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Safe and Sound

East Sussex Youth Crime Prevention Strategy 2009-2012

For more information please contact:

East Sussex Safer Communities Partnership St Mary’s House

6th Floor 52 St Leonard’s Road

Eastbourne BN21 3UU

www.safeineastsussex.org.uk

“The great majority of young people make a positive contribution to society.”

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Safe and Sound East Sussex Youth Crime Prevention Strategy2009-2012

ContentsForeword Page 2

The East Sussex Youth Crime Prevention Strategy

• Local Profile Page 4

• Prevention Page 5

• Early Intervention Page 6

• Developing the Strategy Page 6

• Equality Impact Assessment Page 7

• Aims and Objectives Page 8

• Anti-Social Behaviour Page 9

Planned Activity

• Enforcement and Punishment Page 10

• Non-negotiable Support and Challenge Page 10

• Better and Earlier Prevention Page 11

Links to other Plans and Strategies Page 12

Monitoring and Review of the Strategy Page 13

Acknowledgements Page 16

Appendices

Appendix I: Action Plan – Detailing the action we will take to implement the Youth Crime Prevention Strategy.

Youth Crime Prevention Strategy 2009-2012 Background Document – This document provides a detailed analysis of local data; results of consultation with young people; what we are currently doing to prevent youth crime and anti-social behaviour; and links to other plans and strategies.

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Foreword

Community safety is a top priority for all of the organisations working together in East Sussex. We also want all of our young people to thrive and lead rewarding lives.

Safe and Sound, our new Youth Crime Prevention Strategy draws together the activity and ambitions of a range of organisations working together to prevent young people getting involved in and being victims of crime in the first place.

We are extremely proud of this new strategy and the huge amount of work that has gone into making sure that we have a coherent and joined up approach to preventing youth crime, based on the Government’s triple track approach. Too often, agencies have concentrated their resources on dealing with problems once they have already occurred, rather than taking a preventative approach.

We believe that the strategy objectives, once achieved, will continue to make East Sussex an even safer place to live and enable our young people to achieve their potential.

Cllr Bob TidyLead Member for Community Services

Cllr Keith GlazierLead Member for Children’s Services

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The East Sussex Youth Crime Prevention Strategy The Youth Crime Prevention Strategy for East Sussex has been developed on a multi-agency basis with the following aims:

• To prevent children and young people from becoming involved in crime and anti-social behaviour

• To help change the behaviour of those young people who have offended

• To prevent young people from being victims of crime and

• To improve perceptions of anti-social behaviour and reassure the public.

The strategy looks at children and young people between the ages of 0-17 years old. In East Sussex children and young people in this age group make up 20.5% of the population1.

Reducing the numbers of young people involved in crime is a key priority locally; it has been identified as a target in the East Sussex Local Area Agreement2 and the East Sussex Community Safety Agreement3.

The multi-agency Children and Young People’s Trust is a partnership that brings together those organisations working to improve the support available to children and young people and their families in East Sussex. The Children and Young People’s Plan (CYPP) sets out shared objectives for improving outcomes for children and young people in East Sussex.

This Youth Crime Prevention Strategy supports a number of shared objectives of the CYPP and will further develop our work to prevent young people from being affected by crime and anti-social behaviour. A detailed look at how this strategy supports and contributes to the CYPP priorities under the Every Child Matters Outcomes can be found in the Youth Crime Prevention Strategy Background Document.

1 Source: Population Estimates Unit, Office for National Statistics; Crown Copyright.

2 The East Sussex Local Area Agreement 2008-2011 include National Indicator 19, which refers to the rate of proven re-offending by young offenders.

3 The East Sussex Community Safety Agreement (April 2009- March 2010) includes the priorities: to reduce anti-social behaviour and improve perceptions; and prevent youth crime.

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Local ProfileThe majority of young people do not engage in crime or anti-social behaviour. In fact, the Government estimates that just 5% of young people are responsible for over half of youth crime4. The great majority of young people make a positive contribution to society.

