Agenda item

Following consideration of the Youth Justice Plan 2024-27 and the outcome from the Joint Targeted Area Inspection (JTAI) on Youth Violence the Board is asked to consider the follow up Action Plan on the JTAI.

Following previous consideration of the Youth Justice Plan 2024-27 and the outcome from the Joint Targeted Area Inspection (JTAI) on Youth Violence in June 2024, the Board considered the Action Plan responding to the JTAI.

In attendance for this item were:

·  Councillor Helen Hayden, Executive Member for Children and Families

·  Farrah Khan, Deputy Director Social Care

·  Gill Marchant, Leads Health and Care Partnership

·  Hannah Beal, Deputy Director Leeds Community Healthcare

·  Sara Clarke, Head of Service (CAMHS) Leeds Community Healthcare

·  Mark Charlton, Head of Community Safeguarding

The Executive Member for Children and Families introduced the item focussing on the positive outcome from the JTAI that took place in March 2024 which emphasised the strength of the partnership that addresses youth violence and those affected by it in Leeds. The Executive Member noted the aim of the action plan to tackle the issues raised by the inspection and the multi-agency response to it, particularly aimed at the three areas for improvement.

In response to question and comments rom members the following issues were discussed:

·  The Board discussed CAMHS services in the city in more detail and heard that there is a priority service targeted at ADHD and autism referrals and this applies to the cohort in the youth justice system. The Board were informed about waiting times for CAMHS and also referrals and how they are dealt with. CAMHS will account for around 35-40% of referrals with other referrals being dealt with through school clusters where funding is being used to provide full coverage across Leeds for Mental Health services for young people. Waiting times for CAMHS are challenging and the service is subject to service re-design with work ongoing to clarify the offer and to who the offer is made. The Board noted the service re-design plans and asked that an update is provided to scrutiny when the service re-design is complete.

·  Members were informed that CAMHS is a relatively small, or focussed, element of mental health provision for young people in the city. School clusters, schools themselves and the third sector provide key services and work is ongoing to identify the services offered and communicate that clearly to families. CAMHS are not the only agency involved in these services.

·  The Board acknowledged the national nature of the challenge on access and availability of mental health services for young people. Pastoral support in schools has reduced as funding has reduced and there has also been increase in demand linked to the impact of Covid. The Board also noted on demand issues that societal changes and the ‘pathologising of growing up’ are also issues to be considered with anxiety in some cases being part of adolescence that doesn’t necessarily require service interventions.

·  The Board noted that school counsellors are not statutorily required although some schools do have the budget to support that role. Wider budget reductions have meant that over time school counsellors have reduced, and pastoral support often passes to teachers and existing school support staff.

·  The Board asked about police protection notifications and sharing of information across agencies with consistency and training being key areas of interest. The Board were assured that there is a consistent approach to this from the Police with a mechanism added to the process used to share information. It was also noted that the Police were aware of this and welcomed the feedback from the inspection team.

·  The Board queried whether parents and carers are aware of multi-agency meetings, linked to Project Shield, in relation to youth crime and knife crime. In response the Board heard that daily safeguarding meetings take place at the front door to deal with incidents. These do not involve assigned social workers but there is social work representation at the meetings and assigned social workers are informed of discussions linked to Project Shield where appropriate. The Board acknowledged that in some cases parents can be the risk to their children so in some cases may not be informed of multi-agency meetings.

·  The Board were keen to ensure that the ongoing knife amnesty is widely publicised, promoted and communicated within communities in Leeds to ensure that young people are aware that they can hand knives in and that it is an amnesty with no prosecution linked to it. It was agreed that this will be raised with the Police and any outcomes shared with the Board.

Resolved - Scrutiny Board (Children and Families) noted and endorsed the presented action plan.

(Proposed by Cllr Jones and seconded by Cllr Martin, carried unanimously)