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Hampshire

Isle of Wight

Portsmouth

Southampton

Mid-year Review of the 2004/5 Youth Justice PlanYouth Justice Plan 2002-5, (2004/5 update)

Mid-year Report to Partner Agencies

The annual youth justice plan, which local authorities are required to submit in consultation with police, probation and health authorities, was last produced in March 2004. It reported on the performance of the Youth Offending Team and on the other youth crime prevention activity of the partners during the 2003 calendar year. It set out the performance targets for the partnership to achieve during 2004/5. It set the budget for the youth offending team and the contributions to be made by partners.

This review compares the performance of the partnership during the first half of 2004/05 with the performance in the previous year. It identifies those actions which remain outstanding from 2004/5, helping to form the basis of the 2005/6 youth justice plan which, this year, is required by 30^th June.

Members of the partnership:

Hampshire County Council

Isle of Wight Council

Portsmouth City Council

Southampton City Council

Hants/IOW Strategic Health Authority

Blackwater Valley and Hart Primary Care Trust

East Hampshire Primary Care Trust

Eastleigh and Test Valley Primary Care Trust

Fareham and Gosport Primary Care Trust

Isle of Wight Primary Care Trust

Mid Hampshire Primary Care Trust

New Forest Primary Care Trust

North Hampshire Primary Care Trust

Portsmouth City Primary Care Trust

Southampton City Primary Care Trust

Hampshire Constabulary

National Probation Service

Mid-Year review of the 2004/05 update to the three year Youth Justice Plan. January 2005

Page

1. Performance Summary 4

2. Financial Summary 5

3. Staffing Summary 6

4. Prevention 8

5. Governance and Resources 9

6. Performance Measures 10

7. Learning and Development 28

YOUTH JUSTICE PLAN 2002-5

Mid-year Review of the 2004/5 update to the three year plan

January 2005

1. PERFORMANCE SUMMARY:

The Youth Justice Board has selected thirteen key performance measures for the 155 Youth Offending Teams in England and Wales. All Yots report quarterly on eleven of these performance measures, and annually on two: prevention and recidivism. A large part of the annual plan deals with activity that seeks to ensure that the Wessex Yot achieves these performance targets. This review reports on performance during the first half of 2004/5. In summary, current performance is as follows:

i. Prevention - on target.

ii. Recidivism - annual report due in February.

iii. Use of Final Warnings - improved and likely to hit target.

iv. Use of the Secure Estate - area of concern in relation to the number of custodial remands prior to sentence.

v. Restorative Justice - on target.

vi. Parenting - on target.

vii. Use of Asset - improving, but further attention needed.

viii. Pre-Sentence reports - improving but further attention needed.

ix. Detention and Training Order Training Plans - static due to increased number of young people going into custody.

x. Education, Training and Employment - deterioration, (seasonal). Further attention needed.

xi. Accommodation - some improvement, but further attention needed.

xii. Mental Health and

xiii. Substance Misuse - both on target but attention to data is needed to ensure that all cases are being referred for assessment and treatment.

The full set of data, broken down by area, is appended to this review.

2. FINANCIAL SUMMARY:

Arrangements were completed with all partners for a fully pooled cash budget to be made available to the Yot, and agreements were made about the staff and services to be purchased. The arrangements give greater flexibility to the Yot to move resources in response to changing demand. The Primary Care Trusts (PCT's) were the only partners who could not commit to the pooled budget for 2004/5, but aim to join the other partners in these arrangements in April 2005. They have met during the year to begin planning for this.

A serious accounting error was made in the process of calculating the size of the pooled budget. The Yot's mental health and substance misuse workers were wrongly assumed to have been paid for by PCT's when in fact they were paid for from external grants. These grants were already being allocated elsewhere within the pooled budget. The potential budget deficit in 2004/5 would have been around £350,000. However, savings already made by the Yot through re-commissioning for specialist services and savings on management costs have reduced the deficit. In addition, all partners except for the PCT's have generously contributed additional funds as part of a recovery strategy. The Yot itself was holding a small amount of money in accumulated reserves of unspent grants from the previous year and has used this money to balance the budget for 2004/5. Unfortunately because of the recurring nature of the error, financial prospects for 2005/6 are not good, and a second phase of financial savings by the Yot and additional contributions from partners will need to be introduced early in the next financial year.

A report will be taken to the Management Board on 10 February in relation to the 2005/6 budget.3. STAFFING SUMMARY

During the period 1 April to 31 December 2004 (37) staff have joined the organisation and (32) have left. This represents a likely annual change-over of staff of around 20%.