Aiming High for Young People5 highlights that young people today are faced with the challenge of growing up in a culture that has widespread negative perceptions of youth.

Barnardo’s, the national children’s charity, highlights the fact that most children are not troublesome. They attend school, take part in activities and many volunteer in their communities. Despite this, society has the perception that children are responsible for a significant amount of anti-social behaviour and crime, and is becoming increasingly intolerant6. Comparisons of the Local Government User Satisfaction Survey results (Best Value Performance Indicator Survey) between 2003/04 and 2006/07 shows perceptions of crime improving significantly except for ‘teenagers hanging around on the street’7.

This strategy acknowledges that only a small minority of young people are involved in crime, but that it is important to help prevent young people who are at risk of being involved. This is because of the impact and damage crime and anti-social behaviour can have on their lives (as we know crime is associated with a range of poor economic and social outcomes) and on communities, because of the consequences of crime8.

In East Sussex there was a reduction of over 6% in the number of first-time entrants to the Youth Justice System between 2005/06 and 2007/08, which was in line with national trends (see table 1). Provisional data for 2008/09 indicate that there has been a further significant reduction in first-time entrants in East Sussex.

4 Government Youth Crime Action Plan pg 4

5 Department for Children Schools and Families: Aiming High for Young People: A Ten Year Strategy for Positive Activities Implementation Plan (March 2008)

6 www.barnardos.org.uk

7 BVPI General Survey 2003-2004 / 2006-2007

8 Government’s Impact Assessment of the Youth Crime Action Plan pg 3

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Table 1: Number of First Time Entrants to the Youth Justice System

Year Youth Offending Team data for East Sussex

Youth Justice Board National Data

2005/06 (Baseline Year) 989 885792006/07 842 888732007/08 928 826742008/09 719 (provisional data) Not yet available

In partnership we have developed this Youth Crime Prevention Strategy, in order to build on the work that is taking place to prevent children and young people in East Sussex from becoming involved in criminal and anti-social behaviour.

The recent East Sussex Strategic Assessment (November 2008) looked at the potential impact of the economic downturn on crime and disorder in East Sussex. It highlighted the potential impact the recession may have on young people in terms of a possible increase in the relative cost of entertainment. It also highlighted the potential impact of any significant worsening of the economic climate which could put charities at risk, including those reaching out to young people. Both of these could lead to an increase in anti-social behaviour or perceived anti-social behaviour. The impact of the economic downturn on youth offending and anti-social behaviour will continue to be an important area to monitor, and we will work pro-actively to prevent any increases in youth crime as a result of any changing economic circumstances.

For a more detailed look at local data please see the Youth Crime Prevention Strategy Background Document.

Prevention

One of the best and most cost-effective ways to reduce youth crime is to prevent young people from getting into trouble in the first place.

The Home Office estimated the cost of crime against individuals and households at around £36bn in 2003/04 (Dubourg et al 2005). Young people aged 10-16 years are thought to be responsible for a total cost in the region of £6bn per year (including crime against business and the public sector)9.

9 The Government’s Impact Assessment of the Youth Crime Action Plan, July 2008.

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In 1996 the National Audit Office (National Audit Office, 1996, Misspent Youth) estimated that the annual funding of services directly involved with young offenders was around £1 billion. There are also high long-term costs to young people committing crime because we know that crime is associated with a range of poor economic and social outcomes10.

Preventing youth crime can therefore reduce these economic and social costs. We can achieve this by dealing with those problems that make it more likely young people will commit crime or anti-social behaviour11.

Early Intervention

Where we are unsuccessful in preventing young people becoming involved in crime there is local evidence (see the Youth Crime Prevention Strategy Background Document) which suggests that re-offending rates are much lower for young people who are involved in the early stages of the youth justice system (receiving a reprimand, final warning or anti-social behaviour measures). This adds further weight to the importance of early intervention work.

Developing the Strategy

In developing this strategy a scoping consultation and initial mapping exercise were undertaken. This highlighted the valuable contributions made by a range of partners and agencies in East Sussex to the prevention of youth crime and anti-social behaviour (see Youth Crime Prevention Strategy Background Document). The strategy outlines our priorities for the coming three years in order to further our work in a more co-ordinated and consistent way.

