Youth Justice Strategic Plan Executive summary

Foreword

I have the pleasure of presenting the Gateshead Youth Justice Plan for 2021/23. This plan sets out the strategic vision for the next two years, detailing the priorities the service aims to achieve to secure better outcomes for the young people we work with. The plan is part of our continued commitment to ensure the Youth Justice Board (YJB), Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Probation (HMIP), partners, stakeholders, employees, young people, their families and the public are informed of our work.

The plan covers the achievements of the service over the past two years; this includes the response to COVID-19. During the pandemic the Youth Justice Service (YJS) has continued to assess young people and deliver appropriate intervention to meet their needs and reduce re-offending. Throughout this unprecedented time, staff across the service have engaged with young people in creative ways including via technology, however where young people needed to have face to face contact this was also offered. Young people have been supported in the police station and at court whenever required. The commitment by partners and YJS staff to support our young people during this particularly difficult time has been appreciated.

Over the past two years the Gateshead YJS has grown from strength to strength, as we uphold our endeavour for continuous improvement. The Gateshead Youth Justice Management Board is committed to working effectively and collaboratively with all relevant partners and agencies to reduce the numbers of young people entering the criminal justice system and to reduce re-offending. The service continues to strive to maintain existing high standards and improve our performance against national and local performance indicators. This plan sets out how we will achieve these aims with our partners and how this will influence areas of future development and growth. Gateshead YJS remains committed and motivated to working with some of the most complex young people in our community and provide them with intervention that supports their needs and addresses their offending behaviour whilst maintaining a "child first" approach.

Some of the most notable achievements of the service is the introduction of Outcome 22 and the impact this has had on First Time Entrant (FTE) rates.

The development and implementation of Divert from Charge should see further decriminalisation of children in Gateshead. This process will ensure alternatives to court action are considered for every young person unless in extreme cases. Victims and communities will always be of paramount importance when working with young people who have offended. Restorative Justice continues to be a strong focus of the service and victims will continue to have their views heard and will be consulted with, in line with the Victim Code.

Over the next two years, the service has identified areas for development. These include understanding the health needs of our young people, promoting the decriminalisation of children by using Out of Court disposals, and ensuring our young people have access to suitable education that meets their needs. The voice of the child will be a key theme in all the work the service completes as we know that this is critically important in understanding the needs of children.

Through partnership working we can make a real difference to people in Gateshead. All public services continue to face challenges from the impact of COVID-19 and Gateshead YJS is no exception. However, the YJS and partners will continue to work hard to build on service successes and we will continue to be committed to working together to ensure the priorities within this plan are achieved over the next two years.

As an active member of the Gateshead Youth Justice Service Board I look forward to seeing the work of the partnership continue.

Councillor Gary Haley
Cabinet Member
Children & Young People

Introduction

The YJS is an integral part of the Children's Social Care and Early Help Directorate within Gateshead Council, and is accountable to the YJB. Putting the child at the centre of the work we do is key to understanding how we can improve our services. We have several ways in which we seek to obtain the views of our young people. If we record dialogue with the child from every activity this will evidence any changes that have been made because of what they have told us.

In difficult financial times there should be more emphasis placed on seeking the views of young people, as they are the experts in knowing what works best for them. Listening to young people tell us about the impact of COVID-19 is important, as it will help us to develop services that can help them recover from the pandemic. Gateshead YJS also seeks the views of parents and carers and, victims and volunteers within the community. By ensuring that everybody involved in the criminal justice process has a voice has enabled us to be able to make decisions on how we develop the service to meet the needs of individuals and local communities alike.

Vision and shared value statements

The vision statement was written by the YJS board members during a development session. A further consultation exercise took place with young people, their families, victims, staff, other services and organisations to ensure it was a shared statement and was understood by everyone.

'Making Gateshead a Place Where Everyone Thrives'

'We will ensure a child-centred approach recognising the needs and rights of every young person and their potential to make a constructive, positive change and engage with their community.'

Gateshead has made five key pledges to the people within the borough, to help us achieve our vision to make Gateshead a place where everyone thrives.

1. put people and families at the heart of everything we do
2. tackle inequality so people have a fair chance
3. support our communities to support themselves and each other
4. invest in our economy to provide sustainable opportunities for employment, innovation and growth across the Borough
5. work together and fight for a better future for Gateshead

The vision of the Gateshead YJB will help us to achieve our vision for Gateshead's Health and Wellbeing Strategy. This is centred on tackling the inequalities that exist in Gateshead, in order to improve the outcomes and life chances of all Gateshead residents, including children and young people working with the YJS. We want to enable all children, young people and adults to maximise their capabilities and have control over their lives.

The principal aim of the youth justice system established by Section 37 of the Crime and Disorder Act (1998) is to prevent offending by children and young people. Youth Offending Teams (YOTs) were identified as one of the main vehicles by which this principle aim would be delivered.

In 1998 guidance outlined the statutory responsibility for local areas to establish a steering group; this is the Gateshead YJS. The initial function of the Gateshead YJS was to oversee the establishment of the YOT. In order to build on this and ensure that supporting arrangements are sufficiently robust and flexible to respond to local priorities, but also to the public service performance agenda emerging from the Youth Justice Board and central Government, the Gateshead Youth Justice Board needs to ensure the following responsibilities are addressed.

Gateshead Youth Justice Board must ensure suitable governance arrangements are in place for the YJS.

• the Gateshead Youth Justice Board is chaired by the strategic director for children, adults and families. This group should be able to use YJS management information to inform strategic planning decisions aimed at preventing youth crime, safeguarding children and young people, and protecting the public

• reporting requirements to other stakeholders need to be clearly defined and understood, including those to local authority members, the police authority, national probation service, safeguarding children partnership, clinical commissioning group etc

• the Gateshead Youth Justice Board is responsible for ensuring the delivery of the local Youth Justice Plan. It agrees the draft Youth Justice Plan and receives progress updates as to implementation

• the Gateshead Youth Justice Board monitors quarterly updates from the YJS head of service on performance against key targets and initiatives

The Gateshead Youth Justice Board must:

• ensure that the YJS is adequately resourced with equitable contributions from all partner agencies in order to deliver effective services and ensure infrastructure needs are addressed as stipulated in the Crime and Disorder Act 1998
• facilitate the development of an appropriately qualified staff group ensuring access to appropriate training and development opportunities to address any competence deficits identified
• ensure that a significant proportion of total staff from the five statutory agencies remain in the YJS to form a core staff group and in addition, that seconded staff are rotated from time to time, providing access to up to date expertise
• actively monitor YJS performance against YJS performance measures/targets as well as locally agreed targets and takes corrective action in response to underperformance as appropriate
• actively ensure that the young people the YJS works with have access to mainstream services
• consider operational difficulties in relation to services for young people and hold partners to account
• ensure that prevention services are being offered to young people at risk of offending
• oversee the YJS' business planning process including the Youth Justice Plan and the commissioning of local services
• integrate the YJS performance system with those, applying to local criminal justice boards, community safety and children's services

The Gateshead Youth Justice Board requires clear lines of communication with other inter-agency structures to support it in reducing youth offending. These include:

• crime and disorder partnerships
• safeguarding children partnership
• community safety partnership
• local criminal justice boards
• probation boards
• clinical commissioning group
• health and wellbeing board

With the complexity this level of activity creates, members of the Gateshead Youth Justice Board will represent the YJS' issues in these groups to ensure that they contribute to preventing youth crime.

The Gateshead Youth Justice Board must be chaired by a Chief Officer and:

• comprise of all statutory partners and other agencies that can make a significant contribution to the youth crime prevention agenda
• ensure that board members are at chief officer level or representatives with sufficient seniority to be able to commit resources and take necessary decisions
• ensure that board members have corporate ownership of the YJS and the youth crime prevention agenda

The statutory partners are:

• the local authority
• police
• probation service
• health (health is defined as a "clinical commissioning group" or "local health board" by the Crime and Disorder Act 1988)

In line with recommendations in 'sustaining the success' and local needs, non-statutory members on Gateshead YJS include:

• courts
• education
• voluntary sector
• public health
• volunteers
• other identified local departments

Shared values

• listening and responding to young people, parents/carers, victims and volunteers is integral to Gateshead YJS

• young people, parents/carers, victims and volunteer's views are taken seriously

• young people, parents/carers, victims and volunteers should be involved in new or existing initiatives and their views inform those activities

• young people parents/carers, victims and volunteers are provided with timely feedback about how their views and comments are being responded to

Young people attending the YJS Board

We have asked young people to attend the YJS board meetings to outline what their experiences of the YJS has been. This has offered the opportunity to board members to understand the journey of the child through the criminal justice system and it has also helped them to understand how their agencies have had an impact on a child's life. By meeting with a young person face to face it has been possible to ask questions about service delivery and areas for improvement.

The circumstances of some of our most complex young people are discussed anonymously within the YJS board meeting and members provide challenge and partnership working to ensure the needs of the young people are met.

Parent/carer representation

Gateshead YJS has parent/carer representation on the board, which has allowed for a greater appreciation and understanding of the Youth Justice System experience from a different perspective. This has helped us to understand what works well and to consider areas for development in the way in which we engage with young people and their families during all phases of assessment and intervention.

Self-assessments

Case managers employ interviewing skills which allow them to explore with the young person their own story. Each young person completes the YJB self-assessments as part of their assessment. These documents are used to understand the young person's perspective, their strengths and challenges. Parents and carers are also asked to complete these forms so it can help us understand how we can best meet the needs of their young person and support the family.

Exit interviews

All young people are contacted towards the end of their intervention to seek their views through an exit questionnaire. This questionnaire helps us to understand what the young person perceived their order to be, what interventions they participated in and how useful they found this in avoiding further offending. Young people are also asked how services could be improved to better meet their needs.

Championing our young people

Gateshead YJS advocates on behalf of young people who may not otherwise be heard. Case managers and advocates are extremely skilled in engaging with young people. By listening to the young person and putting them at the centre of all the work we do we can build trusting relationships and effect positive change. Working together with other agencies and voluntary organisations makes it possible to ensure that the voice of the child is heard and a co-ordinated approach to intervention is achieved. Members of the YJS sit on various panels and ensure that individual young people are brought to the attention of those making decisions about their future.

Youth Justice Service Structure

Income and Expenditure

Remand

Volunteers

Gateshead YJS is extremely fortunate to have volunteers who contribute to the work of the service. In addition to sitting on Referral Order Panels, volunteers also sit on the Out of Court Disposal Panel the Gateshead YJS and within the performance subgroups. By having volunteers represented in a number of forums, it is possible to reflect the needs of the community within Gateshead and ensure their views are reflected in decision making.

First Time Entrants (FTE) data source - Police National Computer (PNC) and Gateshead YJS (where stated)

Regional comparison of first time entrants

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the Ministry of Justice prioritised their reporting accordingly which meant the FTE data for 2019/20 and 2020/21 has not yet been published. The data for these periods has been updated using Gateshead YJS data which is also reported to the YJB.

The latest published data for period 2018/19 shows that Gateshead saw a 34% decrease in the number of FTE (26 young people) entering the YJS. When we compare the latest period 2020/21 (data taken from Gateshead YJS) to the earliest reported period (2015/16) this calculates as a 70% reduction (43 young people).

Reoffending Data Source - Police National Computer (PNC) and Gateshead YJS (where stated)

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the Ministry of Justice prioritised their reporting accordingly which meant the reoffending data for 2018/19, 2019/20 and 2020/21 has not yet been published. The data for these periods has been updated using Gateshead YJS data which is also reported to the YJB.

The most recently published 12-month reoffending data from the Police National Computer (PNC) is for Apr 2017 - Mar 2018 and reports Gateshead's binary performance (percentage of young people who go on to reoffend) at 35.2%. When we compare this data to the previous year of 33.3% (Apr 2016 - Mar 2017) the binary performance has increased by 1.9%. However, the rate for Gateshead was still lower than the regional, PCC and national rates.

PNC data for reoffending in Gateshead is provided on a delay and with the impact of the national pandemic the Gateshead data for 2018/19, 2019/20 and 2020/21 is taken from Gateshead YJS.

