Reducing Looked After Offending Project Plan Apr 2012

Derbyshire Youth Offending Service

Reducing Looked After Children Offending

Project Plan

Original Project Objectives
Objectives / Action
Pre Offence / Identify those young people most at risk of offending within LAC population / 1. Identify those who have previously offended
2. Screen Appropriate Adult PACE reports
3. Training information disseminated to carers,LAC social workers and managers
4. Team Around the Home YOS input for children’s homes
Targeted interventions with young people at risk /
  1. Referral systems to YOS prevention services, mentoring schemes and YES Scheme (fire service)

Incident/
offence / Ensure Joint Agency Protocol Regarding Offending by Children in Care (2009) is applied in DCC Children’s homes / Ensure principles of protocol are followed when discussing individual cases, consider diversion where appropriate
Encourage use of Protocol by private children’s homes in Derbyshire. / Screen Appropriate Adult PACE interviews and 188s reports from the police
Ensure that the threshold for Police involvement is appropriate (reasonable parent test) / 1.Guidance and training for children’s home staff, LAC social workers and managers staff and carers on involving the police and CJS.
2.Monitorsignificant event reports re offending incidents in children’s homes and attend significant event meetings where appropriate.
Develop alternatives to prosecution by encouraging Restorative Practice approaches where incidents take place in children’s homesor contract foster care. / 1.Identify whether a restorative justice intervention or Youth Restorative Disposal can be used as alternative to prosecution
2.Monitor restorative justice decisions
3.(additional action)Investigate availability of YOS victim officers pre prosecution, for restorative contact
Develop and maintain arrangements with Police/CPS to take no further action where the offence is minor. / 1. Ensure police liaison officer list is maintained with children’s homes and ensure they are aware of role and protocol.
Contact through Barry Thacker (CI County Hall)
2. Maintain local links with Police Liaison officers and encourage regular meetings with children’s homes
Prosecution / Early Identification of LAC to divert from prosecution / 1. Screen Appropriate Adult service PACE forms to ensure early identification of prosecution process.
2. Appropriate Adults to consider/ notify LAC status
3. Contact CPSto seek diversion where appropriate.
4. Contact LAC social workers to provide report for CPS to support discontinuation
EnsureCPS guidance on prosecution of Looked After Children Guidance - 10 point check list applied / YOS Court officers informed of policy and request review with CPS in court where appropriate
Corporate Parenting / Corporate Parenting re Prosecution Process
Legal representation in court/PACE interviews for LAC
LAC accompanied in court by carer/social worker / 1.Guidance for LAC social workers, children’s homes and managers.
2.(additional action) YOT court officers to notify where nec.
Monitoring / Monitor ethnicity and gender of Looked After Children Offending / 1. Liaise with YOT Information Officer
Review of YOT procedures / 1. LAC who receive a Final Warning should be offered an intervention/considered for YISP regardless of whether they trigger the YJB criteria.
2. LAC young people on court orders should be assigned to a social worker within the YOT wherever possible
3. Named YOT worker preferably social worker, for Team around the Home Meetings at DCC children’s homes / 1. Audit LAC final warning to ensure all LAC received an intervention, contact YOS police officers to ensure policy applied
2. Ongoing monitoring with Team Managers
Regular review to embed role
Guidance re CJS YOT / Guidance for LAC social workers on Criminal Justice System and contact with YOT in place Feb 2010.
Guidance for children’s homes staff / 1.Ongoing dissemination to LAC teams and managers, Rapid Response, Contract Care.
2.Training input to Improving Outcomes Course (CAYA)
3. (additional action) Develop specific guidance for Childrens homes/YOT for LAC Offenders on criminal Orders.
New Project Objectives
Establish data transfer and analysis processes for clear identification of LAC offenders and ongoing tracking.
Consistent and accurate data on who is offending, where, with whom, when and how. / Meet with CAYA ICT staff April 2010
Monthly exchange of information to be confirmed.
Ensuring that risk of offending and reducing offending is identified in care plans and core assessments and steps are taken to prevent or minimise offending / 1. Liaise with social care management and IROS to establish the process
  1. Senior managers/QA to audit care plans and look at actions
  2. Children’s home care plansoffer purposeful activity and constructive care
4. Enable YOS case managers to contribute to planning and reviews to ensure risk of offending is addressed.
Placement matching -good matches improveoutcomes / 1. Senior managers to consider vulnerability/risk from other young people involved in offending when making placement decisions
Monitoring of Joint Agency Protocol Regarding Offending by Childrenin Care
Custodial sentences, ensure through care joint planning for LAC / 1.Convene Interagency review group to August/ September 2010
to monitor use of restorative interventions, CPS diversions and discontinuation of cases
2. Monitoring of police liaison in children’s homes
1.CAYA contact with LAC in custody-reviews and planning meetings
2. Ongoing assessment of needs.
3.Placement in place at time of release
Replicate plan objectives for out of county placements and include in commissioning arrangements /
  1. Screen out of area placement LAC list
  2. Check for offending in residential placements
  3. Check for custodial sentences
  4. Preventing offending considered when commissioning
  5. Use of restorative practices?

Consider and evaluate issues for LAC in CJS
(from NACRO Reducing Offending guide) / Ongoing research into Issues around LAC in the justice system:
1.Are LAC refused police bail more often
2. Is there a tendency to perceive LAC as inherently troublesome or criminal
3. Risk that mainstream services are bypassed in favour of a Crimianal Justice response
4.In court and police custody is Care history seen as an aggravating factor e.g. risk of non-compliance
5. Is there misuse of information in court reports re behaviour e.g. disruptive (would behaviour have come to light if yp at family home)
6. Misuse running away NOT absconding – this is only from secure
7. LAC tend to mask vulnerability by appearing street wise, disrespectful of authority and lacking in remorse/empathy
8. Additional problems for LAC on arrest e.g. authorities tending to assume criminality and criminalise minor incidents.
9. LAC less concerned about getting caught and the consequences which increase likelihood of arrest.
Continue to Monitor Referrals to YISP
Create case recording guidance for YOS staff
-Children in Care
-Case Recording of CIC placed out of county
- Using Frameworki/ Social care information system / Create case guidance notes for YOT staff

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