Agenda item

To consider an update regarding Blackpool’s Youth Justice Service.

Ms Sara McCartan, Head of Adolescent Services, presented an update on the work of the Youth Justice Service. She informed the Committee that the report outlined the Youth Justice Team’s progress against the recommendations made by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate for Probation (HMIP) following its inspection in the summer of 2021 where the service was rated Good with Outstanding Features. In response to the recommendations the Youth Justice Executive Board had adopted a business plan to assist in guiding service improvement. The Youth Justice Board had graded the plan as Outstanding.

The use of vocational training was discussed with Ms McCartan reporting that the Youth Justice team looked to link young people to employment and educational opportunities including practical vocations, such as construction. In order to further this the service had links with the Responsible Business Network and wider partners via the Employment and Skills strategy partnership.

The help provided to those in alternative provision was discussed, with Ms McCartan informing the Committee that where a young person was known to services a dedicated Youth Justice Education, Employment and Training worker would be assigned to work with the individual and their family to feed into their a personalised plan.

Members of the Committee raised the use of referrals to youth justice services or other diversionary interventions with young people. Ms McCartan explained that the Youth Justice team sought to intervene where possible before an ‘at risk’ young person became known to the courts.  The Youth Justice Team’s response to repeat offending by young people, where interventions and assistance had been attempted was discussed.

The use of Council powers to sanction children or their families for repeat offending was also raised, with Members noting that methods such as Parental Orders could be used.  Ms McCartan responded that Parenting programmes were impactful when voluntary and while it was important that young people were aware that their actions would have consequences, the Youth Justice Partnerships Child First approach meant that services treated children as a child first building on supportive relationships and children’s strengths to divert children away from offending behaviour. Child First meant that services would seek to wrap support around an individual to support them to engage in constructive work and meaningful activity.

Noting the Committee’s concerns regarding the high levels of reoffending in the Brunswick and Talbot Wards, Ms McCartan explained that these were complex areas where issues such as deprivation contributed to youth offending and that these would need to be addressed as well as engaging with individuals. It was also noted that the use of council powers such as Civil Orders could be counter-productive in reducing youth offending and there use should consider the individual child’s circumstance.  A decision to arrest and charge a young person was the responsibility of the Police. Ms McCartan added offences committed by children were scaled on a matrix based on seriousness and other factors and ultimately a child could be sentenced to custody and completely deprived of their liberty.

Using ex-offenders with lived experience of the youth justice system was raised as a possible means to engage with young people by the Committee. Members were informed in response that this had not been undertaken and that while  appropriate lived experience had been impactful for Young People in the Adolescent drug and alcohol service there was no appetite in the Youth Justice Service to undertake the work. The reason noted that often there was a desire on the young person’s behalf not to revisit those experiences.