Agenda item
Youth Offending Task Group
This report sets out the findings and recommendations of the Preventing Youth Offending Task Group, which are being presented to the Children and Young People Overview and Scrutiny Committee for its endorsement.
Minutes:
The Chair introduced the final report of Preventing Youth Offending Task Group to the committee, which detailed the findings and recommendations of the task group. The Chair explained that the task group had been convened to review youth offending, with an emphasis on the prevention agenda and had comprised herself, Councillor Hunter and Councillor Harrison.
The Chair further elucidated that the remit of the task group had originally envisaged examining those services targeted at preventing young people from falling into offending behaviour; however, in the course of evidence gathering, the task group had shifted to focus on the decisive factors occurring much earlier in a child’s life, all of which could influence a range of outcomes for that child, including the likelihood of becoming a youth offender. The Chair noted for instance, that it was evident that there was a direct link between several wide ranging factors including poverty, unsettled lives and the development of anti-social behaviour. The task group had therefore focussed on seeking a holistic approach to youth offending issues by examining those services which aimed to affect those early decisive factors, and which interacted not just with the child but with its family as well. The committee further heard that a report by the Audit Commission in 2004 used a case study to demonstrate how missed opportunities to intervene following early warning signs, led to a much higher expense overall to the public purse. The Audit Commission report went on to estimated that effective early intervention in the lives of just 10% of young offenders could save an circa £100 million each year.
The committee was advised by the Chair that the task group had obtained evidence from local young people and had reviewed current service provision by consulting officers of the council and a long list of partner and related organisations. The Chair also outlined the literature reviewed by the Task Group and drew the committee’s attention in particular to The Graham Allen Review of Early Intervention. This review had recommended 72 intervention programmes, with 19 programmes in particular, providing the greatest return on the funding invested in terms of outcomes achieved.
The Chair advised that the task group had made 19 recommendations, as set out in its final report. She added that it was hoped that the committee would endorse these recommendations and, after thanking Mark Cairns (Policy and Performance Officer) for the support he provided to the task group, asked him to comment on how the findings of the task group would be taken further. Mark Cairns advised that should the committee chose to endorse the task group’s recommendations, the task group’s report would go to the executive in September 2011. As part of this process the Children and Families department would be asked to comment formally on the recommendations. If the Executive agreed the recommendations presented by the task group, an update on its implementation would be brought back to the scrutiny committee in circa February 2012.
Councillor Matthews thanked the members of the task groups for their hard work and queried whether the Children’s Partnership Board would be requested to formally support the report and recommendations of the task group. Rik Boxer commented that the report of the task group was both thorough and timely and noted that it was an issue of great interest to the Children’s Partnership Board. Councillor Ann Hunter referred the committee to recommendation 1.f which stated that that following the development of a comprehensive Prevention Strategy by the council, it should be ‘implemented with specific, measurable, time limited actions; individual accountability; and regular and rigorous monitoring by the Children’s Partnership Board’s Executive’. She explained that the task group had sought to ensure the involvement of the Children’s Partnership Board through this recommendation.
RESOLVED:
That the committee endorse the recommendations of the Preventing Youth Offending Task Group as set out in its final report.
That the recommendations of the Preventing Youth Offending Task Group be referred to the Executive for consideration/approval.
Supporting documents: