Metropolitan Police Service Youth Strategy

Report: 6
Date: 25 October 2007
By: DAC Territorial Policing on behalf of the Commissioner

Summary

In accordance with the agreed timescales, MPS Management Board approved the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) Youth Strategy on 2 October 2007 following extensive consultation, both internally and externally.

The consultation ended on 17 September 2007. The Authority is now invited to endorse the MPS Youth Strategy, 'It is never too early, it is never too late', which incorporates the views of stakeholders, including young people themselves.

Following a briefing for MPA Members on 24 July 2007, the draft strategy was sent out for consultation to 150 stakeholders by DAC Territorial Policing, including the Home Office, Youth Justice Board, ACPO, MPS Directorates, all London Borough CDRPs and a plethora of partnership groups. Consultation also took place directly with young people. Forty-one written responses were received and overall were extremely supportive, with most comments relating to 'tone' or minor additions or omissions. None suggested major changes, and many of the suggestions made have been incorporated in the Strategy.

A. Recommendation

That members support and endorse the draft MPS Youth Strategy 2008-2010.

B. Supporting information

Background

1. On the 7 August 2007 the draft MPS Youth Strategy was sent out to over 150 external bodies for consultation. This included bodies such as the London Youth Justice Board, the London Youth Crime Prevention Board, Government Office for London (GOL), GLA, London Councils and Probation Service. The Met Advisory Youth Group was consulted and the strategy was sent to the GLAs Youth Advisory panel. In addition all Safer Schools Officers were asked to discuss the strategy in schools. It is acknowledged that there will be a need for continuing engagement with young people as the strategy and action plans continue to be developed and reviewed. This approach is being developed with the MPS Diversity and Citizen Focus Directorate (DCFD) to ensure that there is an ongoing process of youth involvement. This will link closely to the outreach work of the MPA Scrutiny through the proposed youth focus groups, to ensure that young people have a real and ongoing voice in how the strategy is delivered.

Feedback on the development of draft MPS Youth Strategy

2. The key areas highlighted in the feedback are set out below:

• The Government's 10 Year Strategy for young people and Local Area Agreements
  Following the recent publication of the Government's 10 Year Strategy for young people and guidance on the new Local Area Agreements (LAAs), the Home Office, Youth Justice Board and the London Youth Crime Prevention Board (LYCPB) asked that specific reference be made in the MPS Strategy of the need to co-ordinate local and pan-London delivery plans and allow the new LAAs to drive activity at a local level. This has been included.
• Partnership working and performance targets
  The importance of partnership working in terms of early intervention and prevention were felt to be of such significance that a further underpinning 'enabler' has been included in the strategy to deliver key areas of partnership working. This related specifically to dealing with young people at risk of becoming prolific violent offenders, victims of substance abuse and child trafficking. This will encourage key partners from the Youth Justice Board (YJB), Home Office, Government Office for London (GOL) and the Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) to play a significant and overt part in the delivery of the strategy. The LYCPB and the YJB have made a strong request for significant partnership targets to be included in the action plans.
• Drugs, substance misuse, mental health
  Youth Offending Team managers and Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership (CDRP) partners stressed the need to include substance misuse, the potential link between drugs dealing and serious violence, and the need to support victims of crime to break the progression of victims becoming offenders.
• Information sharing
  The Department for Children; Schools and Families (DCSF), YJB and Home Office emphasised the importance of information regarding young people being managed through the development of the Common Assessment Framework. The YJB emphasised that the effective assessment and management of risk need strong information sharing systems, as do the Prolific and Priority Offender, Prevent and Deter, MAPPA, and Youth Inclusion Panels (YISPs).
• Enhancing Youth Confidence in policing
  The MPA and CDRP respondents felt that it was critical to success that engagement with young people was meaningful and ongoing. Respondents felt that Youth Councils should be consulted on local policing plans. It was also felt that by improving the confidence young people have in policing this would enhance the flow of intelligence to prevent and detect crime.
• Race and Diversity
  A number of respondents felt that the strategy should be more explicit in relation to the MPSs commitment to diversity and equality, and the role of DCFD in ensuring engagement across business groups.
• MPA Youth Scrutiny
  The MPA has now published plans for a Scrutiny into Young People and Policing in the autumn of this year. It is considered that this will provide the MPS with an excellent opportunity to develop the action plans supporting the strands within the MPS Youth Strategy.

Action Plans and performance framework

3. Action plans are being developed for each of the Strategy's strands and enablers. These will be driven through the governance processes set out in the Strategy, within a performance framework currently under development, which will be signed off by the MPS Youth Strategy Board.

C. Race and equality impact

The equalities impact assessment has now been opened to reflect the consultation and feedback received to date. However, by definition, this draft MPS Youth Strategy will be focussed on the younger age group within which there are a range of race and other equalities issues. The impact of differential outcomes will be considered and closely monitored by each strand lead and overseen by the Youth Strategy Board.

D. Financial implications

1. The impact of the Childrens Act 2004 and particularly the implications in relation to 'Every Child Matters' (ECM) will be significant across the MPS. It has already been identified that IT systems need to change to cope with the new legal obligations of the Act, and the finances to support this change have already been agreed.

2. There will be a significant ECM training need across the MPS. The aim will be to meet the requirements for training/learning through briefings and other activity which can be delivered within existing budgets. However the training requirements need to be fully scoped and a definitive position will not be known until that is completed.

3. The MPS Youth Strategy and ECM will require the MPS to work differently in order to safeguard young people. This will require an agreement between different business groups that a certain amount of 'business change' will be required, but at the moment it is anticipated that initial changes identified can be accommodated from existing resources. However the implementation of this Strategy and the ECM agenda, will be constantly monitored and any programmes of work, as yet unidentified, that do require extra funding will be the subject of assessment and financial business planning processes.

E. Background papers

None

F. Contact details

Report authors: DAC Rose Fitzpatrick, Chief Superintendent Steve Bloomfield and Superintendent Adrian Rabot

For information contact:

MPA general: 020 7202 0202
Media enquiries: 020 7202 0217/18

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