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Hampshire County Council |
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Executive Member for Children and Families |
Item 3 |
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23 January 2008 |
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Wessex Youth Offending Team - Inspection Outcomes and Improvement Plan |
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Report of the Director of Children's Services |
Contact: Steve Crocker, Wessex Youth Offending Team Manager, 01962 876100, [email protected]
1. Summary
1.1 This report addresses the findings of the recent Inspection of Wessex Youth Offending Team (YOT) .
1 Recommendations
That the Executive Member for Children & Families
1) notes the content of the YOT Inspection report and approves the Improvement Plan.
2) That the Executive Member for Children & Families consider increasing the YOT funding by £100,000 as part of the 2008/09 forward budget priorities and by a further £25,000 from 2009/10.
2 Reason
3.1 This decision supports the following Hampshire County Council priority:
"Making Hampshire safer and more secure for all" - by a commitment to deliver services and address offending behaviour;
"Maximising well-being" - by improving the quality of life and well being of the community and of children and young people;
"Enhancing our quality of place" - through providing a range of services, and, through working with young offenders, making Hampshire a safer place.
The decision supports all 5 Aims of the Children Act by addressing the holistic needs of our children in care
3 Background
4.1 Youth Offending Teams were established by the 1998 Crime and Disorder Act. In some areas, such as Wessex, authorities have joined together to provide services. The YOT is a statutory partnership between the following agencies as specified in the Act; Police, Health, the Probation Service, Social Services and Education (now merged as Children's Services). In addition the YOT receives funding from the Youth Justice Board, the non departmental government body that oversees the work of the Youth Justice system. The YOT also works with a range of other partners to secure funding for specific projects; these partners include the Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships, the Arts Council, Connexions, the Football Foundation and others.
4 YOT Inspection
5.1 Wessex YOT, like all Youth Offending Teams, is subject to inspection. This is led by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Probation and their inspection team includes representatives from Ofsted, The Healthcare Commission, the Children's Social Care Inspectorate, HM Prison Service Inspectorate HM Inspectorate of Constabulary. Wessex YOT was inspected in March this year, the second YOT in the fourth and final phases of YOT inspections. The results of were published on 5th December 2007. The full report is available at http://inspectorates.homeoffice.gov.uk/hmiprobation/inspect_reports/yot-inspections.html/Wessex_YOT_report.pdf
5.2 Overall, the inspection was very positive about direction of travel and many aspects of the YOT work. There is no overall grading given in YOT Inspections but grades are given in 8 areas, with 4 being the highest and 1 the lowest. The Wessex gradings are shown below.
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Score |
1. |
WORK IN THE COURTS |
2 |
2. |
WORK WITH CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY |
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a |
Work with children and young people at risk of offending |
3 |
b |
Work with children and young people who have offended |
2 |
c |
Work with parents/carers |
3 |
d |
Outcomes |
3 |
3. |
WORK WITH CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE SUBJECT TO CUSTODIAL SENTENCES |
1 |
4. |
VICTIMS AND RESTORATIVE JUSTICE |
2 |
5. |
MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP |
2 |
5.3 There was a delay in publication of the Inspection report caused primarily by the illness of the lead Inspector. The Wessex YOT scores on a par with the average scores for phase 4 inspections (2.25 per indicator is the average) but slightly below phase 3 (where the average was 2.5 per indicator).
5.4 Strengths identified in the report outnumber weaknesses by a ratio of almost 2:1 and the Inspectors were particularly pleased with the YOT's work in preventing young people from committing offences, the work carried out with parents and the outcomes that the YOT achieves with children and young people. There were also many positive comments about the work that the YOT carries out in court, with victims and with young people who have offended. Similarly, the management and governance of the YOT was also highlighted as having significant strengths which can be built upon.
6 Improvement Plan
6.1 The YOT is required to draw up an Improvement plan which address the Inspection's key recommendations.
6.2 For Wessex there are 11 recommendations made in the Inspection Report. Most of these relate to the way in which certain aspects of the YOTs work is carried out. The Improvement Plan details how these will be addressed by the YOT and is attached for approval as Appendix 1.
6.3 Of the 11 recommendations listed the top priorities are the first three recommendations listed. These are as follows.