The following table shows the number of days lost through staff sickness in the calendar year:


Workforce Analysis For Wessex Youth Offending Team			Jan 04 - Dec 04
		Police	Probation	Social Services	Education	Health
Sickness
	Jan-Mar	4	77	204	7	19
	Apr-Jun	41	87	138.5	9.5	8.5
	Jul-Sept	108.5	8	183.2	22.5	6.5
	Oct-Dec	42	82.5	169.5	7	10
	TOTAL FOR YEAR 2004	195.5	254.5	695.2	46	44

As there are more staff in post from some of the partner agencies than others, this information is best expressed as a percentage of the total number of days that could possibly have been worked, i.e.:


		Police	Probation	Social Services	Education		Health
% Of days lost
	Jan-Mar	0.76	5.9	4.2		1.5	2.9
	Apr-Jun	7.8	6.6	2.8		2.0	1.3
	Jul-Sept	20.8	0.6	3.8		4.9	1.0
	Oct-Dec	8.0	6.5	3.3		1.5	1.5
	TOTAL FOR YEAR 2004	9.04%	4.09%	3.61%		2.05%	1.6%
	Average % overall WYOT = 4%
	Average Days = 6 to 7 days (This is a reduction from an average of nearly nine days per member of staff in 2004)

Eleven staff successfully completed the Youth Justice Board's Professional Certificate in Effective Practice.

The majority of social worker staff have registered with the General Social Care Council under new legal requirements affecting children's social workers. There are a couple that are in the process of being registered. One social worker is unregistered, but is not working in a qualified role.

A central training facility for IT Training has been developed and has been well used during the autumn. All staff have received a two-day I.T. training programme.

In July, the Yot was recognised as an "Investor in People" organisation. This award is for demonstrating consistently high performance in staff development and credit should go to all managers and supervisors for their work in this area.

Finally, the Yot's foundation training programme for its new staff was subject to an external evaluation, and was found to be well regarded by staff.

Multi-disciplinary teams are currently under the spotlight as the Children Act 2004 is put to effect. The question is sometimes asked as to whether it is really possible for professionals from such diverse public sector backgrounds as education, police, health, probation and social services to work together. In 2004, Wessex Yot's staff participated in a research project with Portsmouth University's Department for Criminal Justice Studies. As part of this research, practitioners from all the different disciplines were asked what they believed to be the primary purpose of the youth justice system. All staff from all agencies selected the following four statements from a wide range of other statements and ranked them, with little variation, in the same order of importance:

1. to rehabilitate offenders so that they do not re-offend (rehabilitation);

2. to provide community penalties that restrict the liberty of young offenders (incapacitation);

3. to ensure that young offenders make amends for the harm they do (reparation); and

4. to care for the welfare of young offenders (protection).

Such unanimity of purpose is all the more remarkable when contrasted with the widely differing views held by our staff about the purpose of the adult criminal justice system.

The remaining sections of this review of the 2004/5 Youth Justice Plan consist of progress reports on the work that we have done to meet the commitments that were made in the plan.

4. PREVENTION:

Commitments

Progress to date

Actions required / recording issues

· Developing action plans to support inter-agency work aimed at reducing violent crime by young people.

· Checking that the violent crime data, now two years old, still reflects the current situation

· In Hampshire, Youth Inclusion and Support Panels (YISP's) will be established in Gosport, New Forest and Aldershot in 2004.

· Working closely with other agencies to develop a formal agreement about the use of the new "post-conviction" Anti-Social Behaviour Order (ASBO).

· The Chief Officers Group will seek to ensure that there is a consistent approach to the issue of publishing the names and photographs of children who are the subject of ASBO's.

· Included as an improvement priority within Hampshire County Council's Local Public Service Agreement (LPSA).

· Data analysis undertaken in November 2004. Report due in January 2005.

· All three YISPs established.

· "Key principles for policy and practice with young people involved in anti-social behaviour" agreed with all partners.

· Included in key principles document.

· Complete agreement on LPSA.

· Implement actions to reduce re-offending.

· Ownership of the policy by all agencies will be a critical factor in achieving successful implementation.

· Agreement with police media services on the circumstances in which photographs of minors will be made available to the press.

5. GOVERNANCE AND RESOURCES:

Commitments

Progress to date

Actions required / recording issues

· The Youth Offending Team will co-operate fully with developments towards Children's Trusts.

