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Aberdeen Youth Justice
Strategy - Introduction and Background
Aberdeen
Youth Justice Strategy
 In this section you will find information
on the structures that have been put in place to enable
a diverse range of agencies and services to come together
to jointly develop and implement an effective local strategy
for youth justice. The
Youth Justice Locally section of
this website provides information on youth crime in Aberdeen
and introduces some of the work that is being done to address
this.
Go to:
Introduction
Aims and
Objectives
Membership
Youth Justice
Structures
Document
Centre
Introduction
The Aberdeen Youth Justice Strategy
Group came about in response to the publication of the
National
Standards for Scotland’s Youth Justice
Services by the Scottish Executive.
The overall aim of the Aberdeen Youth Justice Strategy
Group is to lead and co-ordinate the prevention and reduction
of offending by children and young people in Aberdeen and,
in doing so, both improve community safety and ensure better
outcomes for children and young people engaged in offending
behaviour.
An Operational Youth Justice Services
Team was established to co-ordinate implementation
of the Youth Justice Strategy in such a way that ensures
that all relevant agencies are part of the central process,
to ensure the work of these agencies is informed and
complementary, and to improve links with diversionary
opportunities.
In addition a Practitioners Forum was also established and brings together front-line practitioners working with children and young people at risk of or engaged in offending behaviour, to enable practitioners to directly inform the planning process for youth justice services and provide an opportunity to network and share good practice across agencies.
The key tasks for the Strategy Group are
to:
- reduce the level of persistent offending,
- divert children and young people away from offending
and to support them in making positive choices for their
future,
- ensure victims play a central role
in the process of youth justice.
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Aims and Objectives
The overall aim of the Aberdeen Youth Justice Strategy
Group is to lead and co-ordinate the prevention and reduction
of offending by children and young people in Aberdeen and,
in so doing, both improve community safety and ensure better
outcomes for children and young people engaged in offending
behaviour.
We seek to achieve this through the provision of an integrated
and comprehensive range of services and by promoting awareness
of youth justice issues across services and within communities,
so that young people can be supported and challenged to
make positive life choices and become responsible citizens.
We seek to learn from analysis of the patterns of offending
behaviour and the impact of services upon offending and
to identify youth justice issues which can inform the Integrated
Services Plan for Children and Young People, so that all
agencies and services can positively contribute to reducing
the incidence of youth crime for now and the future.
The Aberdeen Youth Justice Strategy
Group believes that, to address youth offending effectively,
a holistic approach which looks at all aspects of a young
person’s life
and circumstances is vital. Bringing all agencies together
to increase opportunities for young people to reach their
potential is the best way in which a significant and lasting
reduction in crime can be achieved.
Particular objectives include:
- To continue to address all the requirements
of the National Standards for Scotland’s Youth
Justice Services.
- To develop and co-ordinate implementation of the local
Youth Justice Strategy, in keeping with the principles
of national and local guidance, strategies and planning
structures.
- To ensure effective integrated working between the
key partners, lead on joint commissioning of services,
and co-ordinate the continued development of information
sharing between partner organisations.
- To provide services and opportunities that improve
outcomes for young people involved in offending and divert
them towards more positive life choices. These will include
the provision of throughcare and aftercare to ensure
that progress made during periods of intensive support
is sustained over the longer term.
- To undertake regular evaluation and reviews of the
services and activities of all agencies working in the
field with a view to improving efficiency and effectiveness
and to ensure best value.
- To enable young people to take responsibility for their
behaviour through Restorative Justice processes.
- To intervene early to support children, young people
and their families under circumstances in which a child
or young person is considered to be at significant risk
of developing offending behaviour.
- To promote positive parenting through the provision
of appropriate services.
- To improve community safety and, in so doing, reduce
the fear of youth crime and increase public confidence
in the youth justice system.
- To ensure that youth justice both influences and supports
implementation of the Antisocial Behaviour (Scotland)
Act 2004 and to assist with implementation of the new
powers as they impact on children, young people and families.
- To provide effective support to victims and ensure
they play a central role in the youth justice process.
- To implement a Communications Strategy that provides
for balanced reporting on progress in tackling youth
crime in Aberdeen, explains the youth justice system
in a way appropriate to all interested parties, contributes
to increased public confidence in the work being done
and provides a mechanism by which we can consult widely
to ensure that service developments continue to meet
real needs.
- To support front-line staff in the delivery of youth
justice services, identify training needs associated
with service development and new policy initiatives,
and to facilitate such training.
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Membership
Representation by all relevant agencies is vital
to the success of any multi-agency partnership, but there
is a danger that the groups may become too large to function
effectively. Across the groups, there are now many different
individuals and agencies involved and clear relationships
between the groups, each with their own specific remit,
have been drawn up to allow each to function effectively
within their own area of responsibility. Further information
regarding the remit of each group and sub-group can be
found in the following chapters of this website.
Within the Youth Justice Strategy Group and Operational
Youth Justice Services Team, currently represented are:
|
Strategy Group |
Operational
Services Team |
ACC Health and
Care (Children’s
Services) |
|
|
ACC Health and Care (Criminal Justice) |
|
|
ACC Community Services |
|
|
ACC Changing Children’s
Services |
|
|
ACC Culture and Learning (Schools) |
|
|
ACC Community Development (Community
Learning) |
|
|
Scottish Prison Service |
|
|
Grampian Police |
|
|
Procurator Fiscal |
|
|
Children’s
Reporter and Youth Justice Reporter |
|
|
Children’s
Panel |
|
|
NHS Grampian |
|
|
ACVO (represented by Aberdeen Foyer) |
|
|
APEX Scotland |
|
|
Barnardo’s |
|
|
Sacro |
|
|
Victim Support Scotland |
|
|
Established in 2005, the Youth Justice Practitioners Forum
brings together front-line practitioners working with children
and young people to provide a means for professional development
in regard to youth justice issues and to feedback practice
concerns to the Strategy Group. Membership of this group
potentially includes practitioners of any service working
with children, young people and families, but current members
include:
- Aberdeen City Council Children and Families Social
Work
- Aberdeen City Council Learning and Leisure
- Aberdeen City Council Youth Justice Fieldwork Team
- Aberdeen Foyer
- Apex Scotland
- Barnardo’s New Directions
- Grampian Police Youth Justice Management Unit
- NHS Grampian
- Sacro Youth Justice Service
- SCRA
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