The Service Manager, Youth Offending presented the report of the Director of Children, Families and Education. The report provided the Committee with an introduction to the Wirral Youth Justice Service (YJS) Strategic Plan 2024-2025.

The Youth Justice Board (YJB) was a non-departmental public body for overseeing the youth justice system in England and Wales. The preparation and submission of an ‘Annual Plan’ was linked to the terms and conditions of the Youth Justice Board grant award. This award contributed to the funding of youth offending teams and services across England and Wales. 

The report noted that the Wirral Youth Justice Service (YJS) was a statutory partnership between Police, Probation, the Council and Health partners in accordance with the Crime and Disorder Act 1998.

The Youth Justice Service was overseen by the Wirral Youth Justice Management Board (YJMB). The management board was 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, the Council had a key role to play in delivering Youth Justice. Endorsement by the Council would support the delivery of this Strategic Plan and therefore the linked aspects of the Wirral Plan.

Members discussed the service feedback via various channels including online surveys, anonymous case studies and word of mouth and queried how many users of the service have given feedback.

The Service Manager, Youth Offending responded that data was available via the online surveys and would feed this back to Members.

Members noted that the Youth Justice team targeted people at risk and asked whether any work was done with young people before they were considered to be at risk.

The Service Manager, Youth Offending stated that their team visited most schools in Wirral and speak to young people about children at risk of exploitation, drug use and the dangers of violence and knife crime.

Members asked how membership was determined for the YJB and were informed that it was composed of a statutory membership from different areas such as public health, the police, probation and children’s services.

Members noted that the report referenced that the Youth Justice Annual Plan had been reviewed by the YJB and queried whether any weaknesses had been identified.

The Assistant Director for Early Help, Prevention and Effectiveness noted that in past years the YJB had given feedback on a couple of areas they felt could be improved and officers had incorporated those suggestions into the annual plan this year. The YJB were happy with how this was presented and didn’t offer any further suggestions for improvement this year.

Members asked how the service was planning on doing more work to target harmful sexual behaviour.

The Service Manager, Youth Offending responded that there were plans to upskill current staff in relation to the specialist assessments that were required. Further development of staff within specific areas of children’s services was planned to allow them to better address, assess and identify the interventions needed. He also noted that there was a specialist victims worker that works with all victims of harmful sexual behaviour, as well as other crimes such as violence or criminal damage.

Members sought clarity on the age that the Youth Justice Service engaged with schools and if it was across all schools within the borough. They were informed that visits were carried out at secondary schools only, in year 9 as the content of the discussions were deemed to be unsuitable for younger children. Only 2 schools within Wirral had yet to sign up to the service.

Members queried the term Binary Reoffending Rate and were informed that it was national scale of reoffending that was looked at over a 2 year period.

Members discussed the disproportionate number of young people with neurodiversities that end up in the Youth Justice system and asked what work was being done to address this.

The Service Manager, Youth Offending responded that a lot of work was done to ensure the correct intervention level with the use of enhanced case management, the trauma recovery model, as well as through upskilling staff.

The Assistant Director for Early Help, Prevention and Effectiveness added that while the Youth Justice Service took the lead on early intervention and prevention, there was a real systems approach to try and ensure young people with additional susceptibilities and vulnerabilities were identified before they reached the Youth Justice Service.

Resolved – That the Wirral Youth Justice Service’s Strategic Plan 2024-25 be recommended to Council for approval.