Regional comparison of re-offending showing binary performance (% of offenders re-offending)

Latest offending data of 2020/21 non-statutory cohort

Latest offending data relating to those young people receiving either a community resolution or triage intervention between April 2020 and March 2021 shows the reoffending rate at 3.5% which is a 1.9% decrease when compared to the previous year's rate of 5.4%.

Of the 114 young people within this cohort, four have reoffended committing 15 offences. Each young person will be tracked for an 18month period from the date they entered the cohort.

Through the use of a monthly tracking tool we are able to track the offending of this particular cohort, and this enables the YJS to review the current YJS intervention plan in place to prevent the likelihood of those young people within this cohort becoming FTE.

Latest offending data of 2020/21 non-statutory cohort

Latest offending data relating to those young people receiving either a Youth Caution or court disposal between April 2020 and March 2021 shows the reoffending rate at 9.8% which is a 6.6% decrease when compared to the previous year's rate of 16.4%.

Of the 51 young people within this cohort, five have reoffended committing 15 offences. Each young person will be tracked for an 18 month period from the date they entered the cohort.

Similar to the Community Resolution and Triage cohort we are able to track those young people who received either a Youth Caution or court conviction for a period of 18 months. Upon refreshing the cohort offending data, the YJS management team reviews those cases each month to ensure the plan in place is robust and includes the necessary objectives to prevent further offending.

Active cohort analysis

Both cohorts are updated on a monthly basis with any further offences committed in the 12 month period which provides live tracking data. The YJS is also able to identify which cohort members are open to a YJS intervention on a weekly basis via the Risk Register Report. This report is a breakdown of cases open to the YJS and includes the latest case level data relating to many factors such as: Likelihood of re-offending (LOR), Risk of Serious Harm (ROSH), Looked After Child (LAC) status, Child Protection (CP) involvement and Families Gateshead involvement.

The below charts represent some of the data taken from the Risk Register as of May 2021 and shows some of the key data sets for cohort members open to the YJS. There were 165 young people in the cohort with 41, or 25%, open to the YJS at the time.

Families Gateshead Involvement

Looked After Child (LAC), Children in Need (CIN) and Child Protection (CP) cases

• 80% of active cohort cases are involved with the Families Gateshead Programme
• 20% are identified as LAC
• 17% are identified as CIN
• 2% are subject to a CP plan

The risk levels for cohort members are as follows:

Likelihood of Reoffending

Safety and Wellbeing

Risk of Serious Harm

Custodial sentences - data source case level data

The latest YJS published data for January to December 2020 shows the rate of custody for Gateshead at 0.23, this represents four custodial sentences in the 12month period compared to one custodial sentence in the same period of the previous year. This is above the Northumbria PCC regional average for this period (0.11) but below the National average (0.14).

Gateshead has seen a gradual increase in the use of custody for young offenders and it is worth noting that although the number of custodial sentences has increased, there are young people receiving more than one custodial sentence due to the number and severity of offences.

Looked after children

The LAC status of the combined 2020/21 cohort is shown in the table below which also shows a comparison with the previous year. The LAC status is the status from the start of each young person's intervention (i.e. when they entered the cohort)

Of those entering into the 2020/21 cohort with a LAC status 18 (78%) were subject to a Care Order and five (2%) were subject to an Interim Care Order. There were no young people subject to a Section 20 order (single period of accommodation).

Ethnic proportion of young people receiving youth cautions or convictions during April 2020 and March 2021

Young people from white ethnic background accounted for 98% of all young people receiving a youth caution or court conviction in the year ending March 2021. There was one young person with a Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic background (BAME) accounting for 2% of the total cohort (51). Neither of the young people with a BAME background received a custodial sentence.

Performance subgroup

In October 2019, the Gateshead YJS board agreed to establish a Performance Subgroup to meet bimonthly, to review performance data, shape the analysis in advance of board meetings and expand on the three YJS reporting areas to inform future priorities. In addition, this group has ensured the findings of HMIP thematic inspections, the annual HMIP report and impact of COVID-19 have been considered and addressed. A benchmarking exercise was completed in relation to thematic and annual HMIP and YJS reports.

A report was presented to the Gateshead YJS board and a plan was developed and taken to the performance sub-group to ensure that within Gateshead we understood exactly what our picture was compared to the findings of these reports.

The young people open to the Youth Justice Service (YJS) were acknowledged by the board as being vulnerable, therefore mechanisms were put in place for young people to receive laptops and mobile phones where appropriate to enable remote interventions with their case managers.

Concise messages have been given to staff throughout the pandemic by Gateshead Council, this has helped manage the volume of communications and has ensured that staff have been given the most up to date advice in line with health and safety and government guidance. Risk assessments have been written and updated throughout the pandemic and this continues to be the case. Gateshead's Children's Services has full risk assessments in place and alongside this there are specific risk assessments for youth justice business.

Location

Gateshead Civic Centre is the usual base for the YJS, the building remains closed to the public however, staff can work from the Civic Centre if necessary. Staff have accessed management support remotely and face to face and have been provided with all the necessary equipment to work from home effectively. Home visits, transportation and reparation projects continue in line with the council's risk assessment guidance and corporate policy, all necessary PPE continues to be readily available to staff. Referral Order panels have been conducted via Microsoft Teams and face to face.

Suitable locations which have been identified to socially distance in a physical face to face meeting with the panel. Steps are taken to minimise the number of people in the meeting and all reports are shared electronically in advance. Volunteers have been consulted with throughout COVID-19.

Requiring an appropriate adult 

During the pandemic Gateshead YJS has put the needs of young people at the centre of all the work we do. When young people have required an Appropriate Adult, they have been seen face to face in the police station, this has been done safely and in line with covid restrictions.

Guidance has recently changed so young people will always have physical representation from a solicitor whilst in police interview, this has been welcomed by the YJS and has been encouraged throughout the pandemic. The service continues respond to appropriate adult requests and ensure staff attend the police station. We are working with the police to ensure that young people are kept in custody for the shortest possible time and we are monitoring our performance in relation to this. COVID-19 has not prevented us in any way from attending the police station and we have now developed performance measures to ensure a timely response.

Contact methods for Gateshead YJS staff and young people

Throughout the pandemic Gateshead YJS staff have, in line with local risk assessments and government guidance, transported young people in private vehicles when necessary. We have also promoted remote contact, face to face, walk and talk, telephone and email communication. Creative approaches have been used to promote contact including using community venues. Where a case manager could not enter the young person's home (due to shielding or other covid related issues), doorstep visits were undertaken.

Routine assessments for Out of Court Disposals and court sentences all include the young person's views and experience of COVID-19. It is recognised that the pandemic will have impacted on education, family relationships and many aspects of emotional wellbeing. Gateshead Youth Justice Service employ a trauma informed approach to working with young people and have continued to prioritise regular and meaningful contact (in whatever form a young person wanted this to be) to ensure consistency and support for every child.

The Youth Justice Management Board continues to meet bi-monthly and strategic partners are fully informed regarding the quality of services, the management of orders and the effectiveness of supervision of children during the restrictions.

Visits

Covid restrictions preventing visits to Wetherby Young Offenders Institution (YOI) were lifted in December 2020 and Case managers have since made frequent visits. It is acknowledged that young people who were in custody during the lockdown phase of the pandemic had a limited ability to have face to face contact with family, friends and professional agencies, however, throughout this time the Youth Justice Service maintained good communication links to plan effectively for release and afford young people the best opportunities to comply with their licence.

Conclusion

The Youth Justice Service has been incredibly flexible in its approach during the pandemic and we have continued to build trusting relationships with young people and their families by adapting our practice whilst providing face to face support for young people in the police station, at court and in the community. Learning from these experiences will ensure that we have greater flexibility in the way we deliver interventions in the future. Staff have worked effectively from home and we have utilised several venues throughout Gateshead thus embedding the work of the Youth Justice Service firmly in the community.

What our young people say

Is there anything at all you think we should know about your experience of YJS?

'Mint worker to work with, helped me loads at times even with stuff that was irrelevant to YOT and I appreciate that. Cheers'

Is there anything else we could have done for you?

'No, everything was cush'

'Made me realise my actions have consequences. And to think before acting where possible'

'I think Gary Payton is a really good Youth Justice worker. I got on well with him and thought he listened and understood me'

'Very good and supportive'

'Frank has been really supportive, as he showed me new skills that I can use further on in life, and in my CV. Gill has offered me tremendous amount of opportunity's and has been the best YOT worker I could of asked for. If I've needed a hand or even just someone to talk to, I knew Gill would always be a call away. She's also helped me develop so many new life skills during the time of my rep and to help me with day to day tasks.'

'On my rep sessions I had to litter-pick around Birtley, which was filthy, filling large black sacks to the top with rubbish. This has showed me how much time I could waste off my life by doing something stupid. I am sorry for what I had done, and it will never happen again. I have learned from my mistakes.'

Case study 1

A 17-year-old young person was referred into the YJS for intervention due to concerns around inappropriate sexual behaviour, however none of these incidents were proven offences. The Police had significant concerns regarding his behaviour but were unable to take formal action. The YJS started to work with him and challenged his behaviour and completed intervention regarding appropriate sexual relationships. There have been no further incidents to date, the young person appears to have insight into his actions, understands the concerns and is aware of the consequences of this behaviour in the future. The young person recently gave some feedback to his case manager, he said "I never thought I would be able to speak to you as openly as I can. I don't think I need to see you anymore as you have helped me get into a better place. Thank You". The YJS will continue to maintain contact with the young person to ensure he remains on a positive pathway.

Case study 2

Two young people were seen on CCTV trespassing on school premises. These two young people have a history of behaviour issues. One young person was previously open to the YJS and the other was receiving intervention from the Complex Child in Need Team.

Both young people have complex family backgrounds, and both were attending the Pupil Referral Unit. They were offered the opportunity to take part in restorative work with the YJS in relation to them trespassing on school property. Both successfully engaged in this intervention and apologised for their behaviour. As a result of this intervention the police were not contacted, and these young people were not criminalised for their behaviour.

Case study 3

This young person finished formal intervention with the YJS approximately 18 months ago. There was a recent incident within the family home which was reported to police. A Child Concern Notification was submitted, there were no imminent safeguarding concerns, so the YJS agreed to contact the family. The case was allocated to the original worker and when he rang the family, they remembered the work he did. The worker supported the family over the phone until they felt that the issues had been resolved and they did not require any further intervention. The family were comforted by the offer of support and the follow up from the same case manager they had worked with previously. This case demonstrates how agencies worked together to offer support.

Case study 4

This young person was permanently excluded for having drugs in school. He is being investigated by police for Possession with Intent to Supply. This young person has no previous Out of Court Disposals or court interventions. He is predicted excellent GCSE results.

The YJS worked with the young person, family, education department, substance misuse services, voluntary agencies and Children & Young Peoples Service to put a plan of intervention in place to support him. A representative from the YJS attended an education meeting and advocated that he should be allowed to return to mainstream education in a managed way. As a result of this the young person was accepted into another mainstream school.

Case study 5

Young female (14) attacked a student in school; filmed by peers. Early Help worker is undertaking the 'Fired Up' programme along with victim awareness work and consequential thinking using the Teen Talk resource and using the Cognitive Behavioural Therapy programme 'Twisted Thinking' traps and losses/gains scaling tools. The worker has supported a managed move to a new school and reports increased reflection and emotional stability from the young person.

National Standards Audit

The National Standards Operational self-assessment considered over 60 cases. Each case was audited against the specific standards, a percentage of compliance was ascertained using this method. This audit demonstrated that the service was largely compliant with all elements. Some relatively simple amendments needed to be made to practice ensuring there was robust evidence of compliance on all the operational standards. A development plan has been put in place to support the recommendations that came out of the audits.