· The Yot will be fully engaged with the Local Criminal Justice Board, (LCJB).

· The Chief Officers Group to make arrangements for a fully pooled budget to be made available to the Head of Service from April 2004.

· Responded to Hampshire County Council's consultation document. Arranged a set of consultation meetings with the three unitary councils.

· Full participation in LCJB.

· Pooled budget arrangements completed and operational.

· Report on outcome of consultations to Yot Management Board in February.

· Complete negotiations with Primary Care Trusts (PCT's) with a view to their joining the pooled budget arrangements in April 2005.

6. PERFORMANCE MEASURES

6.1 PREVENTION

Commitments

Progress to date

Actions required / recording issues

"Ensure that all areas have in place Youth Inclusion and Support Panels, (YISP), or other effective arrangements that ensure children and young people most at risk of offending are targeted by mainstream services."

"Ensure at least 200 young people are identified and targeted for support each year."

Actions to achieve the target:

· The YISP at Paulsgrove and Wymering in Portsmouth expects to identify and co-ordinate services for 36 young people. The YISP at Portsea in Portsmouth expects to deal with 40 young people.

· In Southampton, the YISP expects to provide a service to 300 children and young people in one half of the city.

· In Hampshire it is expected that three YISP's will become operational in 2004, and will be based in Aldershot, Gosport and New Forest

· On the Isle of Wight, the YISP is expected to provide or co-ordinate services for 60 "at risk" young people in 2004/5

· 180 children and young people will be targeted for preventative support through Youth Inclusion Programmes (YIP's) in 2004/5.

Learning and development actions:

· The Head of Youth Offending Services will continue to convene a forum in which the managers of YISP's can meet to learn from each other's practice.

· Opportunities will be provided for YISP and YIP staff to attend the Yot's Foundation Training Programme, annual conference and, if appropriate, the Youth Justice Board's Certificate in Effective Practice Programme.

YISPs are in place in all four local authority areas.

Over 200 young people have been identified and targeted.

· Between 1.4.04 and 31.12.04, Paulsgrove and Wymering YISP supported 20 children and Portsea YISP supported 45.

· 72 young people at risk of offending received support from the life rafts project between 1.1.04 and 30.9.04.

· Schemes became operational in November 2004, seven months later than planned.

· Between 1.4.04 and 31.12.04 the Isle of Wight YISP supported 50 children.

· Data available only from 2 YJB funded YIPs which target 100 young people. Both Southampton and Portsmouth YIPs received extremely positive evaluations during the autumn.

· No meetings held in 2004 due to delays in establishing Hampshire YISPs.

· Invitations provided to these staff.

· On target

· The original target 300 included a number of children who were not at risk of offending. 90-100 is a more realistic target for the year, once other "children in need" have been excluded from the count.

· On target

· Reconvene early 2005

6.2 RECIDIVISM:

Commitments

Progress to date

Actions required / recording issues

"Reduce re-offending rates for pre-court disposals, first tier penalties, community penalties and custodial penalties by 5%."

Actions to achieve the targets:

· Maintain existing activity, which has proved so successful in relation to court orders.

· Develop new strategies for the delivery of reprimands and warnings.

· With the Police, the Youth Offending Team will pilot new ways of delivering reprimands and warnings at police stations.

· Take up concerns with our software supplier about the accuracy with which we are monitoring the re-offending of our custody group through our database.

· Maintain and develop through training our capacity to deliver the "Better Choices" programme for young offenders on supervision orders.

· Maintain and develop the Award Project

· Support training for police officers in the delivery of reprimands and warnings.

2003 data - Reconviction within 2 yrs after:

· Pre-court disposals 35.9%

· First tier penalties 57.4%

· Community penalties 66.9%

· Custody 88.5%

2004 data on reconviction rates after 2 yrs will be published in February 2005.

· Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Programme, (ISSP) now fully operational. Between April to December 2004, ISSP had 155 case commencements, which is 74 more than it is funded to provide. The level of successful completion was 59% compared to a national average of 47%. From the 2^nd of September the ISSP Team is piloting Satellite Tracking on behalf of the Home Office to reinforce compliance, and 6 cases had been made subject to tracking by end of December.

· Working group convened by Yot and police has started work and will report with recommendations in summer 2005.

· Wessex has participated in a national evaluation of the final warning scheme.

· A later run of the report showed the correct number of cases were included in the reconviction study.

