Youth offending team budgets take seven per cent hit
Neil Puffett
Friday, May 4, 2012
Central funding for youth offending teams from the Youth Justice Board has been cut by nearly seven per cent this year, it has been confirmed.
The youth justice grant for 2012/13, which is being distributed to YOTs in England and Wales, comes to £107.8m, down 6.75 per cent on the 2011/12 figure of £115.6m.
The cut in funding represents a smaller decrease than the previous year when the total fell 19.73 per cent from £144m.
YJB chief executive John Drew said: “Given the current circumstances we couldn’t argue for anything different in terms of funding levels.”
Drew added that in light of concerns around restructuring of services that have seen youth offending team managers leave their positions, the YJB will be monitoring any impact on services.
“Local areas must be free to determine their own structure and that includes what they ask YOT managers to do,” he said.
“Obviously we want to make sure that the outcomes are still delivered as successfully as they have been in the past and that is our primary focus.
“Some structures will probably make the delivery more problematic and we will be keeping a close eye on those areas.”
Drew also confirmed that plans for a new assessment framework for young offenders is set to go to ministers for approval and that he is “cautiously optimistic” it will be rubberstamped to replace the existing Asset system.
“I am personally convinced that [replacing Asset] is the right thing to do,” he said. “Asset is 12-years-old and the world moves on.
“Assessments need to take into account issues around speech and communication of young offenders and we need a more sophisticated mental health assessment.
“It needs to link it better with the common assessment framework (CAF) and other processes and fit in with the government agenda of workers spending less time carrying out assessments.”
Drew said the total cost of introducing the new system would come to around £10m, and that he is confident the money will be made available based on predicted savings that could be made as a result.