There have been a number of significant reviews of service provision taking place as this strategy has been developed, including a strategic review of Youth Development Service work in East Sussex and a new Youth Homelessness Strategy. Where possible these have been appropriately referred to within the action plan.

An important part of developing this strategy has been to ensure that a wide range of partners and stakeholders were given the opportunity to comment and express their views.

A draft of the strategy was produced and consulted on between January and March 2009 with an extensive range of partner agencies and partnerships.

In addition a total of nine focus groups were held with young people across East Sussex in order to ask them why they think some young people get involved in crime and anti-social behaviour, and what they think we should do to try and prevent children and young people from becoming involved in crime and anti-social behaviour. The results of the consultation with young people can be found in the Youth Crime Prevention Strategy Background Document. The feedback from our consultation has been used to ensure that the strategy reflects the views of a range of partners and young people from across East Sussex.

10 The Government’s Impact Assessment of the Youth Crime Action Plan, July 2008.

11 Youth Justice Board www.yjb.gov.uk/en-gb/yjs/Prevention/

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Equality Impact Assessment

In delivering this Youth Crime Prevention Strategy partners are committed to providing services that are fair and accessible and equality is central to the work we do.

We have undertaken an equality impact assessment which looked at the potential positive and negative impacts that the Youth Crime Prevention Strategy and the actions within it may have on different groups of people. Through this process we identified actions we need to take in delivering this strategy in order to address any issues faced by particular groups of young people. These include:

• To collect equality monitoring data where possible to inform future equality impact assessments

• Future consultation and engagement activity should seek to use mechanisms which allow the views of young people from different groups to be heard

• Where possible actions/ priorities should be tailored to the needs of the individual, taking into account their needs and circumstances, and offering facilities and services that are appropriate and take account of cultural difference.

• Key staff delivering the priorities within the action plan will be required, where relevant, to take part in equality training.

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Aims and Objectives

The Government’s Youth Crime Action Plan (July 2008) details actions the Government will take to tackle youth crime. It sets out a ‘triple track’ approach of enforcement and punishment, non-negotiable support and challenge, and better and earlier prevention. These cross-cutting themes cover the entire spectrum of youth crime – from early identification and prevention at root level, right through to tackling and addressing unacceptable behaviour, enforcement, justice, custody and resettlement.

The overall aim of this strategy is for partner agencies to work together to help prevent children and young people from becoming involved in crime and anti-social behaviour, to help change the behaviour of those young people who have offended, to prevent young people from being victims of crime and to improve perceptions of anti-social behaviour and reassure the public.

The aims of the East Sussex Youth Crime Prevention Strategy reflect the key aims of the Government’s Youth Crime Action Plan which are:

• To reduce the number of young people entering the criminal justice system for the first time by preventing youth offending

• To reduce re-offending by young people

• To build public confidence, supporting victims and making children and young people safer; and

• To ensure that young people in the youth justice system achieve the five Every Child Matters outcomes to give them the best chance to turn their lives around12.

12 Youth Crime Action Plan, 2008, para 2.6

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We have taken the actions set out in the Government’s Youth Crime Action Plan to tackle youth crime under the ‘triple track’ approach and assessed these against what we already know locally about young people and crime, and the work that we are already doing.

As a result we have identified 34 priorities in this first Youth Crime Prevention Strategy for East Sussex. These are set out below under the ‘triple track’ themes of: enforcement and punishment; support and challenge; and better and earlier prevention.

Anti-Social Behaviour

This Youth Crime Prevention Strategy seeks to prevent not only young people’s involvement in crime but also anti-social behaviour.

Anti-social behaviour is defined in the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 as ‘…a manner that caused or was likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress to one or more persons not of the same household...’

In October 2008 the Government Office for the South East (GOSE) undertook an anti-social behaviour gap analysis questionnaire in order to understand better the needs of partners in preventing and tackling anti-social behaviour and improving associated perceptions.