The National Standards strategic self-assessment was completed by two volunteers who sit on the Gateshead YJS. All board members were consulted on the National Standards audit and a number of recipients were also interviewed to get a greater understanding of their knowledge of the YJS functions. Some areas of understanding were highlighted as areas of weakness in knowledge, but these were taken into account at a subsequent development session with the board. The outcome of the audit was positive but a lot of the development that has taken place over the past two years has been in relation to these findings.

HMIP annual review of Youth Justice Service, HMIP COVID-19 Thematic Inspection and the YJS annual review

In December 2020 it was agreed that a benchmarking exercise would be undertaken by Gateshead YJS against recent HMIP Annual review of Youth Justice Service, HMIP COVID-19 Thematic Inspection, Recent HMIP inspections and the YJS annual review. An in-depth analysis of the recommendations in these reports were cross referenced against Gateshead YJS. The results of these finding have been put into a development plan and have fed into the priorities in this report for the next two years. Gateshead YJS has taken the learning from these reports to ensure service delivery is robust.

Key findings showed that there was not significant court delays however this is being carefully monitored, and will be escalated to the Board if it becomes an issue. Gateshead YJS continues to work in a number of ways with young people including remote contact, face to face, walk and talk, telephone and email. The team have employed creative approaches and utilised community venues. Even if a case manager cannot enter the young person's home (due to shielding or other COVID-19 related issue), the worker is undertaking doorstep visits. The service has requested (and provided) several laptops to young people as a direct result of a board decision. We have bought low cost mobile phones to support young people to maintain contact. Virtual meetings are working well and have had a positive impact on attendance and engagement.

From the spring of 2021, HMIP will be introducing a specific new standard on the quality of resettlement work from custody. All partners have been made aware of the importance of working together for the best outcomes for this small cohort of young people. Trends in the severity of young people's offending is considered as part of the performance subgroup and escalated to the board if there are concerns. Intelligence regarding County Lines and the exploitation of young people is to be monitored and shared. Health, Education and Looked After Children are areas where regular reports would be helpful to understand what is available to young people in Gateshead and what the current position is.

Other key findings in the reports have been taken to the performance subgroup for further exploration of the data.

Exploring racial disparity - local data analysis

The YJS published 'the disproportionality journey of the child', in August 2020. The over-representation of BAME in the youth justice system is a complex issue. The findings of the recent work shared in August 2020 concluded it remains clear that nationally ethnic disproportionality remains a concerning issue. Black children are still more likely to be arrested, more likely to be held in custody on remand, receive generally harsher penalties and, shockingly, children from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds now make up more than half of all children in custody.

The Gateshead picture

Gateshead's Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA)1 estimates that around 3.7% (7,500) of the population are from a black and minority ethnic (BAME) group. The BAME population has increased from around 1.6% in 2001. This does not include Gateshead's Orthodox Jewish community. Over 3,000 people state that their religion is Jewish, although this also includes the non-orthodox Jewish population.

In order to understand if BAME children were over-represented in Gateshead some work was undertaken to profile the ethnicity of those children and young people who were involved with Gateshead YJS between April 2017 and August 2020.

The local analysis showed that between April 2017 and August 2020:

• 672 children and young people were open to the service, of which 19 (2.8%) had a BAME background
• 2.8% with a BAME background is lower than the Gateshead BAME population estimate of 3.7% in the JSNA, suggesting BAME young people are not overrepresented in Gateshead YJS cases
• a difference was noted with 53% of BAME young people within the period receiving statutory interventions (e.g. youth caution, referral orders, custody etc) compared with 39% from a white ethnic background. However, while these figures would indicate BAME young people are more likely to receive a statutory outcome the actual number of cases is very small so caution needs to be exercised when drawing any conclusions i.e. 10 BAME cases (out of 19) and 255 white British cases (out of 652)

The work of the YJS asked YJS teams and partners to look at the evidence and ask ourselves, "are children from BAME backgrounds over-represented in my area? If so, can I explain why that is, and if I can't, what am I going to do about it?". The conclusion of the group was children and young people do not appear to be overrepresented in the Gateshead YJS system.

Benchmarking exercise

There are signs in some of the YOTs we have inspected over the last year that teenage knife crime may be coming back under control, but the most recent national knife crime statistics show that knife crime continues to increase year on year.

Of all offences committed by young people open to the Gateshead Youth Justice Service the number of proven offences involving weapons, and specifically knives, has remained relatively low since 2018. It is worth noting that since 2018 the total number of offences has decreased meaning the proportion of weapon (and knife) offences has increased.

National data shows that in England and Wales for 2019/20 there were 4,400 knife and offensive weapon offences committed by children and this was a 1% reduction compared to the previous year. In Gateshead there was in the same period there was a 1% increase which was an increase of 3 offences year on year for weapon offences of which there was an increase of 1 knife offence (also 1%).

The data for 2019/20 and 2020/21 are subject to change due to offences occurring within the report period that have not yet received an outcome (i.e. are not proven) and the potential impact of this is shown in the tables below:

Annual number of offences with weapons

 
As YOT caseloads have shrunk, they have become more dominated by violent offences. These made up 50 per cent of the court cases of the 16 services we published inspection reports on in the last year. They account for 30 per cent of all proven offences by children in the national statistics - an increase of 10 percentage points since 2009. Violence is also the most common type of offence in out-of-court disposals (47 per cent of the cases we looked at in these samples). Gateshead cohort size has shrunk from 123 to 44 between 2016 and 2021. In 2009 the cohort size was 520 which further illustrates the reduction in the number of young people coming into the service. As the cohort sizes have reduced the nature offending has predominately remained the same violent offences have become a more significant proportion of proven offences. For the year 2020/21 Violent offences accounted for 55% of the court cases in Gateshead (72 of 132 disposals) an increase of 31% since 2009.

Impact of COVID-19

It is worth noting that the average year on year reduction in the total number of proven offences since 2009 is 9% yet for 2020/21 there was an increase of 9% which equated to 11 disposals. This may have been impacted by the backlog of court cases after the end of national lockdowns.

OOCD

In Gateshead violent offences make up 36% of out-of-court disposal since the process began in January 2019 (41 out of 114 cases with offences)

Breakdown of the 29 Violent offences in 2019/20:

• there were 20 different offenders committing the 29 offences

Offences with same dates:

• only 2 of the offences had the same victim recorded
• there were 3 offences committed on a particular date

The fact that an increasing proportion of all first-time entrants to the youth justice system are now coming into that system because of crimes serious enough to go straight to court (45 per cent of all FTEs in the year to March 2019, compared with 10 per cent in 2009) is a concern, and suggests that these children are not getting adequate preventative interventions earlier on. This needs to change.

Between 2016 and 2021 the number of First Time Entrants (FTEs) in Gateshead has been reduced by 76% and the proportion of FTE cases going straight to court has not been no more than 18% until 2020/21. In the last year the number of FTEs reached its lowest level with just 18 however, the proportion of these 18 cases going straight to court increased to 61%.

In the year 2018/19 we saw only 15% (7 out of 48) of our FTEs going straight to court which is significantly lower than the 45% Nationally.

When comparing 2009/10 to 2018/19 the data shows a 49% reduction in the number of FTEs and a significant change in the proportion of cases that go straight to court. In 2009/10 cases going straight to court were 66% (62 out of 94) compared with only 15% (7 out of 48) in 2018/19.

2009/10 FTE outcomes

2018/19 FTE outcomes

It is also of concern that youth reoffending rates remain high and again show little correlation with our judgements of YOS quality. Although national youth reoffending rates fell 2.5 percentage points, to 38.5 per cent in 2019, this was still higher than 10 years previously. And those children who do reoffend are doing more of it, with the frequency of reoffending rate now the highest it has been in the last 10 years.

In Gateshead the Youth Reoffending rate historically has been high (but still in line with National rates). Over the last two years our rate has been reduced from 38.2% (2018/19) to 16.44% (2019/20) a reduction of 21.8%.

Impact Factors: Introduction of OOCD at the start of 2019, start of Outcome 22 (diversion away from court process), National COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent National/Regional Lockdowns.

Over the last 10 years the reoffending rate in Gateshead has been significantly reduced from 34.38% (2010/11) to 16.44% (2019/20). The most recent rate for 2020/21 shows a further reduction at present however, this is subject to change as there are offences awaiting outcomes.

The other key cohort of young people that has received long overdue attention this year are children from a black, Asian and minority ethnic background. The Black Lives Matter debate has refocused public attention and concern on the disproportionate number of young black men, in particular, who enter the criminal justice system and their treatment by that system.

Young people with a Black Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) background represent a small proportion of the cases open to the Gateshead Youth Justice Service.

Between April 2017 and August 2020 there were 19 young people with a BAME background as shown in the chart below. Over this period there were a total of 672 young people open to the service which consists of; 652 (97%) White - British/English and 19 (3%) BAME (there was 1 case where the information had not been obtained). This reflects the overall diversity of the population of Gateshead with a significantly higher percentage of white residents compared to BAME residents.

There were no young people with a BAME background that received a custodial sentence between 2017 and 2021.

Police

Gateshead YJS continues to have an excellent working relationship with Northumbria Police. There is regular communication and joint working in relation to the prevention of offending and reoffending by young people and intelligence sharing linked to this. Together we are able to work on individual cases as well as looking at cohorts of young people causing significant concern across the borough. The relationship between the services has grown and developed to ensure that regular, formal and informal approaches can be made across both teams for the benefit of dealing with young people who have committed offences. There is always an open communication between the services that enables any issues to be quickly resolved or strategies employed to be able to solve any issues that may arise. There is significant representation from the police on the Gateshead YJS and operationally the YJS seconded Police Officers are supported by their senior management. Senior police officers are represented on a number of linked agendas, this crossover has resulted in positive outcomes for LAC and has reduced the numbers of these children coming through the formal criminal justice system.

Outcome 22

The Out of Court Disposal Panel was launched in Gateshead in April 2018. Since then we have built a robust structure to deal with young people Out of Court. Following the Home Office introduction of a new police outcome code - Outcome 22, from 1 April 2019 this has been an option for the panel. The outcome is designed to be recorded on the Police National Computer as follows: 'Outcome 22 - diversionary, educational or intervention activity, resulting from the crime report, has been undertaken and it is not in the public interest to take any further action. The use of this disposal has ensured that young people are assessed and have intervention that best meets their individual needs. Working with the young person and their family it has been possible to divert a significant proportion of children away from the formal youth justice system, which has a huge impact on the number of young people becoming FTE into the Criminal Justice System.

Out of Court Disposal Scrutiny Group

Gateshead YJS has been a part of the out of court disposal scrutiny panel across Northumbria for a significant period of time and continues to be an active member. This panel allows a randomly selected number of cases across Northumbria to be discussed and for additional scrutiny on the outcome. Gateshead YJS attends this meeting at Team Manager level to discuss both operationally and strategically as to what the benefit of particular outcomes have been to young people and to challenge where outcomes appear to be disproportionate. In relation to Gateshead cases discussed at the panel there has been a significant level of congruence with the outcomes that have been given against the expected outcomes ratified by the scrutiny panel. This level of oversight gives assurances to the public, community, YJS and the board to ensure that the service is working as expected.

Divert from Charge

Divert from Charge is a new referral process which will no longer see young people being charged by police unless in extreme cases, such as offences that could lead to a remand. Instead these cases are referred through to a panel process before a final decision is reached. YJS Police officers apply an eligibility test which will assess whether an Out of Court option is appropriate. If the young person in question is eligible and willing to engage, they will receive either a Youth Conditional Caution (YCC) or an Outcome 22 (deferred prosecution). The "Divert from Charge" Panel is a bolt on to the existing Out of Court Disposal Panels and it has responsibility for:

• deciding on a disposal for each young person
• developing a diversionary plan for them
• reviewing compliance
• and finally closing completed cases or referring a young person to court for non-compliance

There are a number of beneficiaries from the Divert from Charge arrangement. Young people will not be labelled as offenders, this will help to prevent young people from forming deviant or delinquent identities that may interfere with their development. It will avoid unnecessary disproportionality in the criminal justice system and tailored diversionary interventions will be therapeutic, targeted, and appropriate whilst avoiding the stigma of conviction. Criminal Justice Partners and the community also benefit from Divert from Charge as it reduces demand and cost associated with file preparation and court proceedings. Partners are able to support children and young people who would otherwise become repeat and/or more serious offenders. This innovative way of dealing with young people went live in May 2021 and will be reviewed in 6 months to ensure it is working effectively.

