News Insight: YOTs prepare to adapt as funds ebb

With pressure on youth offending team (YOT) budgets already mounting, last week's announcement of £6.24bn of public sector cuts is certain to have further impact on the work they do.

Financed through a complex mix of funding from the Youth Justice Board (YJB), central government, local councils and partner organisations, the extent to which YOTs will be affected is uncertain.

A big fear among YOT managers is that the way in which YOTs are funded means they could be liable for a bigger hit than other services.

Partner organisations could take funding decisions in isolation, Simon Page, youth offending service manager at York, warns. This could leave YOTs with a large dent in their coffers if each organisation cuts their allocation to a large degree.

Uncertain funding future

"You could end up with a situation similar to 10 years ago when a YOT was a little hole in the corner," he says. "On the other hand the government could decide to solidify and consolidate our funding instead of the existing complex patchwork. The basis on which it (funding) was established 10 years ago is becoming more and more uncertain."

Local authorities are key YOT funders, but the collective requirement on them to make £1.17bn in savings is likely to hit hard. YOTs could also suffer from a removal of ringfencing on more than £1.7bn of grants to give authorities greater discretion over where money is spent.

According to Tim Bateman, former policy officer at crime reduction charity Nacro, another issue is the fact that offending levels have been dropping, which could justify cuts to services in the eyes of some.

Bateman adds that the fact that YOTs have enjoyed increases in funding over the past decade could lead to them being seen as "fair game". "YOTs will be regarded in the public sector as a service that up until now has been relatively protected from financial constraints," he says. "When the cuts do come it will be non-statutory services such as prevention and early intervention that will take the brunt," he adds.

Mike Rees, North Somerset YOT manager says every service will come under the spotlight. "I'm concerned because although I believe a lot of our projects are good value for money, a lot are based on additional funding streams," he says.

When it comes to countering the cuts, there are a number of possibilities available.

Methods to improve efficiency have already been trialled in some areas, and could be adopted elsewhere, according to Bateman.

These could include amalgamations of teams to cut down on backroom costs, joint commissioning of services between YOTs, or the integration of youth offending teams into other local authority service areas.

Each model has its pros and cons. Mergers or amalgamation of YOTs can create a complex situation where the organisation is dealing with several children's trusts, while integration of services can mean the level and seniority of managers is reduced, with service heads replaced by strategic managers.

Loss of management skills

The concern is that many authorities could effectively lose the post of YOT manager entirely, leaving teams overseen by heads who potentially lack any previous involvement with youth justice.

Charlie Spencer, youth offending service manager for Sandwell, says tough decisions will have to be made about what to cut and how to deal with the fallout. "I feel YOT managers are going to have to make some real choices to determine how we can deliver," he says.

"We have a track record in our consortia arrangements and we are looking at ways of collaborating better with local partners. We feel projects such as the "tackling knives action programme" can offer local authorities the chance to work collectively."

CASE STUDY: SURREY YOUTH JUSTICE SERVICE

Surrey is one example of an area that could potentially fall victim to its own success in terms of youth offending team funding.

In the past two years, the number of first-time entrants to the criminal justice system there has dropped by more than 45 per cent, from 1,499 in 2007/08 to 817 in 2009/10.

Ben Byrne, head of Surrey youth justice service, says the service must aim to reduce numbers still further despite the prospect of cuts. "I do have concerns about budgets being under pressure but I think the opportunities for fewer young people coming into the youth justice system is a good thing in itself," he said.

Continuing downward trend

"I am trying to migrate resources towards prevention so we continue to keep the downward trend for first-time entrants."

Surrey youth justice service has set further targets for the coming year including reducing the number of repeat and first-time offenders by five per cent.

Statistics released last December showed that the number of young people in England receiving a reprimand, warning or conviction for the first time had dropped by 21.6 per cent in the space of 12 months.

Former chair of the Association of Youth Offending Team Managers, Mike Thomas, says this kind of statistic can be used by YOTs to make a case for continued invest-ment in prevention work and the potential for longer term savings.