Meeting documents

1 THE ISSUE

1.1 The Executive is asked to approve the Bath and North East Somerset Youth Justice Plan 2006-7 and recommend it to Council

2 RECOMMENDATION

2.1 Approve the Plan as required by the Crime and Disorder Act 1998

2.2 Recommend the Plan to Council for approval as part of the Policy and Budget Framework

2.3 Endorse the priorities contained within the Plan

2.4 Ask the relevant Overview and Scrutiny Panel once again to monitor progress on the Plan in 6 months' time and participate in identification of future priorities

3 FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

3.1 Responsibility to resource local work in preventing youth offending is shared by the statutory partners, as set out in the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. The Council makes a significant contribution into the overall budget for the Youth Offending Team, which also receives funding from Police, Health, Probation, Children's Fund, Community Safety and Drugs Partnership and the Youth Justice Board. In 2006-7, the overall budget will be approximately £845,000, towards which the Council will contribute approximately £254,000. All partners also support the work of preventing youth offending indirectly.

3.2 The Youth Offending Team Service Manager has responsibility for delivering services within the agreed budget, which is overseen by the multi-agency Steering Group, chaired by the Head of Children and Families Services. The Responsible Authorities Group regularly scrutinises the budget and reports exceptions to the Community Safety and Drugs Partnership.

4 THE REPORT

4.1 The Local Authority has lead responsibility to work with partner agencies to produce an annual Youth Justice Plan. The Plan describes how statutory and other youth justice services are to be resourced, delivered and monitored. It is due for submission to the Youth Justice Board by 30 April 2006.

4.2 The seeking of retrospective approval from Council to its submission, with any changes being notified after the Council meeting, has allowed time for any feedback available from the Overview and Scrutiny Panel report to be incorporated and given maximum time for partner agencies to confirm their budgetary contributions. This work has been completed with Police, and confirmation of their financial contribution to the Youth Offending Team is expected from Health and Probation by 28 April 2006.

5 RISK MANAGEMENT

6 RATIONALE

6.1 The principal aim of the youth justice system is to prevent youth offending. The Youth Justice Plan sets out how Bath and North East Somerset will work to achieve this within the national performance monitoring framework, whilst ensuring that locally agreed priorities receive due attention.

7 OTHER OPTIONS CONSIDERED

7.1 Submission of a Youth Justice Plan is a statutory requirement under Section 40 Crime and Disorder Act 1998 and there are no alternative options.

8 CONSULTATION

8.1 Consultation has been carried out in meetings within the Youth Offending Team and with partner agencies, including the Youth Offending Team Steering Group, and by circulation of the Plan in draft form. The content of the Plan draws on consultation with young people in Bath and North East Somerset that identified a number of concerns about safety and freedom from bullying. The Community Safety, Housing and Consumer Services Overview and Scrutiny Panel was involved in the establishment of priorities.