System 'fails vulnerable children leaving custody'

By Neil Puffett Thursday, 26 May 2011

Vulnerable children are leaving custody without adequate support, the chief inspector of prisons has found.

Publishing a short review, The Care of Looked-after Children in Custody, Nick Hardwick said that children in the care of the local authority are over-represented in custody but are not getting the right help.

It is estimated there are about 400 children in custody at any one time who have spent time in care. But a third of custody safeguarding teams felt that some social workers tried to end their involvement while the young person was in custody.

The report, commissioned by the Youth Justice Board, found that many establishments needed to improve how they involved local authorities and develop successful links, as they have done with youth offending teams (YOTs).

Meanwhile, adequate planning for release was a key concern for staff and young people with accommodation often not confirmed until close to the young person’s release, affecting opportunities for employment or education.

Some young people ended up in unsuitable bed and breakfast accommodation, and only half of the young people said they had had a visit from their social worker or that they had received financial support or clothing.

Penelope Gibbs, director of the Prison Reform Trust’s Out of Trouble programme, said: "It is a tragedy that so many children who have suffered abuse and neglect end up in custody despite being under the care of the state.

"It is one of the greatest tests of children's services and the prison system how they look after the most vulnerable and ensure that prison rehabilitates. Unfortunately, this inspectorate report shows that, in the case of looked-after children, the system simply is not working."

Frances Done, chair of the Youth Justice Board (YJB), said that from April 2012 the board will be funding social workers in YOIs to help meet the needs of looked-after young people in custody.

"The 22 social workers will act as the bridge between custody and the home local authority to ensure that young people receive all the support and help that is entitled to them," she said. "Social workers in YOIs will also assist in the vital role of helping these vulnerable young people with their resettlement needs so that their transition into the community is positive and to help them break the cycle of re-offending.

"The YJB is determined that these young people should go on to lead useful and productive lives and to become law abiding citizens.

Investing in youth services is essential, say auditors

By Richard Johnstone


19 April 2011

Spending on youth services represents ‘an investment in the country’s future’ even at a time of spending cuts, the Audit Commission said today.

The commission’s managing director Andy McKeon said that the services can help teenagers develop social and communication skills, build self-esteem and improve attitudes to education. He added: ‘With the advice and support of youth professionals, young people stand a much better chance of avoiding negative influences such as involvement in crime, anti-social behaviour and drugs. In short, good youth services help to turn young people into young citizens.’

The watchdog has published a series of assessment checklists that will allow councils to measure the value for money of their youth services. They are aimed at elected members and senior staff. The assessment can cover traditional youth clubs as well as youth workers’ outreach work, youth-targeted sports, arts and heritage provision and even the Youth Offending Service.

Questions are asked on four topics to determine value for money – local provision, governance and accountability, workforce and capacity and outcomes for young people and the impact on local communities.

The assessment, which has been developed with the Confederation of Heads of Young People’s Services, follows a 2009 Audit Commission report Tired of hanging around, which showed how sport and leisure activities could prevent young people being drawn into antisocial behaviour. It found that a young person caught up in the criminal justice system costs the taxpayer £200,000 by the age of 16, but one needing support to stay out of it costs less than £50,000.

Confederation chief executive David Wright said he hoped the assessments would be used. ‘I know that the CHYPS is keen to offer practical support to local authorities using it in this way.’