Agenda item

The Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Children's Services and Neighbourhood Working and the Service Manager - Youth Offending Team and Evidence Based Hub attended the meeting to provide a progress report on the recommendations that the Improving Lives Select Commission had made at its meeting on 29 October 2019 (Minute No.40 2019/20) that:

1)    That the Deputy Leader explores if further measures can be taken to identify Council apprenticeship opportunities for young people involved in the youth justice system and engage the wider business community in similar initiatives such as job fairs.

2)    That the involvement of service users in offering awareness raising in schools and/or peer support to other young offenders or those at risk of offending, be explored.

The Chair noted that the committee had been expecting the report to also provide assurances around a changing demand due to the apparent decrease in numbers of first time young offenders and the increase in the complex nature of some cases, as noted in the committee’s work programme. It was agreed that a further report providing this information would be submitted to the September meeting of the Improving Lives Select Commission.

The Service Manager provided an overview of the activity that had taken place in response to the recommendations made by the committee in October 2019. The Service Manager advised that she had worked with the Early Help Voice and Influence Officer to create an apprentice Youth Support Worker post that had provided an opportunity within the Evidence Based Hub to support the delivery of interventions and increase youth participation. The Service Manager also noted that in order to provide opportunities for young people in Rotherham the service had offered a guaranteed interview scheme for the post to the authority’s Looked after Children and Young People who had had previous involvement in the Youth Justice System. It was noted that interviews had taken place for the Apprentice Youth Support and that a conditional offer of employment had been made to a Young person who had first-hand experience of the Youth Justice System and being a Looked after Child in Rotherham.

The Service Manager advised that the Rotherham Youth Offending Team continued to work with Employers such as Timpson’s who actively supported the rehabilitation of offenders by offering training and employment opportunities, but noted that the development of further partnerships with local businesses had been disrupted due to the pandemic. Members were however assured that activities to identify opportunities for post-16 learners and Education, Training and Employment remained a priority.

The Service Manager noted that between September 2019 and March 2020 the tri-borough Child Criminal Exploitation (CCE) project (EPIC) delivered CCE awareness sessions to 11,801 young people across Rotherham Secondary schools.

It was also noted that the EPIC team had developed a crime and consequence programme (Think Forward) to be shared and utilised across the three boroughs and ‘train the trainer’ training was completed in February 2020. The Service Manager advised that the delivery of the programme had been suspended due to the pandemic but noted that alternative methods of virtual delivery were being explored. 

The Service Manager provided information on the Mentors in Violence Prevention programme that was currently being offered via Liaison and Diversion across South Yorkshire. The Mentors in Violence Prevention Programme had been funded by the Violence Reduction Unit and the Service Manager noted that it was hoped that the programme would be utilised fully by schools and other key partners as the programme had been evidenced to lead to a significant reduction in violent incidents as well as providing opportunities for young people to develop wider key skills.

The Service Manager also presented a summary of the Youth Offending Performance Report that had been presented to the Youth Offending Team Management Board on 13 July 2020. The report was attached an appendix to the officer’s report.

The Chair welcomed the work that had been carried out regarding apprenticeships and peer mentoring.

Members asked if there had been any increases in incidents of antisocial behaviour involving young people during the pandemic. The Service Manager advised that incidents had not increased and noted that any pockets of an antisocial behaviour were being addressed by the service and its partners. Members asked about how the police had been engaging with young people regarding the restrictions on social interaction so as to ensure that young people did not break the regulations risking fines or potential arrest. The Service Manager advised that the police had engaged  well with young people around enforcing the restrictions and assured members that the police viewed enforcement activity as a last resort. Members noted that it was important that young people were not criminalised for what was normal behaviour for that age group.

Members asked about figures in the Youth Offending Performance Report regarding the ethnic background of young people entering the youth offending system. The Service Manager advised that young people from BAME backgrounds tended to enter the system at a higher level that young people from white backgrounds and assured members that activity was being taken to address this disparity by engaging further with young BAME people.

The Chair asked for further information on the understanding and reasons on why the figures contained in the report showed a relatively high number of young people in the youth offending system that had special educational needs. The Service Manager advised that as young people with these needs often struggled to manage their emotions and subsequent behaviour they could be more likely to enter the youth offending system, and as such it was important that this groups needs were addressed at an earlier stage that was currently the case in order to reduce the numbers entering the system.

The Service Manager outlined the support that was available to young people who entered the youth justice team noting that this was delivered by both the Council’s youth offending team and also delivery partners across a wide range of programmes and settings. The Service Manager advised that there was growing interest from schools regarding the Mentors in Violence Programme. The Chair welcomed this, noting that it was positive to see such a holistic approach being used to deliver support. The Service Manager advised that with regards to the Mentors in Violence Programme that while it was still early days it was hoped that the interest shown by some schools would encourage other schools to become involved.

Members asked how they could become involved in promoting the various programmes run by the youth offending team in their wards. The Service Manager advised that members could support the programmes and the work of the youth offending team by raising awareness of their services in their local schools. The Service Manager also advised that if members had any issues in their wards that would benefit from the support of the the youth offending team then they should let her know. The Service Manager advised that she would circulate details of the Mentors in Violence Programme to members.

The Chair asked for further information on the “Levelling the playing field” initiative that had been referred to in the report. The Service Manager advised that this was a Youth Justice Board initiative that aimed engage with young BAME people via sport and health at an early stage with preventative activity and was designed to address the disproportionate number of BAME young people entering the youth justice system. 

The Chair asked what the potential impact would be on the services provided by the youth offending team as a result of the number of hours provided by the dedicated police officer who worked with the youth offending team being reduced by eight hours a week. The Service Manager advised that the reduction had had minimal impact as a new officer in the post had introduced new ways of working that were proving very effective. The Service Manager assured members that this reduction in hours would not negatively impact on service provision.

The Chair thanked the Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Children's Services and Neighbourhood Working and the Service Manager - Youth Offending Team and Evidence Based Hub for attending the meeting and answering the committee’s questions.

Resolved: -

1)    That the report be noted.

2)    That a further report be brought to the 22 September 2020 meeting of the Improving Lives Select Commission to provide assurances around changing demand for Youth Offending Services due to the apparent decrease in numbers of first time young offenders and the increase in the complex nature of a this reduced cohort of young offenders.  

3)    That further information on the Mentors in Violence programme be circulated to members of the Improving Lives Select Commission.

4)    That a more detailed narrative in regard to table 13a of the Youth Offending Performance Report, as included in the agenda pack, be circulated to the members of the Improving Lives Select Commission.