6.4 " Adequate Health Resources are Provided". Health funding has already been addressed by the Primary Care Trusts and this is detailed in the relevant section of Appendix 1.
6.5 "Custodial sentences" . The low score and the priority given to work with young people in custody reflects a particular problem for the YOT. Young people from Hampshire, when sent to custody, are sent to Ashfield Young Offenders Institution, near Bristol. This creates particular difficulties for our staff in the YOT who are required to visit the young people at least monthly, and always within the first 10 days of sentence. In order to do this, and taking into account Best Value principles, the YOT Management Board approved a system of Reviewing Officers who travelled regularly to Ashfield and would see 4 or 5 young people in a day. The Inspection team felt that this model failed to deliver continuity, and, whilst they acknowledged the problem that we had was almost unique amongst YOTs, scored us on this section accordingly. From January 2008 the Youth Justice Board are to open a new prison in Kent which will take young offenders from London thus freeing up space in Huntercombe YOI in Oxfordshire which, in turn, will mean that our young people will be nearer and more accessible. However, the abolition of the reviewing officer system will add further strains on to the caseloads of practitioners in the YOT.
6.6 "Adequate resources are devoted to work with children and young people". The report is critical of the levels of funding for the YOT.
· "Concern about the workload of YOT staff was a strong and consistent theme throughout the inspection, including from partners, with the level of many caseloads being very high. Many staff were working unsustainable and unhealthy levels of over-time in order to try to maintain the quality of service delivery. The Management Board recognised that front-line staff faced significant workload pressures and had commissioned the YOT Manager to develop revised funding proposals with a view to securing a further three year funding agreement with partners."
· "Where high quality work was found it owed much to the motivation and commitment of the staff group and masked high levels of over-time and inadequate resources devoted to case work."
6.7 The Wessex YOT Management Board had recognised the need to review the level of funding provided to the Wessex YOT, and in January it had asked the YOT Manager to review the current levels of funding and compare them with `most similar' YOTs for each area. The data from this exercise resulted in clarity about the requirements for each partner agency if this resourcing issue is to be addressed.
6.8 Additional funding is being sought from all local authority partners in line with the funding review. The figures being sought are
Hampshire County Council £125,000
Southampton City Council£200,000
Portsmouth City Council £104,000
Isle Of Wight Council £20,000
This is in addition to the Health funding highlighted in the Improvement Plan.
6.9 In respect of Hampshire County Council's additional funding of £125,000 (£100,000 in 2008/09 and a further £25,000 in 2009/10), this would allow the appointment of five additional front line staff to support the work of the YOT.
7 Consultation
7.1 Consultation with all stakeholders has taken place through the Wessex YOT Management Board
8 Legal implications
8.1 `none'.
9 Financial implications
9.1 The proposals amount to a proposed increase in funding to the Wessex YOT of £513,000 (Local authorities £449,000, Health £64,000). The additional contribution from Hampshire County Council is £125,000 (£100,000 in 2008/9 and a further £25,000 in 2009/10) which is addressed in the Budget Report
10 Personnel implications
10.1 The posts need to be added to the workforce development plan
11 Impact assessment
11.1 ` Race and equality impact assessment has been considered in the development of this report and no adverse impact has been identified.'
12 Crime prevention issues
12.1 The improvement plan is designed to prevent crime by improving the way we work with young offenders and improving the outcomes for them
13 Conclusion (no recommendations here)
13.1 Wessex YOT provides good value for money and has received an inspection that is largely positive.
13.2 An improvement plan is ready to submit to the Inspectorates, and its implementation will be closely monitored by the Management Board
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LINK(S) TO CORPORATE STRATEGY |
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Yes |
No |
Hampshire safer and more secure for all |
_ |
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Maximising well-being |
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Enhancing our quality of place |
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Section 100 D - Local Government Act 1972 - background documents
The following documents discuss facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and have been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of this report.
NB: the list excludes
1. Published works
2. Documents which disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the Act.
List documents here or type `none'.
