Welsh councils must do better at schooling young offenders
Alison Bennett
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Local authorities in Wales must step up their efforts to give young offenders access to education, schools watchdog Estyn has said.
The watchdog's report, Meeting the Learning Needs of Children and Young People who Offend, said local authorities must do more to secure full-time education, training or employment for children and young people in the youth justice system.
Figures show that between April 2006 and March 2007 only 59 per cent of young offenders in Wales were in full-time education, training or employment. This is drastically short of the 90 per cent target set by the Youth Justice Board for youth offending teams (YOTs).
Bill Maxwell, the chief inspector of education and training in Wales, said many young offenders have complex needs, meaning they have had poor experiences of the education system. "Their experience of education leaves some young offenders feeling frustrated and angry because they have to study subjects that they find too difficult to understand," he said.
"In the best YOTs, workers take the children and young people's values and culture into account to help plan to meet their needs."
Inspectors found local authorities are not always represented on YOT management boards by someone who can make decisions about resources or take recommendations to the appropriate committees. Inspectors said this means that there is not always effective delivery or development of education provision for young offenders in an area.
The report also found most local authorities have difficulty ensuring young offenders are offered the 25 hours education per week recommended by the Welsh Assembly government.
Jonathan Douglas, director of the National Literacy Trust, said: "International research suggests improving the literacy levels of offenders reduces the likelihood of recidivism. We believe there is a strong social imperative for increasing the literacy levels of offenders."
- www.cypnow.co.uk/doc.
