Growth and development.pdf

MorayWith the advice of a multi-agency steering group the Council has prepared an action plan for allvulnerable young care leavers over the age of 16, which in turn is linked closely to thehomelessness strategy. It provides for supported accommodation, a drop-in facility, detachedyouth work services, improved training for young people with a disability, and a Moving Onworker to enable young people to develop skills for access to employment.The Council is currently undertaking initiatives on youth crime in an effort to address persistentoffenders, including:• more integrated working with all agencies via ‘domain commitment’;• extensive joint training programmes for all staff (child care and criminal justice and voluntaryagencies);• appointment of a full time co-ordinator and staff to work exclusively with young offenders;and• development of a 'time-out' facility for young people.4. Performance: Criminal JusticeKey ActivitiesNumber of social enquiry reports submitted to the courts 308 257 44.0 4during the yearNumber of community service orders made during the year 102 60 10.3 3The proportion of social enquiry reports reported to courtwithin target time2000-2001 QuartileProportion of social enquiry reports submitted to the courts 88.0 4by due dateThe time taken to complete community service orders1999-20002000-2001Average length of community service (hours) for orders 145 3completed during the yearAverage hours completed per week 5.5 12000-2001per 10,000QuartileA low rate of social enquiry reports was submitted to courts in 2000-2001; the number hadfallen from the previous year. A low proportion of orders are submitted by the due date due tothe offenders failing to attend interviews. The rate of community service orders is alsorelatively low, reflecting a drop in numbers from the previous year. The average length of ordersis relatively low. Orders are completed comparatively quickly, with an average of 5.5 hourscompleted per week.Moray is part of the Northern grouping of authorities for criminal justice social work, whichincludes Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire and Highland. Quality assurance follows traditionalmodels, concentrating on process rather than outcomes. The quality of social work assessmentsand supervision of offenders is being taken forward within the Northern Partnership projectdeveloped as part of the Getting Best Results initiative which aims to integrate quality andeffectiveness across all four organisations.173