Wessex YOT Improvement Plan, Appendix 1
Wessex YOT Improvement plan
Recommendation |
Actions to achieve |
By Whom(responsible person or agency) |
Target Date for Completion (including monitoring and evaluation arrangements) |
Outcome (benefits for the YOT, young person, community etc) |
1. Adequate health resources are provided, based on a robust audit of needs, to enable the YOT to deliver a high quality service to those children and young people with health needs. Health contributions reflect the requirements of the Health Act 1999 with respect to Partnership Arrangements. (Hampshire & IOW PCTs) |
All 3 mainland PCTs have agreed to increase funding to the YOT (increase not sought from IOW). Hampshire will increase by £24,000 from 1/4/08, Southampton and Portsmouth by a 0.5 practitioner each (value c£20,000). The Operational Manager in the North (A grade 7 Mental Health Nurse) will be freed from the Ops Manager post through savings on the RJ Contract (value £40,000). Effective total increase in health resource £104,00. Ops Manager North will then become the team leader for the health workers in a new health team. She will conduct a full needs assessment as her first task on taking up post (she will transfer when her post is back filled. Interviews being held 17/12/07). Hampshire PCT have agreed that all funding will be routed via the existing CAMHS trust (which has a section 75 agreement in place) thus the YOT will receive all funding from Hants, including vacancies. Similar arrangements are being pursued in the three unitaries. Negotiations to be complete for the start of 2008 financial year. |
YOT Manager And PCT Leads on Management Board Health Team leader YOT Manager and PCT leads from unitaries |
April 2008 Post Filled December 07 Needs assessment and commissioning plan complete June 08 April 08 |
Better health provision for young offenders. Greater flexibility of resource which will be needs led. Greater consistency as vacancies will no longer remain uncovered. Allows consistent application of screening and assessment. |
2. Custodial sentences operate as effective integrated orders focussed on the assessed needs of the children and young people. (YOT Manager).
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DTO Reviewing Officer system to be abolished. Case holder at point of custody will continue through custodial sentence as implemented in new case management model which goes live 1/1/08 All staff who hold custodial cases to receive resettlement training with input from manager of case work team at Huntercombe (where Wessex young people will go from Jan 08) Quality of case management of custodial sentences to be monitored through quarterly custodial group. This will monitor a sample of sentence plans, release plans and final reviews in a similar way to the PSR monitoring group. Annual Quality Assurance audit to be developed to ensure quality of service delivery at all levels of intervention (see action plan for AFIs for more details) Develop improved communications with case work team at Huntercombe via case work manager there. Regular meetings with Huntercombe to be established to link with Custody group above. |
YOT Manager Performance Information and Training Manager YOT Manager YOT Manager/ Area Manager IOW Area Managers |
January 08 January 08 April 08 Commence Feb 08 and ongoing monitoring Commence April 08 and ongoing Ongoing |
Young person experiences consistency of case holder Staff trained to understand custodial environment and better able to make appropriate plans with young people Sharing best practice, raising standards, identifying poor practice. Disseminating to all case holders emerging best practice. Ongoing monitoring of service quality using objective standards leading to continuous improvement Improved communications with custodial establishment leading to better outcomes for young people |
3. Adequate resources are devoted to work with children and young people to deliver a high quality service that is supported by effective oversight of practice (YOT Management Board in conjunction with YOT Manager). |
Funding review of YOT has been completed and agreed by Management Board. Pressures have been submitted to the four local authorities. Southampton £200,000; Hampshire £124,000, Portsmouth £104,000: IOW £18,000. Total £446,00 All pressures have entered the formal political process Health funding has been increased as above (£104,000). Police have agreed to review their funding from 2008 in the light of increased local authority funding. Police have provided an additional £37,000 in 2007/8 for YISPs. Probation will continue to abide by the national formula but will review their contribution in the light of other partners increases in 2009 and also in the light of whether the Probation Area achieves Trust status. Plans to introduce a new case management system have been developed and will be implemented from 1/1/08. The aim is to free up more practitioner time to work with young people. Specific assessment and intervention models have been developed and will be published in January. |
YOT Manager and Management Board |
3 year funding agreement by April 2008. April 2008 April 2009 January 2008 |