· The Better Choices Programme now runs weekday and weekend programmes in all areas of the Wessex Yot. Between 1.1.04 and 31.12.04, 83 young people started the cognitive behavioural programme, and 51 completed all 24 sessions of the programme.

· In the second 6 months of 2004, the Award Project enabled 45 young people to participate in Outdoor Taster days, 35 to achieve DOE sectional certificates and 4 to gain full DOE Bronze awards.

· See above.

· ISSP to subject to formal inspection in Spring 2005.

· Plan implementation of recommendations for improvement to final warning scheme. Revised national guidance also expected.

· Complete roll out programme to Basingstoke.

· Commission an evaluation of the impact of the Better Choices programme on re-offending and cognitive skills.

· Continue to seek funding for the continuation and development of the Project's work.

6.3 FINAL WARNINGS

Commitments

Progress to date

Actions required / recording issues

"Ensure that the proportion of final warnings supported by interventions remains constant at 80%".

Actions to achieve the targets:

· Investigate with the constabulary the possibility of police personnel being attached to the Yot to deliver the final warnings.

· Find additional funding for the Award Scheme.

· 2003 data 69%

· July-Sept 04 78%

· Under consideration as part of the working group described above.

· Additional funding obtained to sustain project until Sept 05. Further funding bids under consideration.

· Allocation of all outstanding warnings for November and December in Basingstoke by Jan. 05.

· Continue to bid for mainstream funding as well as grants from charitable sources.

6.4 USE OF SECURE ESTATE

Commitments

Progress to date

Actions required / recording issues

"Reduce the use of the secure estate for remands and custodial sentences to 30% or less of relevant demands and 6% or less of sentences."

Actions to achieve the targets:

· Take steps to brief defence solicitors on the range of non-secure remand options.

· The four local authority social services departments will, with the support of the Yot, undertake a re-tendering exercise for a specialist remand fostering service.

· The roll-out across Wessex of the Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Programme will contribute to maintaining the proportion of custodial sentences at below the national target.

· Further enhance the surveillance aspect of this programme through working with the Home Office on a pilot of electronic tracking.

· Continued training and development aimed at building a cohesive remand management team.

· 2003 data 51% and 5.2%

· July - Sept 04 data 47% and 6.2%

· Briefing undertaken May 2004.

· Re-tendering exercise completed and new contract awarded to NCH from 1 Jan 05 under new terms.

· High use of custodial sentencing especially following the Portsmouth football violence has contributed to rising numbers of sentences.

· Pilot underway and five young people currently being tracked.

· The Yot's Custody Performance Group that monitors the performance of the Yot against the YJB Performance Measures is rationalising the management of the remand process. The Bail Officers have become ISSP staff and are managed by ISSP Operational Managers. This also means that all the resources of ISSP are now available to support Young Offenders subject to Bail Supervision.

· Ensure full use of all available remand fostering places.

· Raise with Local Criminal Justice Board as part of programme aimed at ensuring that the Yot's criminal justice partners are aware of the national targets.

· A training package is being produced for delivery to Magistrates and Yot Staff to highlight the available support. In addition closer liaison is taking place with NCH to ensure lack of accommodation cannot be used as a reason to remand a young offender into custody.

6.5 RESTORATIVE PROCESS & VICTIMS

Commitments

Progress to date

Actions required / recording issues

"Increase the use of restorative justice processes and victim satisfaction to 75%."

Actions to achieve the targets:

· SOVA will build upon the good work that was done by three separate providers from 1998 to 2003.

· SOVA will introduce a greater degree of consistency across the area.

· We will develop new systems to record the percentage of victims referred to the Yot who are offered the opportunity to participate in a restorative process, and the percentage of those satisfied with the outcome of the process.

· We will assist SOVA in the training of their staff in relation to national targets.

· In return, SOVA will train Yot staff in the key principles of work with victims.

· 2003 data not applicable - new targets

· July-Sept 04 data:

Use of RJ processes 86%

Victim satisfaction 100%

· SOVA have experienced some difficulties in managing their workload during the early months of their new contract. This has led to some dissatisfaction for the Yot and for Youth Offender Panel members with the quality of service provided to victims.

· We are in the process of agreeing an improvement plan with SOVA which will tackle inconsistency between the geographical areas. This has also highlighted some inconsistencies in Yot practice and in Yot's expectations of SOVA which need to be tackled simultaneously.

· New performance monitoring tool introduced for commencement July 05.

