Bath & North East Somerset Council
MEETING:	Council
MEETING DATE:	11 September 2008	AGENDA ITEM NUMBER
TITLE:	Youth Justice Plan 2008-9
WARD:	ALL
AN OPEN PUBLIC ITEM
List of attachments to this report: Youth Justice Plan 2008-9

1 THE ISSUE

1.1 There is a statutory requirement within the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 to produce an annual Youth Justice Plan. The Plan was submitted in draft form to the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales on 13 August 2008 and was subject to Single Executive Member approval on 26 August 2008. It will be subject to a validation process by the Youth Justice Board, which they have undertaken to complete by 13 October 2008.

2 RECOMMENDATIONS

Following the recent Single Executive Member decision, Council is invited to:

2.1 Adopt the Youth Justice Plan, which fulfils the requirements of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998;

2.2 Agree that the relevant Overview and Scrutiny Panel should again be asked to monitor progress on delivery of the Youth Justice Plan

3 FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

3.1 Under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, the Council is under a duty, following consultation with relevant persons and bodies, including the Police, Probation and Health services, to formulate and implement for each year a Youth Justice Plan. In practice the Council, Police, Probation and Health services act co-operatively to establish and enable the work of the Youth Offending Team. The Council is responsible for establishing and maintaining the fund out of which payments are made for the provision of youth justice services. The total budget for 2008-9 is £872,465, of which £340,832 is from the Council and £531,633 is from statutory partners and the Youth Justice Board. Local partners also support the work of the Youth Offending Team by making in-kind service contributions and by their own direct delivery of services.

3.2 The Youth Offending Team Service Manager has responsibility for delivering services within the agreed budget, which is set by the Responsible Authorities Group, currently chaired by Gary Davies, Police District Commander and overseen by the Youth Offending Team Steering group, chaired by Maurice Lindsay, Divisional Director in the Children's Service. Both Groups regularly review budgetary reports

3.2 Services were delivered within budget in 2007-8 and despite continuing pressures, services have been planned for delivery within budget in 2008-9.

4 CORPORATE PRIORITIES

4.1 Preventing youth offending is relevant to all local corporate priorities, and makes a direct contribution to the following:

• Building communities where people feel safe and secure
  
• Improving life chances of disadvantaged teenagers and young people - making sure that all children and young people have the best possible chances in life

5 THE REPORT

5.1 The Youth Justice Plan is attached as an appendix to this report. As required, it follows a national template issued by the Youth Justice Board, which is working towards eventual alignment of youth justice planning processes with other planning frameworks by 2009-10. Due to the need to consult on this developmental work, the Youth Justice Board issued late guidance and a late submission date of 13 August 2008 for the Youth Justice Plan for 2008-9.

5.2 The Plan now takes the form of a self assessment of capacity and capability in relation to key youth justice themes. It begins with a summary of the local context, continues with an overview of how services will be resourced, and ends with a self assessment of obstacles to delivery and action plans to address issues identified.

5.3 Following consultation, the local priority for 2008-9 is to address the needs of vulnerable groups within the youth justice system, particularly:

• Young people from Black and Minority Ethnic communities
  
• Children in Care
  
• Girls and young women

5.4 The Plan is also influenced by the outcome of the recent HM Inspection and incorporates some of the areas for development included in the separate Inspection Improvement Plan.

6 RISK MANAGEMENT

6.1 The report author and Cabinet member have fully reviewed the risk assessment related to the issue and recommendations, in compliance with the Council's decision making risk management guidance.

7 EQUALITIES

7.1 Equalities issues have been explicitly and implicitly addressed throughout the Youth Justice Plan

8 CONSULTATION

8.1 This Plan is influenced by consultation on priorities and key themes with the following groups:

• Overview & Scrutiny Panel - receives 6-monthly progress reports and contributes to the identification of local priorities
  
• Staff - in team meetings and small groups
  
• Service Users - young people are currently involved in the development of an integrated care pathway
  
• Stakeholders/Partners - the multi-agency Youth Offending Team Steering Group and Responsible Authorities Group have had opportunity to contribute to the Plan. A stakeholder conference on preventing youth crime was held on 30 June 2008

9 ISSUES TO CONSIDER IN REACHING THE DECISION

9.1 Submission of a Youth Justice Plan is a statutory requirement under Section 40 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. It is relevant to the following issues:

• Social Inclusion
  
• Young People
  
• Human Rights
  
• Corporate

10 ADVICE SOUGHT

10.1The Council's Monitoring Officer (Council Solicitor) and Section 151 Officer (Strategic Director - Support Services) have been invited to input to this report