Agenda item

Report of the Cabinet Member for Young People and Culture, Cabinet Member for Safer Communities and the Cabinet Member for Best Start for Children and Families.

This report is a condition of our Youth Justice Board grant. It outlines the priorities for the Youth Justice Service over the next 2 years 2023-25.  It provides an overview of progress from the previous plan, references national and regional priorities and how we seek to deliver on our priorities.

The report is being presented to Cabinet for recommendation to Council because it must be signed off by full Council under Regulation 4 of the Local Authorities (Functions and Responsibilities) (England) Regulations 2000.

Consideration was given to the report of the Cabinet Member for Young People and Culture, Cabinet Member for Safer Communities and the Cabinet Member for Best Start for Children and Families.

The report outlined the priorities for the Youth Justice Service over the next 2 years 2023-25, provided an overview of progress from the previous plan, referenced national and regional priorities, and how Camden sought to deliver on our priorities. The report was firstly presenting to scrutiny, then would report to Cabinet, before final sign-off at full Council.

The Chair thanked the Cabinet Members for the report and invited questions and comments from the Committee. The following was discussed:

·       A Co-opted Member stated that the statistics in the papers showed that occurrences of youth cautioning was disproportionately high for BAME young people. In response, it was stated that it could be viewed as a positive step that those young people were not being criminalised and were trusting and working with the service. The service had been working with the Police custody teams, and the result could be seen in those young people not ending up with a criminal record, where the use of ‘no comment interviews’ had helped with the direction of non-convictions. This was part of a wider system, which also involved Health, considering how those young people were represented and had advocacy when in court. Staff had training on awareness of adultification, intersectionality and identifying need, and ensuring young people were being adequately represented. The professional space was encouraged to challenge fellow professionals and to ensure the young person was the focus.

·       In relation to remands and the difficulty in identifying placements, with the example in the report where remand for a 15-year-old highlighted the difficulties with shortages of placing younger children with an offending profile in children’s homes, a Member asked what happened next for children in similar circumstances and what were the safeguards. In response, it was confirmed there were many considerations, including the nature of release and remand. In the process, there would be a planning meeting, consideration for the wider family unit and how they could support their child, support in short term accommodation and whether they were living with family members, and working with partners in safeguarding.  There were risks attached with children being released and it was important to not overidentify risk and ensure the right practitioners were involved and the right information had been shared to ensure the right outcome was achieved.

·       A Co-opted Member asked for clarification on the statistics within the Camden Youth Justice Service Plan 2022/23, Education section, Statutory School age: Up to age 16 cohort June 2023 section, on the following points: what were the five out of 17 children of statutory school age doing who were not being offered the mandatory 25 hours; why were some children taking up less than the 25 hours; what kind of provision was being offered to the children with an EHCP; and what was the category of 10 children, of which three have EHCPs. It was confirmed that a written response addressing those questions would be provided to the Committee.

Action By - Director of Children’s Prevention, Family Help and Safeguarding

RESOLVED –

THAT the report be noted.