Agenda item

The Chairman informed the Committee that three small group Witness Sessions had taken place since the previous Committee meeting. Sessions had been held with young people that had been involved in crime and a separate session had been held with parents of children who were currently going through the youth justice system or had done so in the recent past.

A number of comments and suggestions were made by those attending the witness sessions that fell outside the scope of the Major Review. It was noted that, where appropriate, this information would be included in the final report as observations and would be passed on to the appropriate organisations for reference.

The key issues raised during the witness sessions included the suggestion that the majority of youth crime and anti-social behaviour was connected to drugs. Some of the parents had felt intimidated by drug dealers and had been too afraid to involve the authorities. Children had become involved in crime after having been targeted by drug dealers. This targeting had taken place outside schools and it was suggested that a police presence in the vicinity, including the use of plain clothes officers, could be considered. It was suggested that a lack of employment opportunities for young people coupled with an inclination to make money quickly were factors which increased the likelihood of young people turning to crime.

The transition from primary to secondary education was highlightedas a problematic period. The behaviour of some children that had previously been well behaved changed, in part due to the changed environment. This sometimes included asb and crime. It was generally felt that the Youth Offending Service was doing a good job, but that access could be improved and include those at risk of becoming involved in crime and anti-social behaviour, rather than only being available post conviction. Positive comments were also made about the work of Pupil Referral Units. It was suggested that the National Curriculum was too focused on academic achievements and there were opportunities for schools to do more to provide practical skills.Officers and witnesses confirmed that there was scope to improve to improve the awareness of the activities and facilities available locally for young people. It was also noted that the related issue of Child Sexual Exploitation was worthy of further consideration.

The representative from the Hillingdon Tuition Centre (HTC) welcomed the Chairman's summary and agreed with the concerns raised. The Committee heard there were a number of activities in place to steer young people away from offending post conviction but that more could be done in terms of prevention. It was noted that parents would appreciate being given further advice and guidance on how to steer their children away from becoming involved in anti-social behaviour and crime. The witness acknowledged that there was only so much that parents could do with this regard and felt that the use of parenting orders was not appropriate in every case.

The witness advised that all parents of pupils at HTC were invited to attend a positive parenting course and that work was undertaken with other schools. However, the parents that choose to attend weren't always those that could benefit from the classes the most.

In her written submission, the witness had stated that it had become increasingly difficult to make referrals to CAMHS (Hillingdon CAMHS provides community mental health services to children up to the age of 18) and that as a result more needed to be done in this area. After initial referral, it was noted that in some cases, pupils had to wait several months to be seen and in cases of non attendance, there was scope to improve the follow up mechanisms.

In response to questions, the witness advised that this issue was not a new problem and anticipated that the Special Educational Needs and Disabilties (SEND) reforms would address this, although closer working would be required with CAMHS. The Committee was advised that the Hillingdon Joint Strategic Needs Assessment had identified 4,000 children with needs. Officers advised that the Council and the Hillingdon Clinical Commissioning Group were working to address these issues and were considering the wider issue of prevention.

The Committee questioned the practicality of undertaking work during evenings and weekends to prevent young people from becoming involved in anti-social behaviour and crime and questioned whether awareness activities could be targeted at parents. In response, the witness stated that she felt that the Unique Swagga programme was proving useful but felt that there needed to be more activities available for young people. She noted that as a Head Teacher, she sometimes saw groups of her students in the street late in the evening. Officers advised that the Council was working to provide more activities and to encourage young people to access these activities. The young people themselves, rather than the parents, were the primary target of this promotional work. It was also noted that youth workers visited local schools, including the Hillingdon Tuition Centre.

The Council's Community Safety Manager attended the session as a second witness. He advised that the Council's Community Safety and Anti-Social Behaviour Teams worked at the lower end of the spectrum in terms of the seriousness of behaviour. It was noted that early intervention was important to prevent young people from becoming repeat offenders and that there was a current trend towards trying to keep young people out of prison and instead work with them in the community.

Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs) had been replaced by two new powers, Injunctions and Criminal Behaviour Orders. Injunctions could be served on anyone over 10 but were rarely used for under 16's. Some 16 and 17 year olds had been referred to the Council and early intervention was sought by the police. Community Protection Warnings and Orders could also be used to combat anti-social behaviour. It was noted that the Council had significant resources targeted at crime and anti-social behaviour. Fifteen Officers dealt with around 10,000 reports of anti-social behaviour annually, although the vast majority of these involved adults.

Members asked a series of questions which included: how mediation worked and its effectiveness, whether the Council's response varied between council and private tenants and whether the possibility of hosting seminar sessions at the Council could be considered. In response, Officers advised that mediation was sometimes used, but that it was difficult to get all parties involved. Preventative work was not undertaken on a large scale, but did take place with individuals, including at risk young people. The recent gang and peer review endorsed this process. It was noted that the options available to the Council varied between private and Council tenants, but that the Police would not be involved disparately. It was also confirmed that 15 Police Officers were funded by the Council.

Photos showing the effects that drug use could have on young people were circulated to the Committee. The witness from Hillingdon Tuition Centre felt that the use of photos could act as a deterrent. However, it was also noted that a major hurdle included the widespread availability of illicit drugs, including cannabis.   

RESOLVED: That:

1.    The evidence provided be noted.

2.    The draft final report be developed and presented to the Committee at the February meeting.