Child Criminal Exploitation

There are several initiatives already in place; Op Victus is a multi-disciplinary group set up as part of the VVECG (violence, vulnerability, exploitation and co-ordination group) with the purpose of early identification and prevention of criminal exploitation of children and vulnerable adults. Through intelligence sharing, data analysis and collaborative working Op Victus seeks to identify those most vulnerable to exploitation - with key partners involved there is consideration to the safeguarding/ support in place. This includes early intervention to diversionary programmes such as YOLO, EDGE NE and SideStep. Op Victus co-ordinates the policing activity to deter and pursue these high harm offenders; in cases where significant criminal capability is evidenced it will be escalated to Op Sentinel process. Op Sentinel manages the response to mapped criminality and serious organised crime.

In addition to the operational responses there are thematic multi-agency groups running; the central drugs alliance sets out to build an intelligence profile and share information on drug supply at both regional and local levels. Key partners have instigated intelligence sharing protocols and meet regularly to identify hotspots, share disruption activities and identify key messages to be share when incident trends are identified.

The priorities moving forward are to fully embed the central drugs alliance and other collaborative partner meetings, maximise access and use of information/intelligence held by all partners and develop a whole system approach to problem solving in order to further reduce silo working.

Violence Reduction Unit - Youth Navigators (new role)

The Northumbria Violence Reduction Unit is funding a number of Youth Navigators who will engage and work with young people who are referred to the service for support. Gateshead YJS will have a part time post in place to work the force area and also work in a peer group with other existing staff who are engaged with young people and who run ASB programmes in order to share knowledge, skills and ideas for achieving progress. This worker will be attached to the YJS but will be employed by Family Gateway and will carry a caseload. The young people they will support will be identified as those on the cusp of escalation and who require a new and community-led programme of early intervention and prevention support to help them reflect and engage with new diversionary activities to move from negative behaviours to more positive outcomes and aspirations.

Released under investigation

Released under investigation has been a significant issue for YJS' across the country. This is when young people are investigated for an offence but released pending a decision being made as to whether any positive action will be taken. Through working with Northumbria Police, it has been possible to significantly reduce the number of young people subject to this. The Gateshead YJS representative for the police took this as a priority and considered all relevant cases, the number of young people released under investigations was reduced by 50%. This was made possible by working in partnership and having the dedication and commitment of police staff to understand the agenda in relation to young people within the YJS. By prioritising this cohort, it ensured that they were not unnecessarily released under police investigation for significant periods of time and cases that were not going to proceed were not continued. This was achieved due to joint working on our priorities through the Gateshead YJS.

Police Custody - one hour

Gateshead YJS is working with the police within the custody suites across Northumbria to ensure that young people who are detained in police custody are dealt with as swiftly as possible. We are working together to agree a memorandum of understanding which will enable us to share relevant safeguarding information at the earliest opportunity and provide the police with information that will lead to an appropriate adult being identified within the shortest possible period of time. This will also help to highlight any potential issues that a young person may face whilst in custody and will enable the local authority to support the police in dealing with the young person and releasing them at the earliest opportunity.

PACE bed

Gateshead YJS has worked with the other five Youth Justice Services across Northumbria to ensure a coordinated approach to our young people. This has included Gateshead YJS being involved in the commissioning of a PACE bed through Kyloe House Secure Children's Home. This provision will be available for young people in police custody who would benefit from a PACE bed overnight. This would avoid young people having to stay in the police station overnight and instead would allow them to stay in a child centred environment for the evening. The arrangement is in place for young people who are subject to ongoing police investigation or who need to be held overnight to be produced before the court the following morning. Although this bed has not needed to be used (as of yet), it has been requested on occasions however due to COVID restrictions at Kyloe House it has not been possible. It is anticipated in the future that this will not be a barrier to providing a better service to children who need to be secured overnight pending further investigation or court hearing.

Sexual offences

Due to working with the police and Crown Prosecution Service it has been possible to expedite sexual offences cases that were taking significant periods of time to come to fruition. These cases had been investigated but were pending decision's by police and CPS. Gateshead YJS completed a piece of work looking at the time from allegation to charge for young people accused of sexual offences and it was apparent that some young people were waiting for significant length of time for a decision to be made. This needed to be reviewed as a matter of urgency, by liaising with senior police and the Crown Prosecution Service it was possible to review these cases and determine outcomes. In some cases, this meant that there would be no further action was taken but in others there was significant evidence that should lead to a charge. For the young people accused of these offences it was then possible for the YJS to support them through the Criminal Justice System and assist with assessment and sentence.

This was seen as a priority for Gateshead YJS as the victims of these offences had been left without justice for a significant period of time and it was felt that this would help with them finding some level of closure.

National Probation Service

Gateshead YJS has a strong working relationship with the National Probation Service, we work jointly together with young people who are due to transition from children services into the adult arena.

Within the team there is a 0.8 probation officer post seconded. This worker takes responsibility for high risk cases and young people over 16 years old who are likely to transition to the Probation Service. There are service level agreements in place and regular meetings take place across the South of Tyne to ensure this is being adhered to. The Probation Officer within the YJS holds appropriate cases and enhances the service that can be given to young people approaching adulthood. In addition to this we have also gained the 0.3 post of a Probation Support Officer. The YJS and the National Probation Service have decided to use this post to help young people transition between youth and adult. This offer is in addition to the traditional transition between services. These young people are children who have offended previously, and then as young adults have further offended.

Ordinarily these young people would fall outside of the transition arrangements. By providing additionality through the Probation Support Officer, it enables us to provide support to young adults who have previously worked with YJS but who are now experiencing Probation Services as an adult. It is appreciated that some of these young people may need additional support and by virtue of this post will be able to receive it. It is hoped that this will have an impact on the reoffending rates of young people who have turned 18 during the monitoring period. There is an appreciation of all the issues young adults face when transitioning between children and adult services. The Probation Officer role within the team is extremely important and has provided expertise and knowledge of the adult Criminal Justice Service and provided support and intervention to young people approaching their 18th birthday within the wider team.

Looked after children

Gateshead YJS works alongside Children's Services LAC Team to ensure that young people open to both teams have co-ordinated plans to avoid duplication and to ensure the young person's needs are met. Both teams are co-located, and this provides easier communication which ensures the young people are supported in the most effective way to try and avoid escalation through the Criminal Justice System. Each service attends planning and review meetings so the most up to date information is shared and there is a shared responsibility across the case management of the young person.

Gateshead YJS sits on the corporate Parenting Partnership Board and the LAC Service Manager has a reciprocal arrangement to ensure the needs of the LAC offending cohort are represented in the YJS Board. Both teams recognise the need to work together to promote the recovery, resilience and wellbeing of young people and to work together to prevent unnecessary criminalisation. Restorative approaches are used by police in Gateshead to avoid young people becoming involved in the Criminal Justice System for matters that can be dealt with by an alternative method. Following the publication of the National Protocol on Reducing Unnecessary Criminalisation of Looked-After Children and Care Leavers, Gateshead YJS and the LAC Team are working together to ensure the recommendations in this protocol are considered and additional strategic and operational practice reflect the principles outlined. Using the Out of Court Disposal panel and Divert from Charge pathway, LAC are always considered for alternative out comes rather than being sent to court.

YOLO

The YOLO (YOU Only Live Once) project was set up in 2019 to give an early intervention approach for young people aged 8-14 years. It seeks to identify young people on the periphery of the criminal justice system rather than those who have already entered it. The 1:1 mentoring provides a consistent presence over a longer period of time to allow the young person to build a trusting confidential relationship with their mentor, complete key interventions which is expected to increase engagement, and result in better outcomes. The YOLO project works with Gateshead YJS and they complete the assessment of the young person and their family. Their knowledge, experience and thoroughness assist in the foundations being laid to plan a structured bespoke approach for the young person and their family.

YOLO case study

The male was 12 years old at the point of referral and was referred due to Adverse Childhood Experiences (witness to extensive domestic violence, neglected by parents and stability within relationships). The young person was also referred due to being in possession of a 10-inch kitchen knife in the community, attendance at school was 71% due to a reduced timetable and frequent truancy. Work began with the young person to understand the root cause of these issues and problems, and to help the young person understand the consequences of their negative choices. Work took place within school and the community, where the young person was taken for community-based activities such as football and boxing. A strong relationship was also built with the young person's guardian, who would regularly update the mentor on both positive and negative things that were happening. The young person did go through a significant period of exclusions from school, but the mentor worked closely with education to help provide the young person with learning aids to support his needs.

Eventually the decision was made to put the young person into an alternative provision where they have since flourished and attendance is high. The young person engaged with education during all COVID-19 lockdowns and also asked for further resources from his mentor which we were able to provide. The young person has had no further missing person episodes, has not been in possession of a knife again and is now engaged in school on a full-time basis. We have recently closed this young person's case due to his significant improvements in a number of key areas for him.

He is now making positive choices and understanding the negative impact that poor choices can make on his current and future development.

Restorative Justice

Gateshead YJS offers every victim of youth crime a voice. Each victim is contacted by the Victim Liaison Officer to seek their views in relation to the offence and try and understand the impact it has had on them. In line with the Victims Code, Gateshead YJS offers a variety of reparative interventions including direct and indirect programmes. Where it is appropriate victims are offered face to face restorative justice conferences, shuttle mediation and letters of apology. Reparation is delivered in line with the wishes of victims. There are a number of community-based reparation sites that are used when there is no specific victim request. The services looks to deliver reparation projects with young people that are creative and relevant to the offence committed. Victims are also asked to complete a short survey at the end of their intervention to ascertain their views, understand their experience of the service and to help us improve services in the future.

In 2018 the YJS successfully renewed the Restorative Service Quality Mark (RSQM) award for a further three years, until February 2022. YJS have trained all practitioners and volunteers in restorative approaches through the recognised Restorative Justice Facilitator training.

National Probation Service

Health Services are well represented on the Gateshead YJS board, partners attend from the Newcastle and Gateshead Clinical Commissioning Group, National Health Service, Public Health and the Clinical Director for Children, Young People and Families (Gateshead) also sits on the board. It is promising that representatives on the board are extremely enthusiastic about how services can be developed to best meet the health needs of young people within the youth justice service. As part of the plan we anticipate that a significant amount of time and resource will be spent completing a health needs analysis of our cohort of young people. Once this is completed, we will understand the health needs and the gaps within services that have in Gateshead. Gateshead YJS wants to work towards a framework where young people's health needs are clearly identified and are met within reasonable time skills so they can be supported during the period of youth justice intervention and as an exit strategy from statutory services. There are plans in place already to expedite this area of work and it is hoped that this will have significant benefit to all young people in the near future. The development of the health agenda will be closely monitored through the Gateshead YJS board.

Gateshead YJS currently has links and pathways into the Children Young People Service, Speech Language and Communication needs, Liaison and Diversion, Forensics Child and Adolescents Mental Health Service (FCAMHS) and Substance misuse services. There is representation from Gateshead YJS on the Child Be Healthy Partnership. The purpose of this group is to improve the physical health, emotional wellbeing and mental health outcomes of children, young people and their families in Gateshead. By working together, we will discuss and develop new ways of working that ensures a joined-up approach in the commissioning and delivery of Children and Young People's Services (CYPS). The Child Be Healthy Partnership group is an operational group which focuses on service provision for our children, young people and their families by working with and through those who access and provide services. This group reports to the Gateshead Children's System Board.

Young people who are open to the YJS receive thoughtful, comprehensive assessments and treatment within the CYPS service. The CYPS workers liaise with young people's care team, including YOT workers, who work together to ensure the best possible outcomes for the young people of Gateshead.