This analysis has shown that there is a lot of work taking place to help reduce anti-social behaviour in East Sussex. The analysis has also identified some potential areas for improved partnership work; in particular we would like to explore methods to strengthen the way the Safer Communities Partnership shares best practice and provides peer support through information sharing. This will form the basis for actions taken forward in 2009/10 through the development of an East Sussex Anti-Social Behaviour Forum.

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Planned activity

The Enforcement and Punishment:

• Strengthen our partnership approach to identifying and targeting young offenders in order to prevent offending or anti-social behaviour and stop young offenders from becoming prolific offenders, through local Prevent and Deter groups.

• Investigate and implement ways of improving support for young people after their sentence has come to an end.

• Investigate the benefits of expanding restorative justice in schools.

• Take action to tackle the lack of suitable and stable accommodation for those transferring to the community following a custodial sentence.

• Increase the level of active engagement by young people in suitable full-time education, training or employment at the end of their Youth Offending Team intervention, particularly amongst those of statutory school-age.

• Give the public the chance to identify what reparation work they would like young people on community sentences to carry out and tell the community when this has taken place.

• Continue to publicise the benefits and success of other forms of community punishment, so that local people have more opportunity to see that action is being taken to tackle youth offending.

• Monitor the benefits of the Youth Offending Team (YOT) Challenge and Support Officer being based in Hastings Police Station to see if a YOT officer should be based in Eastbourne Police Station.

Non-negotiable Support and Challenge:

• Investigate the reasons why young people are at a higher risk of being a victim of certain types of crime and identify ways to help tackle the issues.

• Ensure that all parents who would benefit from parenting support are offered it (when a child is at risk of offending, has offended or receives an anti-social behaviour order).

• Identify ways to increase intensive family intervention across East Sussex.

• Neighbourhood policing teams to include young people in their consultations about policing priorities.

• Youth Offending Team (YOT) and Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships (CDRPs) to continue to develop ways to engage effectively with young people affected by crime.

• Consult young offenders on key youth crime prevention issues.

• Involve parents and carers in the development of youth crime prevention work.

• Investigate the impact and current service provision for children and families of offenders in custody.

• Ensure Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs) link punishment with behaviour related interventions, parenting contracts/orders and fines.

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Better and Earlier Prevention:

• Complete a detailed mapping (including resource mapping) of local services which tackle the known risk and protective factors associated with youth crime and anti-social behaviour.

• Reduce the level of alcohol consumed by young people.

• Reduce levels of substance misuse by young people.

• Reduce the numbers of young people not in education, employment and training (NEETs) to 5.4% by November 2010- January 2011 (3 month average) from a baseline of 8% in 2006/07.

• Take action to reduce homelessness of young people through the new East Sussex Youth Homelessness Strategy.

• Sustain the reduction in the number of Looked After Children who offend.

• Work with partners to help ensure a consistent approach to assessment, early identification and targeted support across East Sussex.

• Work with the Children’s Trust to embed a common approach to sharing information about individual children, young people and families so as to improve the support they receive.

• Aim to provide activities at times and places which are convenient to young people.

• Identify where detached youth services should seek out and engage young people who are at risk of getting involved in anti-social or criminal behaviour.

• Provide young people and parents with information about dangers and risks so that they can protect themselves from crime and feel safer.

• Reduce the negative public perception of young people by celebrating the achievements of the majority.

• Identify ways to invest in third sector capacity to reduce crime and improve outcomes for young people.

• Continue to monitor and implement emerging evidence of best practice from national agencies in youth crime prevention.

• Monitor the impact of the economic downturn on youth offending and work pro-actively to prevent any increases in youth offending and anti-social behaviour, as a result of changing economic circumstances.

• Develop stronger prevention messages to young people showing the reality of the criminal pathway.

• Investigate how positive activities link into Acceptable Behaviour Contracts (ABCs), Acceptable Behaviour Agreements (ABAs) and Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs) and how we monitor, evaluate and report on these options.

