This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Report on youth offending published
06/11/2003
Audit Scotland today published Dealing with offending by
young people - a follow up report.
Justice Minister Cathy Jamieson called on all agencies
with a responsibility to deliver youth justice services to
renew their efforts to tackle the problem of youth crime
and make our communities safer.
Ms Jamieson said:
"I welcome the findings of today's Audit Scotland
report. They play a key part in the annual drive to
monitor and improve performance throughout the youth
justice system.
"Our youth justice system can only be effective if all
those involved play their part, fully and timeously. I
know that many individuals and communities feel that the
system still lets them down - they feel they are seeing the
same young faces wreaking havoc in their streets night
after night with nothing apparently being done about
it.
"This report shows that action is being taken - but not
yet consistently or effectively in all parts of the
country. We are providing record levels of resources to
local authorities and agencies, including extra social
workers who are now coming through the system.
"However this report shows that there is still scope for
improvements both in the efficiency of local programmes and
their effectiveness in reducing re-offending. So I expect
local agencies to take very seriously the findings and
recommendations of this report and to act on them.
"The Executive will lead this renewed drive - but it
will take local commitment and local efforts to deliver the
kind of system that local communities expect. I intend to
meet with all local authority Chief Executives very soon to
discuss this report, what needs to change to raise our
collective game, and how best to accelerate progress in
these key areas. I will also raise the issue at my next
meeting with the Association of Chief Police Officers
Scotland (ACPOS).
"Quite simply, the delays identified in this report
hinder our shared aim of dealing with youth offending
effectively and, until they are tackled, of making our
communities safer.
"The report also supports our national efforts to build
the quality and range of services within local authorities
and other agencies to tackle offending. It identifies key
issues about performance monitoring and management that
need more work and better, more consistent results.
Rightly, these national recommendations rest with the
Executive - recommendations we both accept and welcome in
our drive to secure excellence in this vital area of our
public services.
"We are committed to leading those efforts in
partnership with police, local authorities, the hearings
system and voluntary organisations. Together, and only
together, will we deliver a safer, stronger Scotland."
Dealing with offending by young people - a follow up
report was compiled by Audit Scotland and is available on
their website at
www.audit-scotland.gov.uk
The recommendations aimed at the Executive relate to the
monitoring and evaluation of youth justice services. The
Executive welcome these recommendations and the
contribution that Audit Scotland, as our national rigorous
audit body, makes to the annual assessment of quantity of
service and we do not look to replicate their valuable
work. Their work supplements the Executive's own mapping
work on service availability.
The Executive's proposals for the development of
evaluation and accreditation for youth justice, as well as
the framework we are developing for multi-disciplinary
inspection of children's services will improve our
knowledge of the quality of youth justice services.
The first inspection of adult criminal justice social
work services has been completed and a report will be
available by the end of this year.
There has been significant investment in youth justice
services including:
• Funding for local authority youth justice services
has increased from £5m to £10m in 2003-04 and will rise to
£15m by 2005-06.
• £11.1m invested over four years to improve the
range and quality of community based services through the
Youth Crime Prevention Fund.
• £9.3m over four years for alternatives to secure
and increasing the quality of secure through the Intensive
Support Fund.
• Significant resources to implement the youth crime
action plan, £7.8m in 2002-03 rising to £13.7m in 2005-06.
• £10m fund being set up to support local action and
initiatives to divert young people away from crime (a
Partnership Agreement commitment)
• Further investment will be forthcoming as part of
the £65m the Executive has set aside to support
implementation of the Anti-social Behaviour strategy.
• Total youth justice investment by 2005-06 expected
to be around £60m across Scotland