· Head of Service contributed (April 04) to SOVA's introductory event for all RJ staff. Further training required.

· SOVA staff trained all new Yot staff as part of induction programme.

· Quarterly contract review meetings with SOVA. New performance monitoring reporting tool to take effect from January 2005.

· Joint working group with Yot and SOVA staff to agree consistent approach.

· Training / briefing for SOVA staff on performance targets.

· Further training will be required in order to comply with new code of practice for work with victims.

6.6 PARENTING

Commitments

Progress to date

Actions required / recording issues

"Increase the number of parents of young offenders who receive parenting interventions to 10% (with at least 75% expressing satisfaction)."

Actions to achieve targets:

· Increase the numbers participating in the parenting programmes by introducing a single "Parenting Helpline" for all the Yot areas.

· Work closely with Hampton Trust and with the evaluators, the Trust for the Study of Adolescence, in order to learn from the residential component and share it with other areas.

· Carry out a full `quality audit' of our parenting work, and develop an action plan for further improvement.

· Count as "parenting interventions" a wider range of parenting support than just our current intensive group work and one-to-one programme.

· We will offer more parenting support linked to work to prevent anti-social behaviour, and are keen to develop this but lack resources to do it.

· Work closely with our colleagues in social services and education and Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships, to develop best practice.

· Use the experience of the pilot residential programmes to decide how to bring the best aspects of this into our mainstream work with parents.

· Identify suitable approved training for parents who are volunteering to act as mentors and support workers for other parents.

· 2003 data:

9.3% participation

100% satisfaction

· July-Sept 04 data:

11.4% participation

100% satisfaction

· The Parenting Helpline did not have a high take up, and this was discontinued when the finances ceased. The development of more programmes and the completion of a parenting Policy document has increased the number of parents attending the YOT and the target has been exceeded.

· The evaluation is currently in progress. The Yot's parenting workers have been in contact with Hampton Trust in order to share their perceptions of the Pilot.

· This work was completed and the quality audit identified numerous strengths in the quality of parenting interventions.

· Completed. Also an increased number of group work sessions are being provided across the Wessex area. There are now a minimum of two parenting programmes at any one time being delivered by each Unit, with some units providing much more.

· In Southampton, an opportunity has arisen through the Local Public Service Agreement to fund additional parenting support.

· Ongoing

· The evaluation when complete will inform future action.

· No training activity undertaken, although parents who have completed the programme continue to have opportunities to meet as self-help groups.

· Maintain target.

· Identify opportunities for continuing to offer a residential component to the parenting programme.

· Work on improved recording by referring YOT officers to identify clear links on ASSET When making referral for parenting work.

· The parent support workers will continue to meet quarterly to discuss performance, issues and development/training.

· To be decided following completion of the evaluation.

6.7 ASSET

Commitments

Progress to date

Actions required / recording issues

"Ensure ASSET is completed for all (100%) young people subject to relevant community disposals and custodial sentences."

Actions to achieve the targets:

· Achieving the target for our custody cases in 2004, and coming considerably closer to it with our "community" cases.

· In 2004, we aim to concentrate on developing the quality of the assessments that take place.

· Resolve the slow response time from the computers when a new version of our software system is installed on the County Council's network.

· The delivery of further training for Yot staff in assessment, using the Youth Justice Board's INSET material is a key priority.

2003 data July-Sept 04

Community sen- 71.3 65.1

tence starts

Community sen- 75 77.4

tence close

DTO start 81.4 87.0

DTO transfer 65.3 100.0

DTO close 86.6 100.0

· Custody figures very much improved, but this target needs constant attention from all managers.

· INSET training confirmed for Jan-March 2005.

· Achieved. There is now a fully functional Wessex-wide database.

· INSET training confirmed for Jan-March 2005.

Performance deteriorated in relation to "Start Assets" due to:

a. high number of unallocated final warnings in N. Hampshire,

b. catching up with the aftermath of integrating the four databases into a single Wessex-wide database.

· Examination of the methods of `linking' which affect data.

· Extending the availability of the database to cover our Court-based centres and other key partners.

· Pilot the use of laptops with access to YOIS.

6.8 PRE-SENTENCE REPORTS

Commitments

Progress to date

Actions required / recording issues

"Ensure 90% of pre-sentence reports are submitted to court within the prescribed timescales."

Actions to achieve the target:

· Undertake an urgent review of our data inputting systems in order to verify the end of year results.

