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APPENDIX

Interviews with professionals

Hamilton: first round of interviews

• 3 of the sheriffs who sat in the Youth Court
• 3 Procurators Fiscal
• 5 defence solicitors who had represented clients in the Youth Court
• 8 police officers from diverse ranks and roles (duty officer, case management, shift inspector, and community constable)
• the principal sheriff clerk, the clerk responsible for criminal business and the dedicated Youth Court depute
• the Youth Court Co-ordinator
• 2 Reporters to the Children's Hearings System
• 3 social work managers, one team leader and 4 social workers

Hamilton: second round of interviews

• 5 Sheriffs including 4 who sat in the Youth Court and one non-Youth Court Sheriff
• the Youth Court Co-ordinator and Deputy Co-ordinator
• 9 police officers including a senior officer, station Inspector, 2 case markers, a custody Sergeant (duty officer) and 4 community officers
• 3 Procurators Fiscal
• 2 Reporters to the Children's Hearings System
• 3 clerks to the Court
• 10 social work managers and practitioners including the Criminal Justice Managers in North and South Lanarkshire, the co-ordinator for young people at risk/youth justice, a senior social worker; 5 social workers (2 based in South Lanarkshire and 3 in North Lanarkshire) and the court social worker
• 5 defence agents who had represented clients in the Youth Court
• employees of 2 non-statutory organisations working with young people involved with the Youth Court

Airdrie: first rounds of interviews

• 4 Sheriffs from Airdrie Sheriff Court
• the clerk and sheriff clerk
• the Youth Court Co-ordinator and Deputy Co-ordinator
• 9 social work managers and practitioners (including the Children and Families and Justice Manager, Youth Justice Co-ordinator, court social worker and 6 social workers)
• 3 Procurators Fiscal
• 5 police officers
• one Reporter to the Children's Hearings System
• 5 defence agents

Airdrie: second round of interviews

• 4 Sheriffs
• the clerk
• the Youth Court Co-ordinator and Deputy Co-ordinator
• 9 social work staff (including the Depute Head of Social Work Services; the Youth Justice co-ordinator for Lanarkshire, 2 court social workers, 3 youth justice social workers and 2 group workers)
• one reporter to the Children's Hearings System
• 3 Defence Agents
• 2 Procurators Fiscal
• 10 police officers (including 2 duty officers, 2 case management officers, a Chief Inspector, a Superintendent, 2 community officers and 2 court officers)

EXISTING AND PLANNED SERVICES: NORTH LANARKSHIRE

• OINTOC (Offending Is Not The Only Choice) - Intensive 13 week individual or group cognitive behavioural programme focussing on recognition of problems, problem solving, examining options and consequences, lifestyle choices, thinking morality, dilemmas and victim awareness. Provided by Community Alternatives, Coatbridge since May 2005.
• Rushes -Provides information, advice and support for young people to reduce problematic use of drugs and or alcohol. Based in Bellshill. Social work resource, mainline funded since 2000.
• DROP programme (Drink Related Offenders Programme) - A 10 week harm reduction programme which focuses on the criminogenic implications of alcohol use. Provided by Community Alternatives, Coatbridge since October 2005.
• Placement Coach Services - Offers support to motivate and facilitate young people to uptake employment opportunities and training. Provided by Community Alternatives, Coatbridge since May 2005.
• A remand fostering scheme - Offers support in living arrangements to young people placed on remand by the court. Social work resource, funded since 2004.
• Family group conferences -Restorative and supportive meetings including the victim or their representative, the offender and their family. To facilitate identifying problematic issues and engendering discussion. Provided by SACRO.
• Restorative Justices Services - integrated with the Community Service Order scheme, this will provide individual and group work programmes and restorative placement opportunities to young people whose orders include a condition of community reparation.
• Video Interactive Guidance - working with parents and young people where relationships are stressed or broken down. The project will build upon and enhance positive interaction between parent and young person.
• INCLUDEM - an intensive all hours support service for young people.
• Anger Management Programme
• Active Steps programme - Promotes positive behaviour to help tackle truancy and exclusion from school. Promotes social inclusion and improves opportunities to improve health through sporting and cultural programmes. North Lanarkshire leisure department provides application form.
• Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme
• SACRO Reparation and Mediation Scheme - this is primarily used where the Fiscal diverts cases from prosecution to social work services, although it may be used as an element of Youth Court work.

EXISTING AND PLANNED SERVICES: SOUTH LANARKSHIRE

1. Bail and Accommodation Support

A service was being commissioned for those young people who require support to live in the community. Expressions of interest had been sought from interested providers. The service was expected to become available during Autumn 2003, however local political opposition to the plans had delayed the introduction of this service.

2. Intensive Support Services

South Lanarkshire Council already commission INCLUDEM to provide services to chaotic young people who need support outwith normal working hours and who are at high risk of custody, secure care or residential school. The average cost per placement is £5,200. This service has been in place since 2000. It works with 58 young people (contracted numbers on a year by year basis for both North and South Lanarkshire) but the cumulative number of actual service users will be less as some young people require more than a year's input.

3. Pathway

Pathway has been developed by the Youth Justice Board and offers a structured approach to working with young people who offend. South Lanarkshire staff intended it to be used with young people subject to a probation order or structured deferred sentence.

Pro-social Action & Thinking Way provides a comprehensive modular cognitive-behavioural programme to address offending behaviour. It can be delivered either to individuals or groups. The programme is suitable for the 10-18 year old range. There are over 70 sessions in total, but each module can stand alone to enable flexibility in delivery. The modules are:

working it out - 10 sessions which use the ideal building block approach to enable young people to develop skills in problem solving - consequential thinking, information gathering, decision making, etc.;

learning new skills - social skills training, providing young people with the opportunity to develop the essential pro-social life skills necessary for the improvement in interpersonal relationships;

thinking things through - 10 sessions to facilitate skills in social perspective taking, values enhancement, understanding attitudes and skills in self regulation;

considering others - 10 sessions to teach skills which underpin empathic thinking and behaviour;

working with others - sessions to develop co-operation with others, followed by project work to engage in and practice pro-social behaviours, which provides the opportunity for youth justice teams to develop links between the programme and other areas such as work with families, mentoring and reparation.

4. Restorative Justice

Restorative Justice is expected to form an integral part of work with young people. There are different forms of service available:

• SACRO Reparation and Mediation Scheme: operational from 2002, this work is normally undertaken as diversion from prosecution for low-risk offenders, but in the context of the Youth Court could be used as part of programmed activity. It involves the young person (subject to the victim's agreement) providing some form of reparation directly or indirectly to the victim. The average cost of an intervention is £800. In 2002-03, 49 young people completed a programme.
• Community Service: this can be a specific disposal of the court. A community service resource assistant will develop options relevant to young people, and will work alongside the Youth Court social workers to develop appropriate in-house reparative packages as part of programmed activity.
• Giveback: is a scheme developed by INCLUDEM, which aims to raise victim empathy and involve the young person in appropriate reparative activities. It is aimed at the most persistent and chaotic group of young offenders.

5. Befriending, Mentoring and Throughcare

This service will be commissioned from the independent sector. It recognises that young people can desist from offending when involved in programmed activity but may require support to sustain pro-social behaviour after completing the order. The aim of this service is to support social inclusion - encouraging young people to engage in community based activities including positive use of leisure, employment, training and education.

6. Support to Parents and Carers

South Lanarkshire Council is developing appropriate support services to parents which will also be available, where relevant, to those appearing before the Youth Court. As part of the wider development of family support services, young people who themselves are parents will also have access to relevant support services.

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