Work to help young offenders nominated for national award
Dudley Council has been shortlisted for a national award for its work in helping to rehabilitate young offenders.
The local authority’s youth justice service has developed an online assessment tool to determine how much work and intervention is needed when working with children committing low-level crimes.
The team has made it to the final three – whittled down from a shortlist of 15 – for the Butler Trust’s Kathy Biggar Trophy.
The award from the Trust – which celebrates the best in youth justice, probation and UK prisons - is for “notable practice in a community setting”.
Launched in April, the tool helps staff to gain a fuller picture of the needs and characteristics of a young person and develop, tailor, and focus services for them more effectively.
It also allows young people to take part in the assessment process and captures their wishes and feelings.
The service was developed in-house by the team, with the overall aim of ultimately preventing young people from reoffending.
Councillor Ruth Buttery, cabinet member for children’s services, said:
I am so very proud of our Youth Justice Service, and so pleased they have received national recognition for their young people focused work.
The tool that they have developed is allowing us to learn better as a service in regard to what works well and not so well for our young people. I am delighted the tool is helping to engage young people better in our assessment process.
Of course, this is all aligned with our Child Friendly Dudley aspirations to becoming a Child Friendly borough, where every child has the right to grow up in an environment where they feel safe to play, learn and grow. A place where they have access to public services and where their voice is heard and matters.
Dudley Youth Justice Service will be making the assessment tool available to colleagues for free across the country.