will continue beyond March 2024.

The Development Plan is shorter this year, to enable sufficient attention to be given to each action and because it is accompanied by an Anti-Racism Plan.

It is set out according to the strategic priorities that have been agreed with the Partnership Board and the Youth Justice Service:

1. Strengthen participation – a continuing priority as youth justice work is most effective – perhaps only effective – when it accurately addresses the needs and views of children, carers and those harmed by children’s offending.

2. Address disproportionality – a continuing priority as children from some ethnic backgrounds and with Special Educational Needs are still over-represented in the youth justice system (locally and nationally).

3. Embed Child First principles – a new priority, but not new work. This reflects the YJB’s strategic approach and central guiding principle.

4. Address serious violence – a new priority, but not new work. This also marks the introduction of the Serious Violence Duty.

She stated that much of this work can only be undertaken in partnership with other organisations and with the active support of the Partnership Board. The plan will be reviewed regularly by the Partnership Board at its business meetings and it will report on successes and escalate issues to the Community Safety and Safeguarding Partnership.

Kevin Burnett commented that he felt that the figures in relation to Looked After Children that reoffend were high and asked who led on this work and what preventative measures were in place.

The Head of Young People's Prevention Services replied that it was important to remember that the figures in reality are a small number of children. She said that Social Care would have the main responsibility for them, but that support would be provided by a lead worker from Youth Justice to assist with custody work.

She added that projects such as Compass (B&NES) and Turnaround (Ministry of Justice) are in place to attempt to prevent youth offending alongside a range of other workstreams across the Council.

Councillor Liz Hardman commented that it was good to see that the number of First Time Entrants continued to be low and that no custodial sentences have been required. She referred to page 61 of the agenda pack and asked how disproportionality issues for children with SEND in the youth justice system had been progressed.

The Head of Young People's Prevention Services replied that this has been a concern for a  ...  view the full minutes text for item 23

The Local Authority has a statutory duty, in partnership with Health, Police and Probation, to produce an annual Youth Justice Plan.  The Plan sets out how services are to be organised and funded and what functions will be carried out to prevent youth offending and re-offending across Bath and North East Somerset.  Once approved, the final Plan will be submitted to the national Youth Justice Board.

Cllr Paul May introduced the report, moved the officer recommendation, and made the following statement:

“I would like to thank Sally Churchyard for her dedication to B&NES and youth justice for the last 18 years. She has maintained such a strong commitment to working effectively with partners that we can feel assured re this year’s plan.

We are the lead partner under the Crime and Disorder Act, aimed at preventing offending and reoffending for children aged 10-17. This report, if approved this evening, will be reported to Council for formal approval.

Despite many worries by parents and children re recent deaths, the area still has relatively low reported crime and small numbers of children in the formal youth justice system.

Fear generally is rightly a concern, and we now have a Violence Reduction duty, so we work effectively with the violence reduction partnership to produce a strategic needs assessment plus a strategy to address serious violence (Appendix 4).

In the past, the annual plan has been relatively non-controversial but the genuine community worries highlight the importance of various agencies working together effectively.”

Cllr Tim Ball seconded the motion and stressed the importance of keeping children out of the Youth Justice system.

RESOLVED (unanimously):

To recommend approval of the Youth Justice Plan to full Council.