Increase in time available to work with young people on reducing re-offending, improving ECM outcomes. Improve consistency of caseholder in relation to young people in custody. Improve quality of interventions. Better use of specialist skills Interventions better matched to assessed need. |
4. All known victims receive a timely opportunity and appropriate encouragement to contribute to restorative justice processes (YOT Manager. |
The RJ service has been re-tendered with new performance management arrangements in place. A new contract holder (RPS Rainer) has been identified and they have clear plans to improve the RJ service and increase the number of victims involved The YOT has created new `Community Intervention Managers' who will rigorously manage the contract at an Area level in order to improve compliance. A local PMF has been devised and agreed with Rainer which focuses on victim involvement. Rainer managers will participate in quarterly YOT performance meetings and be accountable for performance re victim involvement |
YOT Manager |
Completed Completed Completed and ongoing Ongoing and monitored by Management Board and Steering Groups through performance reports |
Some savings generated which enable greater health focus (see above). Contract reflects greater emphasis on victims Competitive process led to innovative plans for use of volunteers. Local performance management will focus contract holder on victim involvement Continued scrutiny in relation to victim involvement |
5. Specialist posts are filled to the agreed establishment and effective use is made of specialist skills. (YOT Manager in conjunction with relevant partners). |
See health actions. All Education, Substance Misuse posts are filled. Police have full establishment, Probation 1 vacancy which is being restructured from part time PO to full time PSO. Role of Police officer to be reviewed in light of further review of FW process A new case management model is being launched at staff conference on 6/12/07 and will go live from 1/1/08. This will require specialist workers to carry out specialist roles rather than generic case holding. All Area Managers have developed written plans on how this will be delivered in their area of work from January 08. Specialist referral pathways and intervention modules have been drawn up and will be launched at staff conference on 6/12/07 Each Area will be required to complete a quality audit annually which will, among other things, monitor impact of new case management model on quality service delivery |
YOT Manager YOT Manager YOT Manager/ Police YOT manager Board member YOT Manager Area Managers YOT Manager/ Area Manager IOW |
Ongoing (see health actions and s75 agreement re vacancies) June 08 January 2008 and ongoing December 07 From April 08 and ongoing for annual monitoring |
Increase in time available to work with young people on reducing re-offending. Improving ECM outcomes. Improve consistency of caseholder in relation to young people in custody. Improve quality of interventions. Better use of specialist skills Interventions better matched to assessed need |
6. The YOT implements a systematic approach to diversity issues that is clearly led and fully incorporated into management and development processes (YOT Manager in conjunction with YOT Management Board). |
The YOT Management Board will identify a member of the Board who will be the Board sponsor for diversity issues The YOT Management Board and each Steering Group will receive an Annual report on the activity of the diversity steering group of the YOT. The Board and each steering group will receive a quarterly diversity report as part of the performance monitoring regime The YOT Manager will continue to lead the diversity steering group The diversity steering group will develop a YOT wide diversity policy and review existing policies in relation to diversity issues. New diversity training will be commissioned. A new diversity statement has been developed and disseminated to all teams. |
YOT Management Board YOT Manager YOT Manager/ Performance Information and Training Manager YOT Management Board YOT Manager Diversity group/PIT Manager Diversity group |
April 08 and ongoing April 08 and ongoing April 08 and ongoing Ongoing September 08 June 08 Completed |
Strategic leadership on diversity issues from within the Board Better understanding of outcomes for BME and other minority young people. Improved data and performance management leading to improved understanding of service deficits in relation to BME and other minority young people. Also better monitoring of hate crime and any emerging patterns Maintain importance of steering group Improved policy and practice in relation to BME and other minority young people and in relation to hate crime Raised staff awareness of diversity issues Visible commitment to the importance of diversity issues |
7. The Management Board and local Steering Groups operate in partnership effectively (Chair of Management Board). |
Local steering groups will be scheduled for 3- 4 weeks in advance of Management Board Management Board will receive minutes of all Steering Groups Chair of all steering groups will sit on the YOT Management Board and will report on local steering group activity at each board meeting |
Chair of Management Board |
April 08 Ongoing April 08 |
Improved co-ordination and partnership between the four areas within the YOT with a view to achieving better outcomes for young offenders. |
