Youth justice service presentations from Developing Practice Prevention and Diversion Workshops 2021 – various youth justice services (spring-summer 2021)
Summary:
A variety of presentations concerning prevention and diversion practice in youth justice services around England.
Description:
There were a variety of presentations delivered at the regional Developing Practice Prevention and Diversion Workshops in spring/summer 2021 by youth justice services.
These presentations detail prevention and diversion practice in their youth justice service. Some include context of current practice, implementation methods, relevant evaluations and planned next steps. A short overview of each presentation is listed below:
A national summary of common themes from all the workshops
North Somerset: Using the Youth Inclusion Support Project (YISP) model to support children experiencing emotional and mental health difficulties.
Gloucestershire: Children First is a partnership / trauma-informed approach, aiming to avoid the stigmatising impact of a criminal record for children, while offering a robust intervention.
Bristol: The diversion processes include a ‘Call in Programme’ aimed at engaging those from ethnic minorities in diversionary programmes and a Weapons / Drugs in Schools Initiative.
Buckinghamshire: The Early Intervention offer includes a full-time Youth Worker to work on RUI’s, a Schools Project to address the risk of exclusion and offending behaviours and a Disproportionality Project in schools involving volunteers from ethnic minorities.
Milton Keynes: The Early Support Project has a diversion and prevention service with a strong health and education focus, including assessing all children for Speech, Language and Communication Needs.
West Berkshire: Since 2018 the YOT offer and deliver prevention interventions referred by police or schools and since 2019 they have established a drugs diversion pilot with Thames Valley Police.
South Tees: A prevention and diversion offer consisting of two levels; Level 1 is support worker-led involving no more than 4/6 sessions around offending behaviour, Level 2 is a longer whole family approach that includes a YOT assessment based on AssetPlus.
Sunderland: Restorative approaches in prevention, initially targeted towards offending in residential care, established a Joint Protocol in 2015 and now developing a restorative approach in schools.
Darlington: Three chargeable prevention offers (all generated income is used toward activities with children); Pupil Referral Unit Bike Project since 2018, Duke of Edinburgh Award and 10-week Prevention Programme (outdoor physical activity and educational visits).
Essex: The use of Outcome 22 in Essex, which accounts for 25% of out-of-court panel outcomes, and partnership working with Essex Police.
Norfolk: Introduced a Point of Arrest Diversion Scheme in 2015 and a pilot Diversion Panel in 2019, currently considering referrals at panel before an assessment.
Lincolnshire: Joint Diversionary Panel in place since 2017 in partnership with Lincolnshire Police and Children- Services, receives referrals for all cases where a child has made a full admission, except first time community resolutions and indictable only offences. Slides updated July 2021.
Nottinghamshire: My Futures: Youth Intervention Programme, developed in consultation with children, which is youth justice team integrated with broader children- services.
Northamptonshire: The diversion scheme managed since 2014 was expanded to include prevention cases (children at risk of offending) alongside out-of-court disposals in 2019.
Doncaster: Triage Diversion scheme involving multi-agency triage panel meetings to decide between a light touch intervention offer or referral to YOT assessment and outcome recommendation.
Barnsley: Triage diversion scheme established in 2019 involving multi-agency panels and Liaison and Diversion offer since 2016.
Cheshire: Divert scheme across Cheshire which includes a dedicated Divert team, cost analysis from the Centre for Justice Innovation indicates the schemes cost-effectiveness.
Lancashire: Child First diversion scheme established in 2019 in partnership with Police and children- social care.
Tameside: Youth Justice Service & Greater Manchester Police Prevention, Intervention, Engagement and Diversion (PIED) Pilot conducted with Violence Reduction Unit funding.
Hackney: Young Hackney is an integrated Early Help service in Hackney Council, with an emphasis on youth work methodology, strength-based, restorative and trauma-informed approaches, systemic thinking, child first, anti-racist and anti-oppressive practice.
Tower Hamlets & the City of London: Alongside routine / weekly OOCD panels, Tower Hamlets have been running a Breaking the Cycle of Youth Violence Evolve programme as a 12-month pilot, ending July 2021. They are looking to adapt and continue the programme.
Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea: A review of their HMIP Inspection published March 2021, rated ‘Good’ overall, focusing on the three out-of-court disposal cases considered.
Contact
| Name: | Katie Shoebridge |
| Email: | Katie.Shoebridge@yjb.gov.uk |