Youth offending team staff are staying in touch with young people in custody despite the bad weather thanks to new video conferencing facilities.
The YJB's Wiring Up Youth Justice programme introduced video conferencing [opens in new window] as a pilot project late last year and as the cold snap causes severe disruption to roads and rail services, it is offering a vital line of communication to many.
The YJB hopes that video conferencing will improve the communication between youth justice case workers in the community and custody, who need to keep up to date on the progress of a young person.
Now, instead of travelling potentially long distances or incurring extra cost, those in the pilot areas that wish to speak to a young person simply need to visit their local youth offending team (YOT) who will have the technology available.
John Drew, chief executive of the YJB, said:
“It’s good that video conferencing is helping us maintain contact, despite the recent spell of bad weather. While there is certainly no substitute for face-to-face meetings with family members of carers, it is encouraging that video conferencing is helping us to lessen the impact for young people.”
Linda Broadley, Hull YOT, said:
“The video conferencing has been very much appreciated by practitioners during the last few weeks. Weather conditions in Yorkshire and Humberside have been dreadful and, although driving to meetings would not have been impossible, it would have certainly taken far longer than usual and would have been dangerous as well. This new practice has saved us more time than usual and has made work far less stressful for the practitioners involved.”
Robin Warford, information manager at Hackney YOT, said:
“The video conference facility has been a real benefit during the current weather conditions and has certainly been responsible for three meetings with young people occurring that would not have done so if we did not have it. This has enabled continuity of intervention and maintained relationships between the young person, the secure estate and Hackney YOT.
“Also one of those meetings had parents present which was especially important during the Christmas holidays. There was also a meeting with Wetherby YOI [Young Offender Institution] that occurred recently in the New Year that definitely would not have occurred as at that point Yorkshire was cut off by snow. The level of service offered to Hackney young people was unaffected thanks to the YJB’s video conference pilot.”
Notes to editors
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The Youth Justice Board for England and Wales (YJB) oversees the youth justice system in England and Wales. We work to prevent offending and reoffending by children and young people under the age of 18, and to ensure that custody for them is safe, secure, and addresses the causes of their offending behaviour.
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Specifically, we advise the Secretaries of State for Justice and for Children, Schools and Families on the operation of, and standards for, the youth justice system; monitor the performance of the youth justice system; purchase places for, and place, children and young people remanded or sentenced to custody; identify and promote effective practice; make grants to local authorities or other bodies to support the development of effective practice; commission research and publish information.
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Wiring Up Youth Justice was developed by the YJB in 2006/07 and started a year later as a three year programme to deliver change within the youth justice system using information and communications technology (ICT). In particular, the programme has focused on improving information sharing, ensuring that a variety of different bodies – including youth offending teams (YOTs), the secure estate, the police and private providers – can exchange information about young people securely, accurately and efficiently. For further information, visit the Wiring Up Youth Justice website [opens in new window].
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The video conferencing pilot commenced in July 2009 with the teams below taking part. They were selected for their interest in increasing video conference usage having been part of the original pilot:
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Plymouth and Cardiff YOTs working with Ashfield YOI and Hillside Secure Children's Home
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Hackney YOT working with Feltham YOI and Warren Hill YOI
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Sheffield and Hull YOTs working with Wetherby YOI
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