8. Risk of Harm is accurately assessed in all cases and, where relevant, assessments are followed by effective management plans (YOT Manager). |
Refresher training on risk management, vulnerability and RMPs will be provided to all staff. The Induction Assessment training extended to 3 days to include training and RMP vulnerability and will include Prevention staff. Monitoring of assessment via dip sampling of PSR monitoring group (which has been extended to cover Referral Order Reports and Parole reports) Quality Audit to include audit of RMPs |
YOT Manager?PIT Manager As above Area Manager North YOT Manager/ Area Manager IOW |
April 08 Ongoing April 08 and ongoing |
Improved understanding of ROH, ROSH and risk of re-offending, also risk to self. Dissemination of good practice. Managerial intervention where poor practice is evidenced. Ongoing revision of guidance in the light of developing good practice Dissemination of good practice. Managerial intervention where poor practice is evidenced. Ongoing revision of guidance in the light of developing good practice |
9. Education and health related needs are consistently and thoroughly assessed, with referrals supported by clear and robust systems which are effectively monitored (YOT Manager). |
Heath - see plans above in relation to developing heath team. Pathway to health team will be via SQUIFA screening tool. Revised training will take place re: SQUIFA Education pathway currently in development with YOT manager leading a working group of all Education workers. All key elements are in place in unitaries, access to database more problematic in Hampshire. Education workers designated as specialists and already working towards this. Common referral system will be implemented from April 08 along with supporting systems in Education branches of CSDs (eg Inclusion panels on a similar model to Portsmouth - already in place in the unitaries, will be implemented on an Area basis in Hampshire). |
Health Manager YOT Manager |
From January 2008 and ongoing New system fully operational from April 08 Monitoring will be a partnership exercise joint led by YOT and CSD Education departments |
Better health provision for young offenders. Greater flexibility of resource which will be needs led. Greater consistency as vacancies will no longer remain uncovered. Allows consistent application of screening and assessment. Young people's education needs better recognised and addressed thus boosting key protective factor. Education specialists will not hold generic caseloads |
10. PSRs are of good quality (YOT Manager). |
Maintain and enhance the role of the PSR Monitoring group. Regular dip sample of PSRs from all areas and teams. Size of sample to be increased and randomised Publication within YOT of the objective standards which will be assessed Recommendations from the group will be adopted as policy subject to agreement of SMT and disseminated via newsletter Good practice identified by group will be disseminated, poor practice subject to management intervention. Roll out training on PSR writing focusing in particular on Risk assessment and offence analysis. (see above) Quality audit to include congruence of ASSET/PSR and Intervention plan and RMP (where appropriate) & VMP |
Area Manager North (with YOT Manager) YOT Manager/Area Manager IOW |
Ongoing Ongoing April 08 Ongoing Ongoing From January 2008 From April 2008 |
Improved assessment of criminogenic need as evidenced by dip sampling. Improved Risk assessment as evidence by dip sampling. Improved congruency between assessed need/risk(ASSET) and intervention plan as evidenced in QA Fewer short custodial sentences and greater use of imaginative community options as evidenced in PMF. Published newsletters highlighting good practice |
11. All cases have a comprehensive and high quality intervention plan (YOT Manager). |
Each Area will be required to carry out a Quality audit to include congruence of ASSET/PSR and Intervention plan, VMP and RMP (where appropriate) and quality of intervention plan. Audit will be used to develop and improve practice in each area, highlighting deficits and good practice. Training events will be developed locally based on the QA process Area QA's subject to cross area scrutiny in order to develop good practice Develop a training programme for Ops Managers to enable them to supervise casework and develop more formalised supervision model to monitor and improve aspects of practice. Including specifically Intervention planning Induction training to include revised section on intervention planning Refresher training on risk management, vulnerability and RMPs will be provided to all staff. |
YOT Manager/ Area Manager IOW Area Manager IOW + all A/Ms and Ops Managers Area Manager SW and Ops Managers PIT Manager PIT manager PIT Manager |
Implemented from April 2008. Monitored by SMT Sept. 08 April 08 April 08 April 08 |
Improved assessment of criminogenic need as evidenced by dip sampling. Improved Risk assessment as evidence by dip sampling. Improved congruency between assessed need/risk(ASSET) and intervention plan as evidenced in QA Fewer short custodial sentences and greater use of imaginative community options as evidenced in PMF. Published newsletters highlighting good practice |
Signed:
Designation:
Date:
