To consider the report of the Executive on the Youth Justice Annual Plan.

The Council considered the report of the Executive setting out the annual report and plan of the Youth Justice Board.

DECISION

1.    To agree the Youth Justice Plan set out in appendix 1 to the Youth Justice Board report attached to the cover sheet.

(Action by: James Thomas, Corporate Director, Children and Culture)

The Council considered the report of the Executive setting out the annual report and plan of the Youth Justice Board.

RESOLVED:

1.    To agree the Youth Justice Plan set out in appendix 1 to the Youth Justice Board report attached to the cover sheet.

DECISION

1.    To note the Youth Justice Annual Plan.

Action by:

CORPORATE DIRECTOR, CHILDREN AND CULTURE (J. THOMAS)

(Director of Supporting Families (S. Beasley-Murray)

(Head of Service of Youth Justice and Young People’s Services (K. Duggan)

Councillor Maium Talukdar, Statutory Deputy Mayor and Cabinet Member for Education, Youth and Lifelong Learning, introduced the report setting out the Youth Justice Annual Plan.

He noted that the Plan set out the priorities for the Council and its partners and includes action on seven recommendations for improvement.

The Mayor welcomed the clear pathway to improvement following the recent inspection as supporting these young people was extremely important. He agreed the recommendation as set out in the report.

RESOLVED

1.    To note the Youth Justice Annual Plan.

The Youth Justice Board annual plan sets out the priorities and strategic goals of the Youth Justice Executive Board and operational frontline service delivery. The Committee is asked to review the accompanying presentation in order to inform discussion – To follow.

The Committee received a presentation on the Tower Hamlets and the City of London’s Youth Justice plan that has been informed by the findings of the recent HMIP inspection that had taken place in April 2022. The plan it was noted aims to set out the approach on how the service and partnership will achieve the necessary improvements at pace to provide good outcomes for children. The Committee reviewed the presentation and the discussion is summarised below:

The Committee:

v  Understood that the plan aims to set out the approach on how the service and partnership will achieve the necessary improvements at pace to provide good outcomes for children.

v  Noted that the work of the service is governed by the Youth Justice Service Management Board (YJSMB). The key work of the YJSMB is to meet the needs of some of the most vulnerable children and young people in Tower Hamlets and City of London.

v  Noted that whereas across England and Wales, there has been a reduction in the number of first-time entrants (FTE) coming into the  criminal justice system, LBTH although on track to reduce the FTE numbers is behind other comparable areas. Hence it was agreed that the importance of (i) addressing numbers in custody numbers to reduce to zero and (ii) delivering a strong community offer.

v  Noted that LBTH has a higher number of children entering the  Criminal Justice System than the Councils statistical neighbours and  across London.  However, the number has reduced year-by year in line with the current trend.

v  Noted that (i) LBTH has looked into why Tower Hamlets has such higher numbers; (ii) it is clear that LBTH has not used the diversion schemes effectively.  However, LBTH have reviewed and changed practice which is already making a difference and are working with the Police to explore how they can reduce this number further.

v  Noted that LBTH have continue to reduce the number of children that are in custody.  Which is due to the Councils continued investment into the Intensive Supervision and Surveillance (ISS) offer.

v  Noted that from October 2022, LBTH will also have the additional resource of the London Accommodation Resettlement Pathway, a residential unit in Newham.

v  Noted that the main objective of this unit is to ensure that young people serving custodial sentences receive effective, end-to end service provision based on a thorough assessment of need and risk, in order to reintegrate them into the community. To do this, the following will need to be in place: 1. case management which supports continuous service delivery throughout the resettlement process; 2. delivery of appropriate interventions based on the individual need, risk of self-harm and harm to others of each young person; 3. partnership working and the timely exchange of relevant information; and 4. participation of young people and their families or carers in the resettlement process.

v  Agreed on the on the importance of establishing and maintaining a dialogue with the families to pre-empt involvement of the police  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5