What really impressed Morgan was the links the YOT had established with the voluntary sector. "Whereas other YOTs provide the majority of services in-house, Bradford has forged numerous partnerships with voluntary groups," he says. "And where you're working with parents or with particular ethnic groups, you can secure expertise and legitimacy you may not have inside the YOT."
Winning confidence
Paul O'Hara, head of Bradford YOT, is proud of his team's record. He believes that the basis of its success is built on winning the confidence of the city's youth courts. Considering the social challenges Bradford faces, it has a relatively low rate of young people going into custody - 4.4 per cent compared with a Youth Justice Board target of five per cent. "We are tough as nails on community sentences because if magistrates do not have confidence in the YOT they won't take risks - they will simply send a young person into custody," says O'Hara.
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