The His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation 2023 inspection report contained the following praise on practitioners’ ‘child first’ approaches:
‘Practitioners were always thinking ‘child first’ and what measures could be put in place to sustain positive outcomes for the children they worked with.’
‘There is a real understanding of ‘child first’ principles, but this is not at the expense of managing risk to others effectively and maintaining a good recognition of the needs of victims.’
‘Contingency planning was strong and was done well in every case we inspected and ensured that the child themselves and others would be safeguarded in the event of circumstances deteriorating. This reflected a forward-thinking ethos within the service; practitioners were always thinking ‘child first’ and what measures could be put in place to sustain positive outcomes for the children they worked with.’
Further, the Youth Justice Team and its Youth Justice Management Board strive to continually develop and embed the Child First principles into their work. Both work to the below aims in this area:
- prioritise the best interests of children and recognising their particular needs, capacities, rights and potential
- promote children’s individual strengths and capacities to develop their pro-social identity for sustained desistance
- encourage children’s active participation, engagement and wider social inclusion
- promote a childhood removed from the justice system
Specific examples of achievements in 2023 to 2024 in this area include:
- prioritising and raising awareness of the educational needs of the Youth Justice cohort through the monthly Education Meeting
- providing a range of preventative and diversionary services, including Turnaround interventions from within the Youth Justice Team and across the partnership to keep first time entrants into the criminal justice system low
- expanded reparation opportunities
- contribution to the Bracknell Forest Youth Strategy 2024 to 2027
- continued use of trauma-informed approaches and enhanced case management formulation with our Youth Justice partners
- review and improvement of the Youth Justice Team ‘hub and spoke’ model by listening to children and making sure they have a choice of safe and confidential spaces to meet with their worker
- work with the Lexicon Management Team and the council Community Safety to make sure children feel more involved in the town centre with a view to reducing antisocial behaviour
- facilitation of a meeting between Youth Justice Board Members and a young person subject to Youth Justice supervision
- using the Adolescent Triage Service to divert children away from the criminal justice system