Agenda item

The report was introduced by Carmel Littleton, Corporate Director of Children, Employment and Skills; and Laura Eden, Director of Youth and Communities.

The following main points were noted in the discussion:

·         The number of new entrants to the criminal justice system had decreased, however the rate of reoffending had increased. It was commented that there was a small but significant cohort of young people who were very entrenched in criminal behaviours.

·         The number of custodial sentences for young people was higher than the previous year. Officers had reviewed all of the sentences given and agreed that they were appropriate given the seriousness of the offences, which were generally violent. 

·         In response to a question, it was advised that black males were over represented in the criminal justice system. It was advised that the Youth Justice Management Board would be carrying out a project on disproportionality and addressing discrimination of black males.

·         It was queried if the young offenders had previously been excluded from school. In response, officers could not confirm if the young offenders currently in the system had been excluded or not, but pupils in mainstream school were less likely to offend than those in pupil referral units.

·         Officers commented on the increase in the number of young people missing from care. The council was working closely with the Police and received a weekly update on all cases. It was advised that most young people who went missing from care kept in touch with a parent or professional.

·         In response to a question, it was advised that the most common age for a young person to go missing from care was at 16 or 17 years old. The council was working with foster carers and other care providers on when it was appropriate and necessary to report a young person as missing; it was reported that some young people had previously been reported as missing when they were simply late home.

·         Officers commented that persistent absence from primary school was an issue in nine schools. It was a long-term issue in three of those. It was reported that some persistent absence was attributable to health issues and officers were working with health colleagues on such cases. In other instances, it was necessary to make a referral to early help services.

·         It was reported that the primary schools with high levels of persistent absence generally did not issue fines to parents for non-attendance.

·         A new attendance tracking tool had been developed and would be implemented by schools.

·         The Committee received an update on the work to narrow the gap in attainment between Black-Caribbean pupils and the remainder of the cohort. It was advised that efforts to close the gap had been stepped up, a plan with clear priorities had been developed, and meetings were being held every half term. Equalities would be the theme of the upcoming head teachers conference. Officers had arranged training sessions on cultural bias for head teachers, deputy heads and other school staff.

It was agreed that the remainder of the item be deferred to the next meeting.