Agenda item

The Assistant Director - Early Help, Family Engagement and Business Support and the Service Manager – Youth Offending and Evidence Based Hub attended the meeting to present a report that provided information on the changing demand for Youth Offending Services, the increase in numbers of complex cases in the current cohort of young offenders and current re-offending rates.

The Service Manager noted that as the overall number of young offenders being supported by the service had decreased it had meant that a much higher proportion of current caseloads were comprised of complex cases than had been the case in the past when caseloads were higher. The report provided a breakdown of the characteristics demonstrated in the current cohort of cases based on factors including substance misuse, being a “looked after child” and having identified physical needs, amongst other factors.

The Service Manager advised that every young person with the Youth Offending Team (YOT) received an individual support plan, based around their specific needs that would support them not to reoffend. The Service Manager advised that the YOT always looked to utilise existing services to address the identified risks and needs of the young people it was working with, for example DIVERT would support young people with substance misuse.

The Service Manager provided information on the current cohort of young people that the YOT were working with and advised that the most common offence in this cohort of young people was violence against the person, with nine young people receiving a conviction for this plus a further three young people being recorded with a robbery offence.

The Service Manager provided information on levels of reoffending and noted that the most up to date data showed levels of reoffending, in both the overall number of offences committed and in the number of individuals committing these offences reducing. The Service Manager assured members that reducing levels of reoffending was a key area of focus for the team but noted that as the current cohort of young people being worked with were the more complex cases, reoffending was more likely to occur. The Service Manager advised however that in the current cohort of young people who were being worked with, all of those who had reoffended had committed a less serious crime subsequently than their initial offence. The Service Manager assured members that Rotherham YOT continued to monitor re-offending via the YOT Management Board, and that information was sent on a monthly basis to case managers in the YOT so that this data could be used to inform intervention and risk management plans.

The Assistant Director commended the Service Manager for how the Youth Offending Service was being managed and how by attending several meetings of the Improving Lives Select Commission the Service Manager had opened up the service to members by providing information on how the service operated and on the challenges that it faced. The Assistant Director also thanked the Service Manager for all the work that she and her team had put in during the recent external inspection of the Youth Offending Team, noting that the inspection had been more challenging to manage due to the current restrictions related to the pandemic.

Members asked whether young people currently in young offender’s institutions outside the borough were counted in the current cohort. The Service Manager advised that they were but noted that the numbers in an institution were very low, with the YOT carrying out effective work in keeping young people out of custody.

Members asked if there were any patterns in offending behaviour regarding the victims of crime. The Service Manager advised that there were no discernible patterns regarding victims of crime but assured members that there was extensive support available for victims of crime and that restorative justice and other positive ways forward following an offence were frequently utilised.

Members asked for further information on how the YOT were addressing the issue of members of BAME communities being overrepresented in the statistics regarding youth offending. The Service Manager assured members that work was being carried out to address issues of disproportionality, and that as this was a problem that was not unique to Rotherham, that this issue, and how to address it was being discussed with other YOT’s in the region and nationally. The Service Manager noted that interventions targeted at BAME groups such as mentoring and the “Levelling the Field” initiative that engaged young people via sport, aimed to prevent young people from offending and from keeping them out of the youth offending system.

Members asked if Hate Crime was a factor in the offences committed by the current cohort of young people. The Service Manager advised that there were no indications of Hate Crimes currently being a factor but assured members that if evidence showed an indication of this then action would be taken to provide suitable interventions to address the problem.

The Chair asked for further information on the ethic breakdown of offenders as detailed in the report regarding the group of young people who had not declared their ethnicity. The Service Manager advised that disclosure of ethnicity was voluntary and that some young people did not declare their ethnicity due to concerns regarding discrimination, but assured members this area of service delivery was monitored regularly and that there were currently no areas of concern surrounding it.

The Chair thanked the Assistant Director - Early Help, Family Engagement and Business Support and the Service Manager – Youth Offending and Evidence Based Hub for attending the meeting, answering member questions and for highlighting the work of the YOT with members.

Resolved: -

That the report be noted.