Newcastle and Gateshead Clinical Commissioning Group

Newcastle and Gateshead Clinical Commissioning Group and the YJS have established good working relationships. There is potential for joint working in relation to using young people within the criminal justice system to help develop a child centred resource specifically for older young people. This resource will be called the "big orange book" and will enable young people to become aware of health services which are available locally and what support they are able to access. The Newcastle and Gateshead Clinical Commissioning Group is developing transitions from 14 years old, to make sure that young people have the relevant diagnosis to support them getting the right service moving forward. It is also recognised that digital resources need to be developed for young people to be able to access, notwithstanding some of our young people live in digital poverty.

Kooth

In response to COVID-19 and the changes in the way services deliver intervention remotely, Gateshead YJS is linking up with Kooth to support young people's emotional health. Kooth.com is a free, safe and anonymous online community and support service that has been commissioned by NewcastleGateshead ICB, offering emotional and mental wellbeing advice and support to young people, the age range for Newcastle and Gateshead is 11-25. The service allows access to optional support from qualified counsellors and practitioners, the chance to gain support from peers, join forums and learn coping skills to manage mental health in a safe and supportive way. Kooth is a service which gives children and young people the opportunity to access a web-based online chat function with trained professionals. The website also offers a wealth of advice, including online articles and various tools for support such as moderated discussion boards.

Criminal Justice Liaison Service

The Criminal Justice Liaison Service is now open to individuals of all ages and is being commissioned by NHS England. Liaison and Diversion is embedded within police custody suites across Northumbria.

Young people from Gateshead are generally taken to Forth Banks police station in Newcastle. Young people in police custody are offered a health screening through the Liaison and Diversion team. This screening helps to identify any unmet health needs and offers an opportunity for young people to be supported and referred into other agencies as required. Gateshead YJS works closely with the Liaison and Diversion team and we are able to share information where consent has been agreed in order to best meet the young person's health needs.

Platform Gateshead

Platform Gateshead is a commissioned service which provides young people in Gateshead with an opportunity to receive support in relation to their substance misuse. In addition, the team works with young people to improve health and wellbeing, reduce smoking, alcohol and drug use. The service also provides educational advice around the legality of illegal substances, in addition family support can be offered where appropriate. Gateshead YJS and Platform work jointly with young people where substance or alcohol is a significant issue or is linked to their offending. The services have good relationships with each other and work jointly on intervention plans to ensure young people's needs are met.

Psychology Offer

Gateshead YJS is working with the Looked after children team within children's social care to deliver clinical psychology and advanced mental health practitioner support to staff and children in the specified children's residential homes. The service will support a pilot cohort, using the same approaches, for young people within the youth justice system. The service specification has been completed and recruitment is due to start. Interventions for children and young people may include individual assessment, individual therapy, group therapy, intensive group therapy, progress monitoring, individual programme planning, training of involved others, implementation and monitoring. In delivering the service, the provider will support residential and YJS staff and provide training to help to build resilience of staff teams and children and young people to enable the development of individualised, client-centred approaches for developing skills and give a sense of self that young people may lack due their adverse early life experiences.

Children and young people who are LAC and YOT, often have complex histories of survival, attachment and relationship disruption. The psychology service will support looked after children and the staff who support them to better understand the psychological and social factors that impact on behaviour and how these behaviours are understood in the context of their lived experiences. This support will utilise trauma informed approaches, based on the understanding that many of the children and young people who have experienced adversity and trauma may consequently find it difficult to develop trusting relationships with staff providing care and feel safe within services. Psychology support will use this for basic training, reflective practice and support for staff to help recognise and focus on the impact of trauma on young people and their support systems.

Early Help and Youth Crime Prevention

The Early Help Service's Targeted Family Support Team provide a whole-family intervention service for vulnerable families with dependent children.

Referrals are taken from a variety of sources across the early help system, including police, education, housing, health and social care. For the previous 12 months (May 2020/21) this includes:

• providing a duty response to the families of 1,942 children featured in new police contacts - 221 of which transfer to worker caseloads
• responding to 696 police contacts on existing, open family cases
• supporting 1,253 children as part of a whole-family plan

The diversity of the referral base and the capacity to deliver an early, targeted response enables risks to be proactively identified and managed for between 820-850 families per year.

Supporting Families Programme

The prevention of young people from entering the youth justice system is a key objective of the service and is included in the eligibility criteria for the national Supporting Families programme.

The whole-family working approach is evidenced in local data on the low number of families referred to statutory social work services within 12 months of Early Help case closure (10.7% - May 2020/21) - a strong proxy measure of how intervention has led to sustained progress among families - and in the national evaluation of the Troubled Families Programme which reported on a comparison and programme group to look at how the whole-family working approach impacted on change

For crime, juveniles receiving custodial sentences - 0.8% of the comparison group received custodial sentences compared to 0.5% of the programme group, a 38% difference in the 24 months after joining the programme; and juvenile convictions 4.6% of the comparison group received custodial sentences compared to 3.9% of the programme group, a 15% difference in the 24 months after joining the programme. (MHCLG, 2015-2020: Findings & Evaluation Overview Policy Report, p.4).

Locally agreed identification criteria for the programme under the crime and anti-social behaviour headline, as set out in the Gateshead Supporting Families Outcomes Plan, includes:

• child who has committed a proven offence in the previous 12 months
• young person in a secure unit (who will be returning to the family home) who is less than 12 months from his/her release date
• young person receiving a Community Resolution or Triage
• a child involved in a gang; county lines linked crime and exploitation; serious violence (including knife crime) in the previous 12 months, as either victim or perpetrator

While there may be a degree of co-working between Early Help and the Youth Justice Service YJS for the above issues as part of a whole-family plan, non-statutory family intervention services are more likely to be positioned towards the following criteria alongside other needs or risks identified by the referral agent - poor school attendance, for example:

• young person (aged 15 or under) known to local services as having perpetrated an incident of adolescent to parent/expectant parent violence and abuse in the last 12 months
• adult or child who is involved in an ASB incident (formal or informal) in the last 12 months
• children nominated by professionals because of their potential to offend or offending behaviour is of equivalent concern to the indicators above

Whole Family Working and Prevention

The Early Help Service uses the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) to explore needs and analyse risks, forming the basis of a CAF Support Plan which is reviewed in a multi-agency Team Around the Family (TAF) process.

Whole-family working aims to incorporate and/or lead to:

1. Individual-focused prevention - support to manage anger, impulsivity, lack of empathy
2. Family-focused prevention - helping parents/carers set clear expectations and boundaries for behaviour
3. School-focused prevention - providing the Team Around the School (TAS) model to identify early concerns, including risk-taking behaviours

Early Help staff are trained to deliver a range of specific, evidence-based interventions known to reduce the risks of offending behaviours, including:

• respect Young People's Programme (RYPP) - aimed at young people who exhibit aggressive or abusive behaviour towards their parents/carers and recognised by the YJS Effective Practice Unit
• assessment Intervention Moving on (AIM) - framework for the assessment of and intervention on harmful sexual behaviours

These approaches may be supplemented further through practitioners utilising strategies from:

• manualised programmes such as Teen Triple P, Family Links Nurture, Teen Talk
• motivational interviewing techniques
• making family agreements and developing safety plans

Family stability and reducing relationship distress are central to the whole-family working approach, including:

• psycho-educative parenting programmes to develop nurturing parenting styles, set clear boundaries and routines
• specific provision for parents of children with ADHD, recognised by the Association of Psychological Therapies

Support for family stability has been enhanced further by the DWP funded Reducing Parental Conflict Programme which offers four evidence-based pathways to improve relationships between couples and co-parents. Three of the programmes listed (Family Check Up, Incredible Years Basic/Advanced and Parenting When Separated) have strong effectiveness ratings within the Early Intervention Foundation 
(EIF) Guidebook for preventing crime, violence and anti-social behaviour. 

This is significant because, according the EIF evidence review into parental conflict: One of the most common outcomes for children across all ages who witness severe and/or ongoing inter-parental conflict is an increase in a broad set of negative behavioural issues known as externalising problems. Externalising problems are characterised by behavioural difficulties such as aggression, hostility, noncompliant and disruptive behaviours, verbal and physical violence, anti-social behaviour, conduct disorder, delinquency and vandalism in the extreme. (What works to enhance inter-parental relationships and improve outcomes for children, Harold et al, 2016, p. 20). 

The strength of the whole-family approach towards youth crime prevention can be summarised as:

• seeks to identify, assesses and intervene early on emerging risks, taking referrals from a wide variety of sources
• agrees goals with families and works towards clear, named outcomes on risk-taking and pre-offending behaviours
• works with the individual as part of the family system, considering the influences and impacts of carers and siblings
• able to draw upon a range of evidence-based approaches, deployed in face-to-face, group and remote formats
• early Help operates in the same, integrated management structure as the Youth Justice Service and Children's Social Care

AIM3, Technology-assisted harmful sexual behaviour and intervention

Gateshead YJS has worked with colleagues within Children's Services to develop a procedure for dealing with young people with sexually harmful behaviour. Two routes for assessment have been identified, one through child concern which will stay within Children's Services and the other is through the criminal justice route. There will be joint working across services to ensure the most appropriate workers undertake these assessments and deliver interventions. Within the last 12 months all staff within the YJS have been trained in Aim 3 or technology assisted sexual behaviour assessments and in delivering interventions. The need to develop multi-agency risk management and care plans is not just restricted to those who have committed criminal offences. Rather, there is often a need to intervene before the young person's behaviour requires the intervention of the criminal justice system or when the criminal justice system is not seen as the most appropriate method of dealing with sexually harmful behaviour.

Many young people with histories of sexually harmful behaviour are placed, by other local authorities, within Gateshead or they may receive services from agencies within Gateshead. It is equally important that these young people receive the same level of multi-agency response as any other young person and that risk management plans are as equally robust.

The link between online behaviour and harmful sexual behaviour may also be a cause for concern. Technology-assisted harmful sexual behaviour (TA-HSB) can range from developmentally inappropriate use of pornography (and exposing other children to this), through to grooming and sexual harassment. Online behaviour may be a trigger for sexual abuse and the long-term effect of exposure to pornography can affect the ability to build healthy sexual relationships.

Edge North East and community safety

Gateshead Community Service has been working with Gateshead YJS to secure some funding to commission Edge North East to work with young people at risk of exploitation to county lines, weapons and serious violence. EDGE North East are a specialist youth mentoring service staffed by lived experience specialist mentors and specialist mentors with a vast amount of experience and passion for working with young people involved in serious violence, child criminal exploitation and organised crime. The aim of the organisation is to engage the hardest to reach young people and create opportunities for them to change their lives and take a more positive path. The beneficiaries of the teachable moment project face barriers of diversity and accept their lifestyle as a cultural norm, the young people come from a cycle of family lifestyles and beliefs that are difficult to break away from. EDGE North East create interventions that prevent young people reaching a point that they are serving a custodial sentence because of their lifestyle or become a victim of a serious attack both physically and sexually.

Targeted outreach

The REAL (Relate, Engage and Listen) Project will deliver targeted outreach youth work in areas across the borough for three evenings a week. The aim of the Project is to engage with young people in recognised hotspot areas, offering them safe faces, support and guidance alongside signposting to specialist services. Hotspot locations will be co-ordinated via the multi-agency Operational Planning and Tasking Group co-ordinated by Community Safety and will allow partners to identified problem areas and to be better sighted on community intelligence and information from EDGE to help inform future work and/or further partnership intervention.

Mentoring

Although the REAL Project provides a diversionary activity to prevent violence and anti-social behaviour; there is a cohort of young people who are identified as being at greater risk of, or involved in, child criminal exploitation, serious youth violence, gangs and gang culture. To help support these young people, a specialist mentoring project has been established that will provide tailored 1-to-1 support from a lived experience mentor.

Educational links in Gateshead

Gateshead YJS has a specific identified link in every secondary school in the borough. Every young person referred into the YJS has an education check completed with the school where they are on roll. Information is shared in relation to school attendance, behaviour and academic ability, in return the YJS offers basic information in relation to why the young person is open to the service and together schools and case managers are able to ensure that there is joint planning around the young person's education.