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Links to other plans and strategies

There are many national and local strategies which can be seen to link to or support the East Sussex Youth Crime Prevention Strategy, in particular the Government’s Youth Crime Action Plan and Children’s Plan and the East Sussex Children and Young People’s Plan and, Safer Communities Agreement.

An important part of taking forward this multi-agency Youth Crime Prevention Strategy will be to ensure that the appropriate links to other action plans are monitored where they cover the youth crime prevention agenda and embed the key actions of this strategy into the local Children and Young People’s Plan and Safer Communities Agreement. More information on the links to other plans can be found in the Youth Crime Prevention Strategy Background Document.

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Monitoring and Review of the Strategy

The multi-agency Youth Crime Prevention Strategy Group will guide the implementation of this strategy and action plan. The strategy group is chaired by the Head of Youth Offending Service and the Safer Communities Manager for East Sussex who will report to the Youth Offending Team Chief Officers Group and the East Sussex Safer Communities Steering Group.

Progress in meeting the aims of this strategy will be monitored against a number of national performance indicators and other measures as set out in the table below:

Objectives Key measures of success

Related indicators

To prevent children and young people from becoming involved in crime and anti-social behaviour

• Reduction in the number of first time entrants to the Youth Justice System aged 10–17 (NI 111).

• Reduction in the number of incidents of Anti-Social Behaviour by children and young people reported to the police.

• NI 87: Secondary school persistent absence rate

• NI 110: Young people’s participation in positive activities.

• NI 114: Rate of permanent exclusions from school.

• NI 115: Substance misuse by young people.

• NI 117: 16 to 18 year olds who are not in education, employment or training.

• Number of young people engaging in the ‘Challenge and Support’ project in Hastings.

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Related indicators

To help change the behaviour of those young people who have offended

• Reduction in the rate of proven re-offending by young offenders (NI 19).

• Number of ‘Individual Support Orders’ issued.

• Compliance with ABAs/ABCs/ASBOs.

• NI 43: Young people within the Youth Justice System receiving a conviction in court who are sentenced to custody

• NI 44: Ethnic composition of offenders on Youth Justice System disposals

• NI 45: Young offenders’ engagement in suitable education, training and employment

• NI 46: Young offenders’ access to suitable accommodation

• NI 110: Young people’s participation in positive activities.

• NI 114: Rate of permanent exclusions from school.

• NI 115: Substance misuse by young people.

• NI 117: 16 to 18 year olds who are not in education, employment or training.

To prevent young people from being victims of crime

• Reduction in the number of young people aged between 10 and 17 who are victims of crime.

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Related indicators

To improve perceptions of anti-social behaviour and reassure the public

Improve public perceptions measured through the following national performance indicators (NIs): • NI 17: Perceptions of

anti-social behaviour.

• NI 21: Dealing with local concerns about anti-social behaviour and crime issues by the local council and police.

• NI 22: Perceptions of parents taking responsibility for the behaviour of their children in the area.

• NI 23: Perceptions that people in the area treat one another with respect and consideration.

• NI 27: Understanding of local concerns about anti-social behaviour and crime issues by the local council and police.

NI = National Indicator

The key to the success of this first Youth Crime Prevention Strategy is for partner agencies to work together effectively to ensure young people and their parents/carers receive the joined up support and challenge they need to turn their lives around.

The progress of actions contained within the action plan will be reported on an exception basis to the strategy group. The action plan will be reviewed on an annual basis.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the members of the Youth Crime Prevention Strategy Group who collectively worked on the development of the strategy. The group includes representation from:

• East Sussex Children’s Services

• East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service

• East Sussex Safer Communities Team

• East Sussex Youth Offending Team

• Sussex Police

• Local Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships

We would also like to thank all partners who responded to the consultation of the draft strategy.

We would like to say a special thank you to the groups of young people who volunteered to give up their time to speak with us. Their contributions have been extremely valuable in developing the final strategy.

For more information please contact:

East Sussex Safer Communities Partnership St Mary’s House6th Floor 52 St Leonard’s RoadEastbourne BN21 3UUwww.safeineastsussex.org.uk

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