· Work with the Courts to ensure that adjournments for reports in PYO cases are for only ten working days.

· Make arrangements using the Local Criminal Justice Board's new secure e-mail system, to submit reports to court within the 15 day time scale.

· With the agreement of sentencers, reduce the number of requests for full reports.

· Identify the apparent inconsistency between the Yot's perception of the number of "late" reports, and the Yot's database.

· Having done this, identify what training, if any, is needed by operational managers and administrative staff.

· 2003 data 58.3%

· July-Sept 04 68.0%

· Our software supplier has provided new codes which will allow us to separate out persistent young offenders (PYO's) identified by the database from those identified by courts.

· All Hampshire courts continue to do better than the national target for time from arrest to sentence.

· Secure e-mail became operational at the end of November.

· The number of requests for full PSR's reduced from 320 (April-Sept 03) to 300 (April-Sept 04), despite the rise in custodial sentences during the same period.

· See above.

· Implementation of new reporting tool. Training for staff on data entry requirements if performance still causes concern.

· Develop implementation programme for use of secure e-mail.

6.9 DTO TRAINING PLANS

Commitments

Progress to date

Actions required / recording issues

"Ensure that all initial training plans for young people subject to Detention and Training Orders are drawn up within the timescales prescribed by National Standards."

Action to achieve the target:

· Continue to record details of all cases where the target was not met and, for the first time this year, formally report to the Youth Justice Board each month the reasons for any delays.

· Work with the Reviewing Officers to identify any ways in which improvements can be made.

· Train operational managers in the new Multi-Agency Public Protection procedures (MAPPP).

· Ensure that our new Connexions personal advisers give a priority service to young people coming out of custody.

· 2003 data 67.2%

· July-Sept 2004 data 68.1%

· More plans have been late because of the Yot's inability to meet the 50% increase in demand, rather than because of shortcomings in the secure estate.

· A working group has made recommend-ations for the recruitment of centralized administration for the Reviewing Officers

· The Youth Justice Board has offered Wessex the opportunity to pilot video conferencing.

· All Connexions PA's now in post and targeting their work appropriately.

· An alarming rise in the numbers of young people sentenced to custody (April-Sept 2003 = 104; April-Sept 2004 = 153) has prevented the desired improvement with this performance measure. Had the number of sentences remained constant, this target would have been achieved.

· New admin post to be recruited by March 2005.

· Take up video conferencing with at least one secure institution.

· Training to be provided on MAPPA and on Probation Services role in victim contact.

6.10 EDUCATION, TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT

Commitments

Progress to date

Actions required / recording issues

"Increase the proportion of young offenders who are in full time education, training or employment" to 90%.

Actions to achieve the target:

· Make a major investment of resources into the achievement of the target in 2004/5.

· The Yot and Local Education Authorities (LEA's) will increase the level of support provided to seconded Education workers.

· Include a new protocol aimed at ensuring the cases are reported, and appropriate remedial action taken by LEA's, where no suitable provision is being made available.

· Participate fully in the Youth Justice Board's Plus programme, which aims to improve literacy and numeracy skills.

· Ensure that Personal Advisers are provided with an effective induction programme.

· Provide training in support of the implementation of the Plus programme, particularly in the ISSP team.

· 2003 data 79.7%

· July-Sept 2004 data 70.7%

· Investment has consisted of new Connexions Personal Advisors, and funding for mentoring schemes.

· Regular meetings now take place and data is shared between LEA's and Yot Education Workers.

· Protocol agreed and formally launched in October 2004.

· Engagement in Plus Programme is steadily increasing.

· All PAs now follow the Yot's induction policy, which is supported by any necessary induction to Connexions for staff recruited externally

· To date all ISSP staff have been trained to deliver the Plus enrichment materials and will be expected to start delivering some Enrichment programmes early in 2005. Fareport Training Organisation have had their staff trained to deliver the Plus Curriculum as a pilot with a view to extending this to other providers if it is successful.

· Seasonal factors may have impacted on performance in last quarter, with some Yr 11's not yet placed in full-time ETE.

· Monitor impact of protocol and report to Management Board.

· Review progress and success of strategy in March

6.11 ACCOMMODATION

Commitments

Progress to date

Actions required / recording issues

"Increase the proportion of young offenders who are in suitable accommodation to 100%."

Actions to achieve the target:

· Tackle the problems of youth homelessness by working closely with the National Probation Service, and share with them the responsibility for implementing a joint "Supporting People" strategy for offenders.