There have been numerous examples of where case managers have been proactive in ensuring the attendance of the child by transporting them to school and completing supervision sessions during the journey. Case managers are regularly welcomed into schools to complete interventions on their premises. Gateshead YJS has good relationships with its secondary schools and work together to put plans in place which will support a young person attending education and achieving the best outcomes academically. There is an information sharing protocol and privacy notice in place between the schools and the YJS which ensures the legal requirements in relation to information sharing are adhered to. In addition, the team manager of the YJS attends the Pastoral Deputies meeting by exception to provide an update in relation to any developments within the service. Across the Education Department and the YJS there are good working relationships and examples of completing work together. A representative from the Education Department sits on Gateshead YJS also attends the performance subgroup.

Working together representatives from Education and YJS completed a deep dive of the education provision of statutory school age children open to youth justice. The aim was to consider these young people's education provision, attendance, exclusions and SEND needs. The key themes that came of out this work were that significant amount of young people were not in mainstream school, attendance was low across the cohort (although given that this period was over COVID-19 and schools were closed during some of this time, therefore this data should be used with caution). Almost 40% of young people had identified Special Educational Needs and most pupils had at least one exclusion in the past 12 months.

SEND

The SEND landscape is complex and can be difficult to navigate for children, parents and professionals. Gateshead Children's Services have two key challenges of ensuring SEND related actions across all organisations and sectors is of quality and has a positive impact and the SEND system is transparent to all that are involved within in it. Our four strategic priorities: improving inclusion for all young people and children with SEND; ensuring SEND provision fully meets the needs of the children; to support young people to have high aspirations, become as independent as possible and are supported at key transition points and for children with SEND to enjoy good mental health and wellbeing.

In this cohort 37% of young people open to the YJS were identified as having Special Educational Needs or have received SEND Support. Gateshead YJS is working with the SEND Department to develop performance data and further analyse the needs of the offending cohort with Special Educational Needs. The Chair of the Gateshead YJS (also the Strategic Director of Gateshead Children and Adult Services) and the Deputy Director of Children Services both attend the SEND panel and also the YJS so there is awareness of both agendas and joining up of strategic objectives. Every young person referred to the YJS is checked against the SEND register so Education Healthcare Plans can be consulted when completing assessments and interventions can be tailored to meet the young person's individual needs.

Educational Inclusion panel

The Education Inclusion Panel (EIP) meets each month to place young people with barriers preventing them from attending mainstream school, in appropriate learning provision. It is a multi-disciplinary panel and consists of representatives from council services including Children's Services, Early Help and YJS, as well as Education. It also includes services external to the council such as CYPS, Health and Platform. As data sharing is agreed, either legally or through parental permissions, informed appropriate joint decisions can be arrived at.

Those young people whose cases are presented to the panel usually fall into one of two categories; either they are unable to attend school due to medical reasons, such as mental health or post-operative recovery, or have been expelled from their schools and need a new educational placement. As well as providing experienced and expert advice on the appropriateness of options for these pupils, the panel also serves to alert, and therefore align, services to the involvement of other partners working with them. This in turn provides for a more cohesive and complimentary approach to support, with members attending TAFs, Core Strategy groups, Complex Abuse panels and Child Protection as appropriate.

Complex Pupil Panel

The Complex Pupil Panel meets bi-monthly and is attended by representatives from various agencies including Children's Services, Early Help, YJS, Health and Education. This panel is concerned with identifying, understanding and meeting the needs of some of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged young people within Gateshead. By definition the Complex Pupil Panel deals with children who have experienced difficult backgrounds, this often includes trauma and adverse childhood experiences. This panel provides an opportunity to try and put in place practical educational help and support for these young people and ensure they have access to suitable placements which will help them achieve despite complexities they have experienced and may display.

Pupil placement Panel

Every local authority must have a fair access protocol to ensure that vulnerable young people secure a school place in a timely manner. The protocol also ensures that schools take their fair share of vulnerable young people. The protocol aims to support Gateshead Council's Thrive agenda with a particular focus on supporting those with challenging behaviours or poor attendance who are seeking admissions into a mainstream school or Academy. The protocols may be invoked to support admission into a mainstream school following a permanent exclusion, or to pre-empt such an exclusion.

In practice, the panel meets on a monthly basis to discuss children who meet the fair access criteria. The panel is made up of a number of professionals from the local authority including the YJS, as well as head teachers and pastoral leads from Gateshead secondary schools. At the panel information is shared and the young person is allocated a school place. The young person is then supported into their new school setting by an Education Support Officer. The Panel may support managed moves between Gateshead schools, if this is felt to support the needs of the young person.

Social workers in schools

The 'What Work's for Children's Social Care' (WWCSC) are trialling an intervention that involves Social Workers being based Within Schools (SWIS) in order to help address safeguarding issues. The SWIS trial builds on a set of pilot studies completed in 2019/20 which explored the feasibility of putting Social Workers into schools.

The SWIS programme aimed to embed social workers in secondary schools to reduce referral rates to children's social care, and reduce the numbers of safeguarding concerns and investigations, along with the overarching aim of reducing the number of children in care, and improving educational attainment. It is hoped that this will also promote better inter-agency working between schools and the children's social care system.

In respect to Gateshead, the SWIS pilot has seen Social Workers becoming practice leaders in schools, modelling collaborative and relational approaches to working with families; this is a key motivation for us. This is a leadership profession and in Gateshead we have created a culture in which Social Workers are leading major shifts in practice towards relational, systemic, restorative and strengths-based approaches. We have developed a bespoke model for Children and Families Social Work called Gateshead CAN; where CAN stands for Context, Action, Narrative. The SWIS project will enable social workers to share the model with education professionals and can become a critical strand in our overall implementation. SWIS allows us to facilitate effective interventions with children and families at the least intrusive level possible and decrease unnecessary escalation of cases by providing timely responses to school concerns.

Stakeholders include the six control schools in Gateshead, 0-19 Service within the Health service, the YJS, Gateshead Education and CYPS, continue to view the inclusion of the team and the overall project as very positive. Designated school leads from the control group now attend monthly Operational Leadership Group meetings; their feedback is positive and reflects the relationships that are being forged between the Social Workers and the various schools. Information is shared across the SWIS project and YJS on a weekly basis to ensure young people in common are provided coordinated intervention between services that benefits the young person.

Child and Adolescent to Parent Violence and Abuse (CAPVA)

Gateshead Children Services continues to recognise the impact of Child and Adolescent to Parent Violence and Abuse (CAPVA) which not only impacts parents but carers and extended family members.

We have adopted the RESPECT programme, Respect Young People's Programme (RYYP) which is recognised by the YJS Effective Practice Unit where in collaboration with Northumbria Police Crime and Commissioner we have been successful is accessing further Ask and Act Training for staff across all areas of Gateshead Children Services. We have a robust referral process into the programme which requires a relevant assessment and a Risk Indicator Checklist along with a specialist consultation before the programme commences to ensure the efficacy of the programme. This process incorporates adult safeguarding where appropriate. The programme is delivered within a joint allocation model from staff in Youth Offending, Early Help, Looked After, Referral and Assessment and Safeguarding and Complex Child in Need with referrals being accepted from wider Children's Services and external partners including Education. The focus of the work is to preserve life, prevent serious harm, reduce interfamily relationship breakdown and reduce the numbers of children entering the care system.

Workforce development

There is a team within Gateshead Council who focus on the workforce development of the Children's Services which includes the YJS. We work jointly to ensure that core training needs are met, and we develop further training resources to enable staff to be able to carry out specific interventions and have the necessary training and skills to work effectively with our young people. In addition to this the Workforce Development Team commission training on behalf of the YJS to ensure the specific training requirements of our staff are met. This arrangement has worked particularly well over the past two years and staff have been trained in various accredited programmes. The YJS has developed occupational standards which are being cross referenced with the local offer to ensure that the needs of staff, volunteers and board members alike are all met effectively.

Gateshead Youth Justice Service has consulted with all partners as to what our key priorities should be over the next 24 months.

Priority 1

Ensure our young people are children first and offenders second

The voice of the child and family needs to be at the centre of the work that is carried out with our young people. Further development of this will include greater liaison with young people when making changes to the Youth Justice Service (YJS). We will do this by supporting young people to take part in exit interviews and encouraging them to attend the Gateshead YJS or make a film or write an account of their experiences.

We will also use the work produced by young people in public spaces. Life story work is being developed across Gateshead Children Services, case managers and advocates will have the opportunity to attend this training and apply the principles to their intervention with our young people.

Priority 2

Ensure Looked After Children are not over represented in the Criminal Justice Service

Decriminalisation of LAC is a key priority and an area where there has been significant development. However, there is more work to be done and by linking up with Children's Homes, police, Independent Return workers and Social Work colleagues so we can further push this agenda to avoid these children coming into the Criminal Justice system. There are plans in place to develop a psychology offer which will help us to develop the Enhanced Case management model.

Priority 3

Identify and intervene early with young people to address behaviours that could lead a young person into the Criminal Justice System

Prevention needs to be everyone's agenda. Young people at risk of offending need to be able to access services to support their needs at the earliest opportunity. There needs to be co-ordination of what is available to young people in Gateshead.

Priority 4

Ensure education teams effectively meets the needs of young people within the criminal justice system

We are going to continue to complete deep dive education audits twice a year to be able to monitor the progress of how we are responding to the needs of children. This work will include looking at attendance, placement, exclusion and SEND. The YJS will continue to work with schools and education providers, we will also advocate of the behalf of young people at the various education panels that we attend for the benefit of our children.

Priority 5

Promote the health and wellbeing of young people in the Youth Justice System

There is a health needs assessment of children open to YJS that has just began. Looking at the health needs of this cohort it is hoped that we will be able to identify what other health provision is needed within the service and work with our partners to provide some additionally.

Priority 6

Support young people transitioning between Children's and Adults Services

The newly formed post of a Probation Support Officer will help young adults who fall out of the transition arrangements to have the support put in place that they need to ensure compliance with probation orders and reduce re-offending. This work is being monitored by Gateshead YJS.

Priority 7

Understand and intervene with young people experiencing criminal exploitation

County lines and the Criminal Exploitation of young people continues to be a concern. Gateshead YJS will work with voluntary and statutory partners to ensure that information is shared appropriately and resources are used to help support these vulnerable young people.

Priority 8

Understand Serious Youth Violence in Gateshead and what can be done to reduce harm to the public and manage the risk

Knife Crime and the use of weapons will feature in the intervention planning that we do in the coming 24 months.

Priority 9

Build our understanding of the specific problems faced by young people in Gateshead

Disproportionately of Black, Asian and minority ethnic children will continue to be monitored through the performance subgroup and reported to the board.

