The recommendations are:

The YOT Strategic Management Board should make sure that Board members understand the specific needs of children known to the YOT and advocate on their behalf in their own agencies.

Desired outcome
  • Data set to be agreed and reported on monthly / quarterly
  • Board members to drive and take strategic ownership of the Youth Justice Plan.
  • Board members to set local priorities for driving / improving practice.
  • YOT board partners to report on effectiveness of partnership working & impact of YOT work on reducing offending and reoffending
  • Robust quality assurance framework to be developed
Detail
  • Permanent YOT manager started on 1 October 2021
  • Data set for Board now implements and presented and reviewed regularly
  • Youth Justice Plan 21/22 completed and submitted
  • Local targets set out in YJ Plan
  • Strategic and Operational Board now able to review and assess effectiveness in an informed, data supported way
  • YOT manager developing quality assurance framework
RAG
Green

The YOT Strategic Management Board should develop the knowledge and understanding of the Board member’s role and service’s work, so they can provide effective challenge to partner agencies

Desired outcome
  • Induction to include meeting with the management team and any staff relevant to their area.
  • Board members will be actively involved in overseeing YOT practice and initiatives
  • Board Members to sit on subgroups / working groups relevant to their area in project development
  • Strategic Board members to attend a Torbay YOT practice week.
  • Training for existing and new board members.
Detail
  • Induction programme for Board members agreed and delivered to all members.
  • Training has been provided for new members.
  • Some board members have attended practice week
RAG
Green

The YOT Strategic Management Board should review management capacity to ensure there are necessary resources to
oversee the service effectively

Desired outcome
  • YOT management team and operations board to consider initial restructure options and submit to management board for consideration
  • Strategic Board have good information, knowledge & oversight of YOT work in order to provide effective challenge to drive and improve practice
  • Scoping exercise to be undertaken to ensure Torbay YOT are able to deliver effective interventions through using resources in a flexible and creative way
Detail
  • The YOT manager conducted a costed service structure options appraisal and the Strategic Board agreed YOT Manager recommended option.
  • Performance reports are presented to both Boards and used for oversight of work.
  • New permanent YOT manager will implement.
RAG
Green

The YOT Strategic Management Board to ensure that the partnership understands the reasons for the large disparity in education provision for children involved with the YOT compared with those in the general population and put plans in place to redress this.

Desired outcome
  • Subscribing to the Education Quality Mark to be considered.
  • Looking at good practice in other YOT that could be introduced by Torbay YOT.
  • Specific data sets to be shared, understood and monitored, with a focus on education, training, and employment (Monthly and quarterly).
Detail
  • SEND Quality Mark is in progress
  • Joint work between YOT manager and Education Board member has established that the comparison is not valid due to different counting rules and predominance of over school age children in YOT caseload. Nevertheless, the monitoring of ETE levels is now very robust with analysis and solutions.
RAG
Green

The YOT manager to develop and update policies, procedures and guidance for out-of-court disposals to improve joint decision-making and the quality of management oversight

Desired outcome
  • Review all policies and procedures and update as appropriate.
  • Ensure annual review of the above are completed and a report is presented to the board, at relevant intervals to ensure meaningful oversight and sign off.
  • Board members to take ownership of their relevant areas and contribute to the review and development of policies.
Detail
  • All policies are being reviewed on a schedule through 2022-3 and will be brought to the board for ratification by relevant lead officers
  • Out of Court Disposal work has been comprehensively overhauled and improved with evidence of victims views, risk of harm to others and details of offence and arrest all circulated prior to a multi professional decision making group
RAG
Green

The YOT manager to ensure that there is an assessment on all children receiving an out-of-court disposal and make sure that equal attention is given to desistance, safety and wellbeing, and risk of harm to others

Desired outcome
  • The OOCD Improvement Plan in place and all young people now receive an OOCD pre panel assessment and risk assessment completed with victims.
  • Relevant Board members to observe panels on a six-monthly basis
  • Audit of OCCD assessments to be completed by YOT manager on quarterly basis and report back to strategic board
    QA of OCCD assessments with a focus on desistance, SWB and ROSH to be completed by op’s manager.
Detail
  • Out of court disposals improvement plan is reviewed at Strategic Board
  • Several Board members have now observed following their induction one to one session with YOT manager
  • Deep Dive Review Audit due September 2022.
  • Performance report goes to each Board.
  • Quarterly progress/impact report to be presented to the board
RAG
Green

The YOT manager to ensure that staff have access to the buildings and facilities they need to deliver services to children and families

Desired outcome
YOT manager and Board members to complete scoping exercise to ensure that access to appropriate resources are available to enable YOT workers to deliver trauma recovery and restorative focused work with our most vulnerable young people. All work undertaken will be subject to covid compliance procedures.
Detail
  • YOT manager & Sarah Pengelly joint report to Jan 2022 Board.
  • A range of community buildings have been visited, and options and costings are being explored.
RAG
Amber

The YOT manager to embed processes for capturing feedback from children, parents and victims, and use this information to develop services

Desired outcome
  • Working group to be established, led by the YOT manager.
  • Feedback report to the board – quarterly /six monthly
  • Young people’s views to be reflected at board meetings
Detail
  • We have linked with a national YOT pathfinder in engagement with children, as well as the Learning Academy.
  • Limited by lack of hours of YOT analyst however this should be resolved in June 2022.
  • Case studies are now being presented at each board
RAG
Amber

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