· Subject to the outcomes of a pilot project in Basingstoke, we will ensure that all cases which show difficulties with homelessness at the initial assessment stage (using ASSET) are referred immediately to the Accommodation Development Manager for an in-depth assessment and further action.

· Train our case work staff and their operational managers in relevant aspects of homelessness legislation and clarify the roles and responsibilities of caseworkers, Connexions Personal Advisers and the Accommodation Manager.

· Continue to develop in the team a greater understanding of homelessness legislation.

· Identify key staff in each team to work closely with the Accommodation Development Manager.

· 2003 data 66%

· July-Sept 2004 data 73.5%

· Operational Managers being notified of recording errors and absences on a more regular basis, but performance improvement hampered by secondment of Accommodation Manager to YJB

· Meeting with Probation Service Managers in Dec 2004. Agreed on a joint strategy for offender homelessness.

· The pilot did not commence as both Operational Managers and Accommodation Manager had other strategic responsibilities that had to take priority

· Specific referral criteria now exist for referrals to the Service and referrals are made via YOIS e-mail. Cases continue to be referred to the service at crisis point rather than on initial assessment

· All teams bar Basingstoke have had some training on housing issues and homelessness legislation. All new Connexions PA's receive housing / homeless training

· The Accommodation Manager has launched a quarterly newsletter for staff "Housing Matters". The newsletter covers legislative comment, Supporting People, a regional round up and news from housing projects. The first issue has been circulated.

· The chair of the Hants/IOW Chief Homelessness Officers Group has joined the Yot's Management Board.

· An Accommodation Working Group has been established. Meetings continue to be sporadic due to the fact that staff assigned to the group apart have other primary functions and the Accommodation Manager has been seconded to the YJB for six-twelve months on a part time basis.

· Continue to monitor YOIS recording on a monthly basis

· Mapping exercises by both agencies in Jan/Feb, followed by development of strategy.

· Further work needs to be done on persuading staff to seek advice on housing issues at the point of initial assessment

· Housing still need to be incorporated into the Induction training programme for all new YOT staff and a short refresher course undertaken with existing staff, but it is difficult to achieve this on existing resources and whilst Accommodation Manager is on secondment.

· Further clarity of the Case Officer's role in respect of housing is required.

· Steps to be taken to reconvene group on a regular basis and to direct its focus towards developing the joint strategy with Probation.

6.12 MENTAL HEALTH

Commitments

Progress to date

Actions required / recording issues

"Improve speed of access to mental health services for young offenders so that young offenders with acute and non-acute needs receive a service within 5 or 15 days respectively".

Actions to achieve the target:

· Continue to invest a significant resource into specialist mental health staffing.

· Provide regular briefings and statistical data to the ten primary care trusts.

· Review our contractual arrangements with them for the provision of specialist staff to work in the Yot.

· Actively engage in the development of CAMHS strategies in all four local authority areas.

· Top-up training on mental health screening for Yot staff.

· Continued provision of training in work with young sex offenders, in order to ensure that there is a trained Yot worker in each team.

· 2003 data 100%

· 2004 July-September data 100%

· Resource has been depleted due to vacancies in Portsmouth, SE Hants and IOW and uncertainty over future funding.

· Briefings given to PCT Chief Executives and Commissioning Managers.

· Budget issues have threatened the continuation of the service.

· Absence of a key member of Yot Management Team has detracted from level of engagement with CAMHS strategies.

· Further training to take place in Spring 2005.

· Training has been delivered and all teams have benefited.

· Identify those cases with significant mental health needs which are not referred for in-depth assessment and treatment. Data currently gives a false picture. The potential loss of designated mental health workers (see financial section) will detrimentally affect this target.

· Reach agreements with CAMHS and PCT's for the long term delivery of mental health services to young offenders.

6.13 SUBSTANCE MISUSE

Commitments

Progress to date

Actions required / recording issues

"Improve speed of access to substance misuse services for young offenders so that assessment is offered in 5 days and treatment in 10 days.

Actions to achieve the target:

· Maintain our commitment to our seven drugs workers and their professional development.

· Investigate the advantages of a separate screening tool in addition to ASSET.

· Work with our staff and our software provider to ensure that we can record information electronically and draw off reports.

· Work with the four drug action teams to support the development of a Tier 4 (specialist) resource for young people with serious drug problems.

· Work with our Drug Action Teams with a view to recruiting new staff under the Advanced Modern Apprenticeship Scheme.

