Preventing Youth Offending: Research evidence

Study 1: Learning disability nursing in the criminal justice system: achieving justice for all - understanding need and enabling change for young people in the youth offending team and resolution and understanding for victims
Karina Hepworth and Helen Williams, Journal of Intellectual Disabilities and Offending Behaviour, (2015)

It is estimated that between 60-90 per cent of young offenders have speech, language and communication (SLC) needs and 20-30 per cent have a learning disability, meaning the functions of the youth justice system (YJS) are unintelligible for many within it and that support interventions within Youth Offending Teams (YOTs) to prevent re-offending may be setting up young people to fail. Research has also considered whether an autism diagnosis is a factor in offending behaviour.

Although health is a statutory part of multi-agency YOTs, lack of stipulation of the exact role health should play means localities configure their teams differently, many relying on child and adolescent mental health services' limited input to fulfil this requirement.

This paper seeks to consider how learning disability nursing skills compliment the range of expertise in the multi-professional YOT, using a case study highlighting these skills to improve the experience of a young woman with previously unidentified needs through the YJS, from pre-sentence to completion of her order.

Role of the learning disability nurse

A learning disability specialist enables person-centred care specific to the person's strengths and needs, helping to balance between individual welfare and victim justice. In her 2012 study, Newman states their role also ensures "timely referrals for more specialist assessments and better data collection to inform future service planning and delivery".

Early recognition of needs is a vital factor in the success of co-working with such specialists. If an individual need is hidden and an intervention plan agreed which does not allow for the difficulties the young person may face in meeting requirements, valuable time may be lost resulting in the young person breaching their order and the practitioner feeling they have little or no impact.

When concerns are raised and a referral is made to the specialist worker, the child or young person's individual needs are assessed - including mental capacity and mental health needs, SLC needs, the possibility of a brain injury, or physical concerns such as epilepsy or diabetes. As with all YOT staff, the specialist worker endeavours to build a trusting and enabling relationship, while ensuring the young person has the capacity to enter a plea and whether support and reasonable adjustments/specialist resources would be required in court.

In addition, the specialist worker communicates their needs through contribution to the pre-sentence report, liaison with the judiciary and court officer or supporting directly in court and planning care with the case holder to ensure the intervention is accessible and meaningful.

Case study

Alice's story demonstrates the impact of an intervention where the specialist worker encourages the allocated YOT practitioner to work with Alice's presenting behaviour, resulting in an overdue diagnosis of autistic spectrum disorder. An effective plan to suit Alice's individual needs and ability is put together, consisting of: