Timing key to charity involvement in youth justice payment-by-results projects, says Nacro

Paul McDowell said one of the biggest challenges for his organisation at the moment is preparing for opportunities "down the track".

The nature of such opportunities will depend largely on legislation emerging from the sentencing green paper, which contains a number of proposals on youth justice.

Payment-by-results projects that pave the way for the eventual devolution of the cost of custody to local areas are in the process of being piloted and other initiatives could be in the pipeline.

McDowell said one area Nacro is eager to get involved with is payment-by-results in relation to reducing re-offending rates of older young offenders and those making the transition to adult prisons, but he added that time is of the essence.

"In theory, we think it is a good thing and we want to embrace it and work with everyone on this subject to get it right," he said. "The key is about how quickly the detail plays out."

Graham Beech, strategic development manager at Nacro, said issues such as how to measure the effectiveness of early intervention in the reduction of re-offending still have to be worked out.

"It is complex and difficult to get the right definition of outcomes in relation to early intervention and prevention," he said.

"Charities including Nacro are looking at business models and structures, and looking at the extent to which they are geared up for payment-by-results.

"If the opportunities we are talking about don’t come off sufficiently quickly, it means we are putting a lot of investment into gearing up for opportunities that don’t arrive and give you a return on your investment.

"If it is done too quickly, there is a danger it might be rushed through. That is the message we have strongly given to government."