Event Details

Key Speakers

	John Drew, Chief Executive, Youth Justice Board
	Philippa Goffe, Youth Justice Policy Unit, Ministry of Justice
	Enver Solomon, Assistant Director of Policy, Barnardo's

Overview

Whilst the use of custody for 10 to 14-year-olds has increased 550 per cent since 1996, statistics indicate that nearly 80 per cent will re-offend within 12 months of release, entering a destructive cycle of crime that is difficult to break (’Locking up or giving up – is custody for children always the right answer?’, Barnardos 2008).

Many have called for a renewed drive to minimise youth offending rates through earlier and more effective intervention, addressing the often complex needs of children at risk of offending through coordinated multi-agency support, mentoring programmes that work with families and tailored mental health care. In order to reduce the number of children entering the criminal justice system, alternative measures to tackle and punish anti-social behaviour and low level crime without criminalising young people should also be explored.

Advocating a fresh approach to tackling reoffending, the new coalition Government has placed greater responsibility on the voluntary and private sectors to deliver more effective services at greater value, through pioneering innovative and community based rehabilitation programmes that will secure a long-term positive impact on young offenders. Whilst addressing the educational, financial and housing needs of offenders, it is vital that services also comprehensively address the wider causes of their offending in order to enable young people to get their lives back on track.

As the coalition Government sets out its road-map for change, this symposium offers a timely opportunity for community safety and youth offending teams, education and health practitioners, local authorities and other key stakeholders to consider a new direction in tackling youth offending.

Delegates will:

• Discuss how to better identify and support young people at risk of offending and their families, including addressing mental health issues
• Explore alternatives to school expulsion and custodial sentencing to prevent children from entering the criminal justice system
• Consider how to provide better access to housing and financial support and improve the education and employment opportunities for young offenders
• Examine how the voluntary, private and public sector can work together to break the cycle of crime, through comprehensive rehabilitation programmes
• Debate, network and share innovative best practice with colleagues across the community safety, social services and education sector

Programme

Who Should Attend?

• Crime & Disorder Reduction Partnerships
• Community Safety Teams
• Neighbourhood Policing Teams
• Anti-Social Behaviour Coordinators
• Drug & Alcohol Action Teams
• Police & Fire Services
• Youth Offending Teams
• Youth & Outreach Workers
• Youth Inclusion Teams
• Young Offenders' Institutes
• Probation Officers
• Housing Officers
• Town Centre Managers
• Licensing Enforcement Officers
• Community Cohesion & Development Organisations
• Community Support Officers
• Accident & Emergency Departments
• Local Authority Officers & Councillors
• Central Government Departments & Agencies
• Children & Youth Services
• Domestic Violence Co-ordinators
• Families Services Officers
• Sure Start, Children's Trusts & Children's Centres
• Health Service Professionals
• Victim Support Representatives
• Psychologists
• Social Workers & Social Services Officers
• Local Education Welfare Authorities
• Teachers & Head Teachers
• Neighbourhood Wardens & Co-ordinators
• Criminal Justice Practitioners
• Youth Justice Boards
• Judges & Magistrates
• Legal Professionals
• Equality & Diversity Practitioners
• Third Sector Practitioners
• Academics & Researchers

“ We will: focus Home Office support on interventions, like mentoring by expert voluntary groups, to tackle youth crime on the 100 most deprived communities across the country; introduce a series of early intervention measures, including grounding orders, to allow the police to use instant sanctions to deal with anti-social behaviour without criminalising young people unnecessarily;… engage with specialist organisations to provide education, mentoring and drug rehabilitation programmes to help young offenders go straight; and, stop young people ending up in a life of crime by paying voluntary and private sector providers by results to reduce youth offending...”
— A Contract for Young People’, Conservative Party, May 2010