• AA - appropriate adult (during police interviews)
• Accommodated - cared for by the local authority ('in care')
• ABH - actual bodily harm (assault)
• ACC - assistant chief constable
• ACCT - assessment, care in custody, and teamwork
• ACPO - association of chief police officers
• ADD - attention deficit disorder
• ADHD - attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
• AIM - assessment for sexually harmful behaviour
• ASB - anti social behaviour
• ASD - aspergers' spectrum disorder
• ASSET - YJS assessment system (offending)
• AYM - association of YOT managers
• BCS - British crime survey
• BAME - black, asian and ethic minority
• Breached(ed) - failure to comply with bail or court order
• BSS - bail supervision and support
• CAB - Citizens Advice Bureau
• CAF - common assessment framework
• CAFCASS - children and family court advisory support service
• CAPVA - child and adolescent to parent violence and abuse
• CHILDVIEW - case management system
• CIN - children in need (see Section 17)
• CJSeM - criminal justice secure email
• CJS - criminal justice services (e.g. all the services collectively)
• COSHH - control of substances hazardous to health (health and safety)
• CLR - critical learning review
• CPS - crown prosecution service
• CSPPI - community safeguarding and public protection incidents
• CRC - community rehabilitation company
• CSP - community safety partnership
• CYPS - children and young peoples' services (emotional health team)
• DFC - divert from charge
• DJ - district judge
• DTO - detention training order
• DV - domestic violence
• EBD - emotional and behavioural disorder (education)
• ECM - every child matter
• EIP - education inclusion panel
• ETE - education, training and employment
• FGC - family group conference
• FPN - fixed penalty notice
• FTE - first time entrants (to the youth justice system)
• TGHC - the Gateshead housing company
• HDC - home detention curfew (early release from custody)
• HMIP - His Majesty's inspectorate of probation
• HMYOI - (His Majesty's) young offender institution
• ICB - integrated care board
• ICT - information and communication technology
• IRO - independent reviewing officer
• ISO - individual support order (made with a civil ASBO)
• ISS - intensive supervision and surveillance order
• LAC - looked after child
• LASCH - local authority secure children's home
• LCJB - local criminal justice board
• LEA - local education authority
• Looked After - being cared for by the local authority ("in care")
• MAPPA - multi agency public protection arrangements
• MARAC - multi agency risk assessment meeting (domestic violence)
• MG Forms - standard forms for investigation and prosecution of crime (police and CPS)
• MOJ - ministry of justice
• NACRO - national association for the care and resettlement of offenders
• NAPO - national association of probation officers
• NEET - not in education or employment
• Newton hearing - a judicial decision about disputed facts in a court case
• NPS - national probation service
• OASys - offender assessment system (adult)
• OBP - offending behaviour programme
• OOCD - out of court disposal
• PACE codes - police and criminal evidence act - rules for police procedure
• PCC - police crime commissioner
• PENY - police E-notifications to YOTs (secure communication system)
• PLATFORM - young peoples' substance misuse
• PNC - police national computer
• PPP - pupil placement panel
• PRU - pupil referral unit
• PSR - pre-sentence report
• Revoke - to end a court order early (usually for good progress)
• RGN - registered general nurse
• RIC - remanded in custody
• RJ - restorative justice
• RJC - restorative justice council
• RSQM - restorative service quality mark
• RMN - registered mental nurse
• RTA - road traffic accident
• RYPP - respect young people's programme
• Safeguarding - general term for child protection and welfare issues
• Sanction detection - a solved crime resulting in punishment for the offender (police)
• Section 17 - support for children in need (Children Act 1989)
• Section 18 - wounding with intent for GBH (Offences against the person Act 1861)
• Section 20 - grievous bodily harm Assault (Offences Against the Person Act 1861)
• Section 20 - voluntary looked after (Children Act 1989)
• Section 31 - care order (Children Act 1989)
• Section 39 - common assault (Children Justice Act 1988)
• Section 47 - actual bodily harm assault (Offences Against the Person Act 1861)
• Section 90/91 - custodial sentence (Powers of Criminal Courts (sentencing) Act 2000)
• Sectioned - detained in a hospital because of mental health needs
• SEN - special educational needs
• SCR - serious case review (following serious incident)
• SLA - service level agreement
• SLCN - speech, language and communication needs
• STC - secure training centre
• SWIS - social workers in school
• TAF - team around the family
• TFS - targeted family support
• TIC - taken Into consideration
• TWOC - taking without owners' consent (car crime)
• ViSOR - violent and sex offenders register (supports MAPPA)
• VLO - victim liaison officer
• VRU - violence reduction unit
• YJMIS - youth justice management information system
• YJS - youth justice service
• YOI - young offenders institution
• YOLO - you only live once
• YOS - youth offending service
• YOT - youth offending team
• YRO - youth rehabilitation order

Gateshead Youth Justice Service, Early Help, Civic Centre, Gateshead NE8 1HH

Our opening hours are:

Monday to Thursday 8:30am - 5pm
Friday 8.30am - 4.30pm
Saturday Reparation / Constructive activity 8.30am - 4.30pm and on call Court
Sunday ISS / constructive activity - as required 8.30am - 4.30pm

Tel: 0191 433 3000 • Fax: 0191 433 4548

Team Manager

Emma Blackwell, Specialist Support Services Tel: 0191 433 4583 Email: emmablackwell@gateshead.gov.uk

How to find Gateshead Youth Justice Service

Contents

Introduction

Child First

Governance, Leadership and Partner Arrangements

Resources and Services

Performance and Priorities

Education

Overrepresented Children

Prevention

National Standards

Challenges, Risks and Issues

Appendix 1 - Service Improvement Plan

Appendix 2 - Evidence Based Practice and Innovation

Introduction

Vision and Strategy

Gateshead Youth Justice Service will continue to work towards the nine priorities as set out in our 2-year plan 2021 - 2023. This summary document highlights the progress against the plan and details our ambition for the next 12 months. 

"Making Gateshead a Place Where Everyone Thrives"

"We will ensure a child centred approach recognising the needs and rights of every young person and their potential to make a constructive, positive change and engage with their community"

The vision of the Gateshead Youth Justice Board will help us to achieve our vision for Gateshead's Health and Wellbeing Strategy. This is centred on tackling the inequalities that exist in Gateshead, in order to improve the outcomes and life chances of all Gateshead residents, including children and young people working with the Youth Justice Service. We want to enable all children, young people, and adults to maximise their capabilities and have control over their lives.

Local Context

Gateshead is a large town in northern England. It is on the River Tyne's southern bank, opposite Newcastle to which it is joined by seven bridges. The town is famous for contemporary art and architecture such as Gateshead Millennium Bridge, Sage Gateshead, and Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art. Gateshead is also home to the Metro Centre, one of Europe's largest shopping centres.

The Gateshead Youth Justice Service has a stable and committed workforce with a good understanding of local demographics and an enthusiasm to work with young people and their families to reduce re-offending. 

Gateshead Youth Justice Service has strong working relationships with statutory and non-statutory partners. Positioned within the Children's Social Care and Early Help directorate of Gateshead Council, the Youth Justice Service is actively engaged in joint planning and service delivery within the authority.

Child First

What we are doing to put children first

• reduce the number of young people going to court by using Divert from Charge and Outcome 22
• involving young people in assessment, intervention, and supervision
• developing narrative practice to help explain how intervention sessions were delivered and why decisions were made in ways that are easy for the child or young person to understand
• the Gateshead Youth Justice Board is consulted where there are significant issues and concerns around particular children and young people by presenting cases of concern
• Gateshead Youth Justice Service is fortunate to have three advocates that can provide additional practical and emotional support for young people
• Gateshead Council has three new Young Ambassadors. They will be making sure that care experienced children and young people in Gateshead are represented in various meetings and forums to help improve services.

Voice of the Child

Young people attending the Youth Justice Service Board

Young people have attended Gateshead Youth Justice Board meetings to tell their story and outline their experiences of the Youth Justice Service. This has offered the opportunity to board members to understand the journey of the child through the criminal justice system and it has also helped them to understand how their agencies have had an impact on a child's life. By meeting with a young person face to face it has been possible to ask questions about service delivery and areas for improvement.

The circumstances of some of our most complex young people are discussed anonymously within the Youth Justice Service board meeting and members provide challenge and partnership working to ensure the needs of the young people are met.

Governance, Leadership and Partnership Arrangements

The Youth Justice Service is positioned within Gateshead Council's Children's Social Care and Early Help directorate. This has facilitated strong working relationships with early intervention and safeguarding teams including Contextual Safeguarding Team and those supporting Children in Our Care.

The service is led by the Youth Justice Service Manager and Assistant Manager and comprises five Youth Justice Case Managers, three Young People's Advocates and a recently recruited Restorative Justice Practitioner.

As a multi-agency partnership, Gateshead Youth Justice Services contains specialists, or access to specialist provision for children being supervised, this includes:

• two Police Officers are seconded from Northumbria Police and co-located into Gateshead Youth Justice Service
• a Probation Officer is seconded from the National Probation Service (North East) and co-located into Gateshead Youth Justice Service. The Youth Justice Service also has access to a Probation Support officer (shared regionally)

An annual financial contribution from health partners supports the delivery of the Youth Justice Service in Gateshead. A recent additional contribution from the Clinical Commissioning Group has enabled the Youth Justice Service to work in partnership with local provider North East Counselling to upskill staff and access services for young people.

The Gateshead Youth Justice Board is chaired by the Assistant Director of Children's Services this is an interim measure pending the appointment of a new Director of Children's Services.

Councillor Gary Haley, Portfolio Holder for Children and Young People is also a full and active member of the board.

Resources and Services

Working in a challenging financial climate the Gateshead Youth Justice Board will work collaboratively to ensure that service delivery is not compromised and that disadvantaged children are not further marginalised. The budget is split between delivering statutory Youth Justice Services and providing a Prevention offer for young people at risk of offending. 

The cost of a custodial remand continues to be a financial risk to the service, Gateshead Youth Justice Service has the ability to deliver high quality, intensive bail packages, however if the offence was so serious there may be no alternative to a remand.

Income and Expenditure

Remand

Performance and Priorities

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) prioritised their reporting accordingly which meant the FTE data for 2019/20 and 2020/21 was not available at the time but has since been published and the data is shown in the chart below.

The latest published data for the period 2020/21 shows that Gateshead saw a 53% decrease in the number of FTEs (20 young people) entering the Youth Justice Service. When we compare the latest period 2021/22 (data taken from Gateshead Youth Justice Service) to the earliest reported period (2017/18) this calculates as a 62% reduction (48 young people).

First Time Entrants (FTE) data source - Police National Computer (PNC) & Gateshead YJS (Where stated)

The most recently published 12-month reoffending data from the PNC is for Apr 2019 - Mar 2020 and reports Gateshead's binary performance (percentage of young people who go on to reoffend) at 31.5%. When we compare this data to the previous year of 36.5% (Apr 2018 - Mar 2019) the binary performance has decreased by 5%. This rate for Gateshead was marginally higher than the regional and PCC rates but lower than the national rate.

As PNC data for reoffending in Gateshead is provided on a delay and not yet been published by the MOJ for 2020/21 and 2021/22 the data has been taken from Gateshead Youth Justice Service.

Historically Gateshead has experienced a gradual increase in the use of custody for young people, but this rate has decreased over the last two years. It is worth noting that although the number of custodial sentences has increased, some young people have received more than one custodial sentence due to the number and severity of their offences.

Education

Contextual Information

There are eight secondary schools in Gateshead (XP Free School opened in September 2021). Of these seven are academies, one maintained secondary schools, one CTC (City Technology College) and one free school.

Gateshead also has one Secondary Alternative Provision Academy and one secondary SEMH (social, emotional, and mental health) special school.

Youth Justice Cohort

In June 2022 the active cohort of young people involved with the Youth Justice Service were considered in a deep dive audit of education provision. It showed that the average attendance was 72% which is significantly lower than what is expected. Permanent exclusions were 17% but 33% of the cohort had been excluded within the past 12 months. Young people moving schools can be a significant transition, 27% of the Youth Justice cohort had been offered a managed move and only 62% were in a mainstream school. 

Following the HMIP joint inspection of education, training and employment services in youth offending teams in England and Wales, Gateshead Youth Justice Service will be considering the findings and working with partners to improve outcomes of children and young people.

Overrepresented children

Exploring Racial Disparity - Local Data analysis

Gateshead's Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) estimates that around 3.7% (7,500) of the population are from a black and minority ethnic (BAME) group. The BAME population has increased from around 1.6% in 2001. This does not include Gateshead's orthodox Jewish community; over 3000 people state that their religion is Jewish, although this also includes the non-orthodox Jewish population.

Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic (BAME) In Gateshead April 2019-March 2022

In order to understand if BAME children were over-represented in Gateshead some work was undertaken to profile the ethnicity of those children and young people who were involved with Gateshead Youth Justice Service between April 2019 and March 2022.

The chart shows a year on year increase in the number of BAME cases coming into the Youth Justice Service with a binary percentage for 2019/20 1.7%, 2020/21 2.5% and 2021/22 increasing to 7% which is almost double the BAME estimate of 3.7% by the Gateshead Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA). The overall figure for the three year period is 3.8% (16 BAME cases from a total of 419).

