This report provides the Children, Young People and Education Committee with an introduction to the Wirral Youth Justice Service, YJS, Strategic Plan 2023-2024. The Youth Justice Board, YJB, is a non-departmental public body for overseeing the youth justice system in England and Wales. The preparation and submission of an ‘Annual Plan’ is linked to the terms and conditions of the Youth Justice Board grant award, this award contributes to the funding of youth offending teams and services across England and Wales.

Resolved – That

1. the Wirral Youth Justice Service’s Strategic Plan 2023-2024 be endorsed and Council be recommended to approve the plan.

2. the approach and ongoing work within the Youth Justice Service and across the Youth Justice Management Board (YJMB) be noted.

Wirral Youth Justice Service (YJS) is a statutory partnership between Police, Probation, the Local Authority and Health partners in accordance with the Crime and Disorder Act 1998.

Section 39 (1) of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 requires the co-operation of the named statutory partners to form a Youth Offending Team, or YOT (Now known as the ‘Youth Justice Service’, or ‘YJS’ in Wirral and in most Local Authority areas nationally). Section 38 identifies the statutory partners and places upon them a duty to co-operate to secure youth justice services appropriate to their area. These statutory partners are:

• The Local Authority.

• Police.

• Probation service.

• Health. Additional partners may also be recruited to the joint strategic effort to prevent offending by children and young people.

The primary duty to ensure a Youth Justice Service is in place rests with the local authority. Section 40 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 sets out the responsibilities in producing and implementing a plan, after consultation with the partner agencies.

The Youth Justice Service is overseen by the Wirral Youth Justice Management Board (YJMB). The management board should be formed to provide strategic direction with the aim of preventing offending by children and young people.

As a statutory partner under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, Wirral Local Authority has key role to play in delivering Youth Justice. Endorsement by The Council will support the delivery of this Strategic Plan and therefore the linked aspects of The Wirral Plan 2021-2026.

Not supporting the Wirral Youth Justice Service Strategic Plan 2023-24 may result in less clearly aligned and coordinated multi agency activity to prevent offending and re-offending. The lack of an ‘Annual Plan’ would be contrary to Section 40 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998.