Report of the Strategic Director (Children and Education Services)

This report focuses on the work and progress that has been made against the action plan arising from the HMIP Inspection of Manchester’s Youth Justice Service undertaken in November 2018.

The Committee received a report of the Strategic Director of Children and Education Services which focused on the work and progress that had been made against the action plan arising from the Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) Inspection of Manchester’s Youth Justice Service undertaken in November 2018.

Officers referred to the main points and themes within the report which included:

• Progress on the HMIP Action Plan;
• An update on Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) in Youth Justice;
• Review of the Youth Justice Service; and
• Quality of Practice.

Some of the key points and themes that arose from the Committee’s discussions were:

• To welcome the report and note that it would useful to receive anonymised case studies;
• What provision there was for children with mental health issues;
• Of the 61 children known to Youth Justice who had an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) how many already had this in place before they entered the Youth Justice system;
• That Unconscious Bias training should be extended to all the staff, not just the Case Managers, and also to other organisations involved in Youth Justice such as Greater Manchester Police (GMP);
• What was happening at a Greater Manchester and wider level in this area; and
• To request to visit the Youth Justice Service at one of its current premises.

The Head of Youth Justice informed Members that there were three Children and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) workers embedded in the Youth Justice Service who worked alongside the Case Managers and all cases where a child had or was suspected to have mental health issues were referred to them.  She reported that more children were now entering the Youth Justice system with an EHCP already in place and that she could provide the figures on this after the meeting. 

The Head of Youth Justice reported that, after a small number of staff had attended Unconscious Bias training and provided positive feedback on it, it had been agreed to roll this out to all Case Managers; however, she agreed that it should be rolled out to all staff.  The Deputy Leader advised Members that he would raise the issue of addressing unconscious bias with GMP.  He informed Members that conversations were taking place with the Department of Justice on devolution of some areas of the justice system and he suggested that the Committee could look at this and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA)’s role in relation to Youth Justice in a future report.

Decisions

1. To request an update report in 12 months’ time to include information on the issues that Members have raised at today’s meeting, including children with SEND and Black and Minority Ethnic (BAME) children in the Youth Justice system and for this report to include anonymised case studies.

2. To note that the Head of Youth Justice will provide the figures on how many of the children in the Youth Justice system with an EHCP had one at the time they entered the Youth Justice system.

3. To arrange a visit for Members of the Committee to one of Youth Justice Services’ premises.