Gateshead Youth Justice Service Cohort Characteristics 2017-2022

Gateshead Youth Justice Service records the characteristics of those involved with the service to highlight and monitor changes in trends. The data below outlines the demographic trends of the young people that become involved with the service. The chart shows the number of females and males coming into the service.

Prevention

Our local partnerships work to identify children - and their parents/carers - who may be displaying behaviours associated with offending, anti-social behaviour, or vulnerability, to safeguard children and promote positive outcomes to prevent entry to the formal youth justice system through a combination of early and targeted prevention approaches.

These approaches can be described as:

Early Prevention - support for children (with no linked offence) to address unmet needs / welfare concerns.

Targeted Prevention - specialist support for children who have had some contact with criminal justice services but are not currently being supported through diversion, an out of court disposal or statutory order.

Supporting Families Programme

The prevention of young people from entering the youth justice system is a key objective of our local early help system and is included in the eligibility criteria for the national Supporting Families Programme.

Targeted Family Support

The Early Help Service's Targeted Family Support Team provide a whole-family intervention service for vulnerable families with dependent children.

Referrals are taken from a variety of sources across the early help system, including police, education, housing, health, and social care.

The Early Help Service uses the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) to explore needs and analyse risks, forming the basis of a CAF Support Plan which is reviewed in a multiagency Team Around the Family (TAF) process.

Support plans seek to adopt a 'Child First' approach and address issues known to expose young people to an increased likelihood of offending and risk-taking behaviours.

Diversion

Divert from Charge

Divert from Charge is a referral process which will no longer see young people being charged by police unless in extreme cases, such as offences that could lead to a remand. Instead, these cases are referred through to a panel process before a final decision is reached. 

Youth Justice Service Police officers apply an eligibility test which will assess whether an Out of Court option is appropriate. If the young person in question is eligible and willing to engage, they will receive either a Youth Conditional Caution (YCC) or an Outcome 22 (deferred prosecution). 

Early Prevention

In Gateshead there have been a total of 1134 proven offences between April 2017 and March 2022 of which 47 are deemed as Serious Violent Offences. The Youth Justice Board defines serious violence as violence against the person offences (which encompasses homicide and weapon offences), robbery and drugs offences which have a gravity score of 5 and above.

The data shows there appears to be an overall decrease in the number of violent offences with a gravity score of 5 or higher since 2017/18. With the exception of 2020/21 here has been a year-on-year reduction in the offences. However, there are 12 young people with a total of 20 offences outstanding from 2021/22. These offences are all serious violent offences (gravity five or higher) that are awaiting outcomes. Some of these offences may change to lower offences with lower gravity scores, be discontinued or withdrawn.

Weapon/Knife Crime 

National data shows that in England and Wales for 2020/21 there were 3,500 proven knife and offensive weapon offences committed by children and this was a 21% reduction compared to the previous year (4,400). In Gateshead, in the same period, there were the same number of weapon offences as 2019/20 however due to there being less offences in total this represented a 1% increase year on year. Of the proven weapon offences, the number of knife offences increased by two, increasing the proportion of offences involving knives.

Operation Victus

Operation Victus is a regular multi agency meeting with the aim of identifying young persons involved with Peer crime groups and serious violence to disrupt criminal exploitation, safeguard/divert those at risk and pursue high harm offenders.

Multi Agency Exploitation Hub (MAEH)

A physical hub located in the Newcastle LA which has key stakeholders from all 6 LA areas within Northumbria Police force area embedded within the hub to identify individuals and wider patterns/hot spots of exploitation across the force area.

Released Under Investigation data 

Youth Justice Service and Northumbria Police hold a regular management meeting to discuss the number of youths currently RUI with particular focus on those that relate to serious violence or have been RUI for over 12 months. Due to the additional level of scrutiny placed on these cases the RUI numbers are kept to a minimum.

YOLO

This VRU funded intervention works with children and young people (CYP) aged 8-14 years who are, or are likely to become involved in serious violence, gang related offending or knife related crime.

Teachable Moments Intervention Programme

Teachable Moments proactively engage young people 10-17years who are brought into Police custody to determine the degree in which serious violence, exploitation, and vulnerability features, or is likely to be a factor in the future. 

Education and interventions

The Violence Reduction Unit Education Team offer education sessions to key stages 3 and 4 on various violence reduction themes such as Exploitation and County Lines and Knife Crime. In addition, they do more targeted longer-term interventions in Pupil Referral Units and offer a Knife Crime Awareness for Practitioners session which staff have attended.

Restorative Justice

Gateshead Youth Justice Service offers every victim of youth crime a voice. Each victim is contacted by the dedicated Restorative Practitioner to seek their views in relation to the offence and try and understand the impact it has had on them. In line with the Victims Code, Gateshead Youth Justice Service offers a variety of reparative interventions including direct and indirect programmes. Where it is appropriate victims are offered face to face restorative justice conferences, shuttle mediation and letters of apology.

National Standards

The standards for children in the youth justice system define the minimum expectation for all agencies that provide statutory services to ensure good outcomes for children in the youth justice system. They are set by the Secretary of State for Justice on the advice of the Youth Justice Board (YJB).

Standards for Children findings

A National Standards audit of 53 cases took place in May 2022. The results of the audit demonstrated good compliance with the National Standards in all five domains. There was significant evidence of young people and families being involved with the assessment, planning, and interventions. There was evidence throughout the standards of good relationships being built with young people, their family and case managers.

Challenges, Risks and Issues

Cost of living crisis

Gateshead is ranked 47th most deprived out of 317 local authorities in England. Within Gateshead there are 21 areas which fall within the 10% most deprived areas in England, equating to almost 32,700 people or 16% of the population of Gateshead. Much of this deprivation is based within the central and eastern urban areas of the borough.

The cost of living is rising rapidly, putting huge pressure on people across the country and this will have a significant impact on families in Gateshead. Families will have less disposable income and those already experiencing financial hardship will be further affected. A key challenge in the year ahead will be to try and prevent young people entering the criminal justice system. As outlined earlier in this document we plan to extend the prevention offer in a number of ways, including developing intervention in school, communities and with individual young people and families.

Appendix 1 - Service Improvement Plan

Priority 1

Ensure our young people are Children first and offenders second.

The Voice of the Child and Family needs to be at the centre of the work that is carried out with our young people. Further development of this will include greater liaison with young people when making changes to the Youth Justice Service. We will do this by supporting young people to take part in exit interviews and encouraging them to attend the Gateshead Youth Justice Service or make a film/write an account of their experiences.

We will also use the work produced by young people in public spaces. Life story work is being developed across Gateshead Children Services, case managers and advocates will have the opportunity to attend this training and apply the principles to their intervention with our young people.

Priority 2

Ensure Looked After Children are not overrepresented in the Criminal Justice

Service

Decriminalisation of Looked After Children (LAC) is a key priority and an area where there has been significant development. However, there is more work to be done and by linking up with Children's Homes, police, Independent Return workers and Social Work colleagues so we can further push this agenda to avoid these children coming into the Criminal Justice system. There are plans in place to develop a psychology offer which will help us to develop the Enhanced Case management model.

Priority 3

Identify and intervene early with young people to address behaviours that could lead a young person into the Criminal Justice System.

Prevention needs to be everyone's agenda. Young people at risk of offending need to be able to access services to support their needs at the earliest opportunity. There needs to be co-ordination of what is available to young people in Gateshead.

Priority 4

Ensure education teams effectively meets the needs of young people within the criminal justice system.

We are going to continue to complete deep dive education audits twice a year to be able to monitor the progress of how we are responding to the needs of children. This work will include looking at attendance, placement, exclusion and SEND. The Youth Justice Service will continue to work with schools and education providers, we will also advocate of the behalf of young people at the various education panels that we attend for the benefit of our children. Priority 5

Promote the health and wellbeing of young people in the Youth Justice System.

A health needs assessment of children open to Youth Justice Service is currently underway with a view to identifying what other health provision is needed within the service and work with our partners to provide some additionality.

Priority 6

Support young people transitioning between Children's and Adults Services.

The newly formed post of a Probation Support Officer will help young adults who fall out of the transition arrangements to have the support put in place that they need to ensure compliance with probation orders and reduce re-offending. This work is being monitored by Gateshead Youth Justice Service.

Priority 7

Understand and intervene with young people experiencing criminal exploitation.

County lines and the Criminal Exploitation of young people continues to be a concern. Gateshead Youth Justice Service will work with voluntary and statutory partners to ensure that information is shared appropriately, and resources are used to help support these vulnerable young people.

Priority 8

Understand Serious Youth Violence in Gateshead and what can be done to reduce harm to the public and manage the risk

Knife Crime and the use of weapons will feature in the intervention planning that we do in the coming 24 months.

Priority 9

Build our understanding of the specific problems faced by young people in Gateshead.

Disproportionately of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) children will continue to be monitored through the performance subgroup and reported to the board.

Workforce Development 

Gateshead Council launched a new learning management system in May 2022. The Learning hub is the central point to access all learning and development opportunities available to council employees. The hub provides face to face, virtual training, E-learning, and resources. The Youth Justice Service has been working with the councils Workforce Development Team to ensure the training and development needs are met. Mandatory and desirable training has been sourced centrally and delivered in a number of ways including Youth Justice Service specific or as part of Children's Social Care.

There are several current joint training initiatives including trauma informed approaches, narrative practice and reflective supervision which all support collaborative working and maintain consistently high standards across all services.

Board Development

Gateshead Youth Justice Board meets bi-monthly and has representation from statutory and non-statutory partners. Gateshead Youth Justice Board ensures appropriate Youth Justice Services are in place within the local authority area. The board agenda has several key standing items including finance, performance, and cases of concern. There are several examples where challenges have been escalated to partner organisations through the board to better meet the needs of children and young people.

Development sessions have taken place with the board regularly. The next scheduled development day is in September 2022, this will provide the opportunity for board members to develop their understanding of the important role they have in supporting and challenging the Youth Justice Service. The development day will also introduce the new Director of Children's Services who takes up post in August 2022.

Gateshead Youth Justice Board Performance Subgroup 

The purpose of the Performance Subgroup is to inform and supplement the delivery of youth justice provision in Gateshead and enable the Gateshead Youth Justice Board to effectively fulfil the statutory duties as set out in the practice guidance for England and Wales: Youth justice service governance and leadership. Members of the group are accountable to the Gateshead Youth Justice Board and clear terms of reference are in place.

Appendix 2 - Evidence Based Practice and Innovation

Outcome 22

Following the Home Office introduction of a new police outcome code - Outcome 22, from 1 April 2019 this has been an option for the panel. The outcome is designed to be recorded on the Police National Computer as follows: 'Outcome 22 - diversionary, educational or intervention activity, resulting from the crime report, has been undertaken and it is not in the public interest to take any further action. The use of this disposal has ensured that young people are assessed and have intervention that best meets their individual needs. Working with the young person and their family it has been possible to divert a significant proportion of children away from the formal youth justice system, which has a huge impact on the number of young people becoming FTE into the Criminal Justice looking forward

Contextual Safeguarding

Contextual Safeguarding is an approach to understanding, and responding to, young people's experiences of significant harm beyond their families. The development of a dedicated contextual safeguarding team is underway in Gateshead to support young people where there is a need for intervention due to the young person experiencing harm beyond their families. This will include issues with peer groups, within the local neighbourhood and schools as well as young people at risk of exploitation and extra familial harm.

Exploitation - Women and Girls

To help tackle and support young women and girls involved in exploitation Gateshead

Children's Social care has applied to the Women and Girls fund to employ a specialist worker. Young women and girls across the north-east are being drawn into County Lines drug gangs, becoming trapped and vulnerable to criminal and sexual exploitation, and traumatised by their experiences.

Young Person Violence Advisor Service - Domestic Abuse Team 

A Young Persons Violence and Abuse Advisor (YPVA service) is being developed in Gateshead this will provide a safe and supportive response for teenagers experiencing serious harm from intimate partner abuse or familial domestic abuse. This could include domestic abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse from gangs, peer on peer abuse and young people who cause harm to others, honour-based violence, forced marriage and cyber stalking.

© Produced by Youth Justice Service, July 2022