· Ensure that all our staff are properly trained and supported to use ASSET, (and any additional screening tool) effectively.

· Continue to support the professional development of our substance misuse workers.

· No 2003 data (new target)

· July-Sept 2004 data - 100% assessment

100% treatment

· All seven drugs posts remain and Hampshire has agreed a temporary increase in number of posts.

· Investigated this but decided that ASSET is sufficient.

· Completed.

· Little activity in this area. However, Hampshire DAT has worked closely with Yot on its proposals for a county-wide Tier 3 drugs service.

· Continuing to make progress.

· Procedures agreed and circulated to all staff in October 2004.

· Training events supported, including access to social work training programme.

· Identify those cases with significant substance misuse needs which are not referred for assessment and treatment. Data currently gives a false picture.

· Complete integration of Hampshire Yot drugs workers with the Tier 3 service.

· Advertisements due to appear in January 2005.

6 LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT

Commitments

Progress to date

Actions required / recording issues

· Identified training in assessment and the use of ASSET as a key priority for our staff following an audit of Assessment, Planning Intervention and Supervision. We expect to train our practitioners within six months of the INSET material becoming available.

· Undertake an additional audit in 2004 of our new bail and remand management programme, linked to ISSP, and will use this INSET material with staff in that unit.

· To help staff tackle racially motivated offending by young people, we will nominate two of our trainers to attend a programme called "From Murmer to Murder", which is funded by the Probation Service. These staff will cascade this training to colleagues in the Yot.

· We expect to nominate a further twelve staff in 2004/5 to undertake the Certificate in Effective Practice.

· With our neighbouring Yots in the South East Region, we will appoint a specialist EP INSET Training. This trainer and our own `internal' trainers will jointly deliver INSET, beginning with "Assessment and Asset".

· Working jointly with Drug Action Teams and neighbouring Yot's, investigate the possibility of introducing an Advanced Modern Apprenticeship scheme in Wessex.

· Recruit and train 40 volunteers in 2004/5.

· A group of volunteers have offered to provide talks and presentations about the youth justice system to community groups. We will provide training and support to these volunteers, as this is an important initiative linked to promoting public confidence in the youth justice system.

· With our Area Managers now taking on more strategic issues, we will nominate them for specialist courses and conferences linked to these new roles.

Training for 2004/5:

· Training in the delivery of our "Better Choices" cognitive behavioural group-work programme.

· Training in the management of young people who sexually abuse others, and in the management of risk and dangerousness.

· Court skills training, including training in enforcement for practitioners and especially for parenting workers.

· The continued delivery of our modular foundation training programme, for which we hope to seek some form of accreditation.

· Diversity training in partnership with the Criminal Justice Board's race for Justice Programme.

· Specialist training and development for the new Remand Management team and for administrative staff.

· Specialist training in work with young people who commit racially motivated offences.

· Ensure that the Internal Appraisal Scheme is used consistently and is effectively linked to our team training and development plans.

· Training dates set for January - March 2005.

· Three Yot staff attended this training and funding has been obtained from HCC to roll out training to Yot staff.

· Sixteen staff nominated.

· Trainer, Simon Bounds, in post and working with Wessex Yot's own trainer.

· Training dates set for Feb - April, jointly with staff from Swanwick Lodge Secure Unit

· Progress being made - see above.

· 34 new volunteers have so far been trained and twelve are awaiting training.

· Training provided to a group of volunteers in July 2004. Availability for public speaking has been publicised.

· Training and development for Area Managers has taken a lower priority than training for the new operational managers. Long-term sickness has stretched this resource.

· Delivered to 8 staff.

· Delivered to 25 YOT staff with a further 20 nominated for training in April 2005.

· Court skills delivered to 27 staff, with 52 staff trained in enforcement.

· 23 new staff commence the programme between April and December.

· Evaluation undertaken by Portsmouth University.

· 39 staff undertook the interagency diversity theatre programme between April and December.

· No specific remand management training. Administrative staff trained in new systems as necessary.

· Assessment for IIP award showed that appraisal now almost consistently in place.

· Audit deferred until 2005 and to be followed by INSET training for bail and remand staff.

· Training deferred until late Spring 2005 due to pressure on training calendar.

· Monitor number of invitations received.

· Ensure these staff are fully involved in programme delivery.

· Further work needed to identify possible routes for accreditation of this programme.

· To be delivered following completion of From Murmur to Murder programme.

· Continue to monitor appraisal system.

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