Keeping Parliament Informed

The All Party Parliamentary Group for Children has held two meetings in October:

Monday 22 October: Youth Justice and Every Child Matters: youth offending teams and children’s trusts with speakers Larry Wright (Head of Youth Offending Services at Hammersmith and Fulham Council), Di Hart (Principal Officer – Youth Justice and Welfare, NCB), and Graham Robb (Interim Chair, Youth Justice Board)

Tuesday 23 October: ‘Seen and Heard’ Children’s Event in Parliament, sponsored by the BT Better World Campaign, with panel members Kevin Brennan MP (Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, DCSF); Michael Gove MP (Conservative Shadow Children, Schools and Families Secretary); Baroness Walmsley (Liberal Democrat Spokesperson of Children, Schools and Families in the Lords); and Baroness Howarth of Breckland (a cross-bench Peer and Officer of the APPGC)

Youth Justice and Every Child Matters: youth offending teams and children’s trusts

On Monday 22 October, the APPGC held the last of a series of meetings on the impact of the Every Child Matters programme on other sectors that affect children and young people. The meeting was an opportunity to explore the relationship between youth offending teams and children’s trusts. Larry Wright (Head of Youth Offending Services at Hammersmith and Fulham Council) said that youth offending teams (YOTs) are simultaneously operating in parallel universes or silos, namely: crime reduction and community safety; and the Every Child Matters programme. He said that it is important that we keep these social policy drivers on parallel tracks going forward, and that we find mechanisms to ‘cross the universes’.

Di Hart (Principal Officer – Youth Justice and Welfare, NCB) introduced the results of research into developing relationships between YOTs, children’s trusts and integrated children’s services, carried out by NCB for the Youth Justice Board (YJB).

She found that the focus has been on getting often quite complicated, strategic and governance links in place, while change is less evident at the operational level. Key messages from young people and parents gathered as part of the project included:

  • offending seeming to be the only route into services;
  • prevention/early intervention being highly valued – and they need more; and
  • wanting professionals to work together – YOTs are rated highly here, but schools are not.

Graham Robb (Interim Chair, YJB) said that he expected this research to be published between November and the new year. The YJB does not hold a preferred model for YOTs in mind. Instead, its test is: are the young people who are most at risk getting a good deal? He said it was all about local circumstances and local working relationships, and also developing links with the local voluntary, community and faith groups.

‘Seen and Heard’ Children’s Event in Parliament

On Tuesday 23 October, the Group hosted a children’s event in Parliament, sponsored by the BT Better World Campaign. Approximately sixty children and young people from the South East were given the opportunity to ask questions of a panel of decision-makers which included: Kevin Brennan MP (Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, DCSF); Michael Gove MP (Conservative Shadow Children, Schools and Families Secretary); Baroness Walmsley (Liberal Democrat Spokesperson of Children, Schools and Families in the Lords); and Baroness Howarth of Breckland (a cross-bench Peer and Officer of the APPGC).

Questions raised by the children and young people covered a range of issues including:

  • geographical variation in services;
  • care leavers;
  • sex and relationship education; and
  • children’s rights.

The question and answer session was followed by a presentation ceremony for the children and young people who had won a BT ‘Seen and Heard’ award. The prizes marked the young people’s achievements in using their communication skills to make a difference to their lives and the lives of others. Before the main event, the children and young people were given tours of the Parliamentary Estate by MPs, Peers and NCB staff.

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