Agenda item

To consider the the outcome of the HMIP Thematic Inspection into “The experiences of black and mixed heritage boys in the youth justice system”

The Head of Young Adult Service introduced the report which informed the Committee about the outcome of the HMIP Thematic Inspection into “The experiences of black and mixed heritage boys in the youth justice system” April – June 2021. Haringey was one of 9 local authorities that were selected to take part in the thematic inspection. The findings and recommendations of the inspection are general and not specific to Haringey. It was noted that the inspection had found that there were significant deficits in experience for Black and mixed heritage boys in the Youth Justice System who were more likely to have multiple adverse childhood experiences, Special Educational Needs and mental health difficulties, high rates of exclusion from school, exploitation, racial discrimination, and economic deprivation.

It was explained that the report had identified Haringey as a case study and that some positive feedback had been received. It was noted that the report had found some good examples of partnership work and projects, such as the Red Snapper project, which helped to tackle mental health stigmas, the music offer, which included a partnership with Sony Music who offered internships and mentoring, and the Ether programme, which aimed to tackle stereotypes, break barriers, and address perceptions of masculinity. 

It was highlighted that the HMIP report had offered 18 recommendations. The recommendations for local authorities focused on providing suitable and timely accommodation placements, to ensure that legal entitlements to education were being provided, and that placements were suitable to meet needs. In relation to the Youth Offending Service partnership boards, it was recommended that there was a vision and strategy for improving outcomes which was understood by staff, that board members provided data from service areas to identify areas of disproportionality and actions taken to address these, and to develop targets and monitoring arrangements for the partnership. It was also recommended that Youth Offending Services Managers were asked to establish effective feedback processes, to ensure that staff understood the issues for Black and mixed heritage boys, to improve the quality of management oversight, to address gaps in specialist provision, and to offer suitable support and intervention.

The Head of Young Adult Service provided an update on progress for the recommendations. It was explained that a new Quality Assurance (QA) tool had been introduced to increase management oversight and ensure that diversity and structural barriers were being addressed. A workshop on fathers had been delivered and there was now increased focus on capturing the voice of fathers. In the October half term, a workshop was delivered around the rights and responsibilities in relation to stop and search and the impact of this on young people. It was added that stop and search was now being recorded as a significant event for planning and intervention purposes.

In response to questions from the Committee, it was noted that:

-       There were 19 young people in Haringey who were looked after (this included those who automatically because looked after because they are remanded) and were in the Youth Justice System and it was enquired whether the report had recommended any specific support or changes for them. The Head of Young Adult Service noted that there were no specific points raised in the report but that it was known that this was an area for improvement. It was noted that the looked after children in the Youth Justice System cohort were more likely to have been excluded, to have more significant mental health needs, and to have unmet and unseen needs. It was explained that an audit of looked after children and those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) was currently being undertaken. The Committee asked for further details to be presented at a future meeting.

-       In response to a question about disproportionality and unconscious bias against children in care, it was noted that there was a focus on providing unconscious bias training that was being rolled out across the partnership. It was explained that the partnership worked closely with the courts and that all court reports had a ‘child first lens’ and decisions were challenged in the out of court disposal panels. It was highlighted that the key thing was ensuring that the children’s voices were heard. It was also acknowledged that authorities may make assumptions about young people who were looked after and known in the Youth Justice System and the Director of Children’s Services suggested that this would likely be included in some of the work around stop and search.

-       The Chair noted that some excellent work had been undertaken by the Haringey Learning Partnership (HLP) and that this could be used as a model for supporting some of the young people in the Youth Justice System, both those in care and others. The Committee commented that a number of the factors identified in the report were already known to be key issues. It was suggested that this highlighted the importance of ensuring that other services in the partnership were provided appropriately and at the right times to ensure that young people were supported. The Assistant Director for Early Help and Prevention noted that the HLP was part of the Alternative Provision (AP) taskforce and that there was funding to use some Youth Justice Service resource to support young people in the HLP.