Historical Barriers
Young Custody Leavers

Young Custody Leavers

Young people who find themselves in custody can generally be described as coming from acutely disadvantaged backgrounds. Most present with a history of poor educational achievement; many have had Children's Services involvement and periods of time in local authority care.

Current expectations as to these young people receiving adequate resettlement support services on release from custody are not high. Without access to suitable accommodation and even basic levels of support, most of these young people do not have the motivation, confidence, foresight or qualifications to access ETE opportunities in the community or successfully remain in those placements.

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Crime and Disorder Act 1998

Crime and Disorder Act 1998

In April 2000, Youth Offending Teams were established under the Crime and Disorder Act to complement services being offered by local Children's Services. In many local authorities, where a young person came into contact with the youth justice system, the YOT service tended to replace the support offered by Children's Services.

HMCIP reports began to show that since the introduction of the new youth justice arrangements in 2000, YOT's tended to shoulder the burden of case working young people in the youth justice system, in isolation of Children's Services.
Out-of-Sight - Out-of-Mind

Out-of-Sight - Out-of-Mind

In a similar way to John Podmore's argument, the community based 'out-of-sight - out-of-mind' approach to young people in custody (as also described by the Howard League for Penal Reform) has been a long standing negative feature of the youth justice system.

This is a culture where, whilst serving their time, young people sentenced to custody become estranged from the key support agencies that have worked with them in the community.

This often results in young people during their custodial phase not being able to access the resettlement support services they will require on their release to the community.

The SEU

The Social Exclusions Unit's report in 2002 on reducing reoffending made it clear that 'effective resettlement practice requires a coordinated multi-agency response across the crucial transitions between community and custody that is sustained long after release...'

 

As such, the resettlement support needs of young people in custody will only be fully met where particularly Children's Services and the YOT jointly remain in contact with the young person they have corporate and legislative responsibility for, and together, facilitate the drafting and implementation of robust resettlement plans that incorporate the other local agencies with statutory responsibilities such as Health and Education. The statistical information relating to the physical & mental health challenges, and also the educational attainment off these young people, make clear the necessity for local strategic multi-agency protocols to be in place. 

 

Legislation

The legislative responsibilities include the provisions set out in the Crime & Disorder Act, the welfare elements of s.17 of the Children Act, and the responsibilities to safeguard and promote the welfare of young people as set out in s.11 of the 2004 Children Act 2004. Every Child Matters has underpined a long-term programme of change in the way that Children's Services and other key stakeholders work together to help support children and young people and improve the outcomes they achieve in life.

 

Children and Young Persons Act 2008

More recently, the Children and Young Persons Act 2008 received Royal ascent following the White Paper, Care Matters: Time for Change, setting out the Government's plans to improve outcomes for looked after children and care leavers. The purpose of this Act is to reform the statutory framework for the care system and to ensure that children and young people receive high quality care and support.

 

Key elements of the new Act include a general duty on the Secretary of State to promote the well-being of children in England, and a requirement on local authorities to take steps to secure sufficient accommodation in their area that is appropriate for the needs of young people they look after. These changes came into effect on the 1st April 2011.
'Youth Justice and The Law' --- Confronting the LASPO Act 2012

'Youth Justice and The Law' --- Confronting the LASPO Act 2012

The 'must attend' training event for all those who work with 15-18 year olds remanded or sentenced to a YOI....

ENDORSEMENT: "Resettlement UK provided Oxfordshire YOS & its partners with a highly professional, informative & enlightening 3 days of LASPO training. The training enabled a wide range of professionals from across different disciplines to come together & work on the implications for practice and strategy as a result of LASPO. It is my view that everyone who attended the training left a little bit wiser..."
Oxfordshire YOS County Manager
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