Growth and development.pdf

North AyrshireThe exclusion policy is to be reviewed. Added support for the education of looked after childrenis provided through two specialist teachers and work with foster parents.To prepare for the new arrangements for throughcare and aftercare the social work departmenthas a dedicated team to co-ordinate services, including the Care Start project which supportsyoung people into employment, training, or further education. Major difficulties confronting theCouncil are:• uncertainties about the numbers of young people involved;• uncertainties about the nature of the financial support; and• the growing number of care leavers who have chaotic drug-taking behaviour, and who live inan area where unemployment is relatively high.4. Performance: Criminal JusticeKey ActivitiesNumber of social enquiry reports submitted to the courts1999-20006322000-20015492000-2001per 10,00056.7Quartile3during the yearNumber of community service orders made during the year 180 179 18.5 2The proportion of social enquiry reports reported to courtwithin target time2000-2001 QuartileProportion of social enquiry reports submitted to the courts 100.0 1by due dateThe time taken to complete community service ordersAverage length of community service (hours) for orders 174 1completed during the yearAverage hours completed per week 3.9 2The rate of social enquiry reports submitted to courts reduced in 2000-2001 and is now relativelylow. All reports were submitted by the due date. A relatively high rate of community serviceorders were made. The average length of orders was longer than in many other authorities andthey were completed comparatively quickly.The criminal justice grouping of the three Ayrshire councils was officially launched in spring 2002.The joint working which has followed includes:• work with women offenders developed in South Ayrshire;• a common template for social enquiry reports; and• joint commissioning of services from SACRO and NCH for the youth crime initiative.North Ayrshire is to act as the lead authority of the grouping, but there is to be no single manager.181