Issue - meetings

The Panel considered the report of the Executive Director - Children and Learning providing an update on the performance of the Youth Justice Service in Southampton.

Councillor Winning - Cabinet Member for Children and Learning, Rob Henderson - Executive Director for Children’s Services and Learning, Tim Nelson - Head of Young People’s Services and Anna Harbridge - Youth Service Manager were in attendance and, with the consent of the Chair, addressed the meeting.

The Panel discussed a number of points including:

• The improving picture regarding youth offending outcomes in Southampton and the effectiveness of the Youth Justice Service.
• The reduction in the number of children and young people from Southampton in custody compared to 2023.
• The positive impact of the alternative to custody packages and its impact on court decisions regarding offenders being remanded to custody.
• The reduction in caseloads for Youth Justice Service case holders following the appointment of additional case managers.
• The increasing effectiveness of the Safe City Partnership’s response to serious incidents in the city.
• That, despite the cohort of the Youth Justice Serving having the worst attainment outcomes and attendance outcomes of young people in Southampton, the Panel noted some encouraging and welcome actions and approaches being delivered to support improved education outcomes for young offenders in the city.
• The data lag that exists for Youth Justice performance indicators. 

RESOLVED  That, reflecting current poor outcomes and the actions being undertaken to improve performance, the Panel is provided with the updated education outcomes for young people in Southampton involved with the Youth Justice System once the national comparator data is available.