• Additional Data Recording Guidance

• Originating young person ID FAQs

• Prevention Data Returns Guidance

The YOT Data Recording Guidance 2009/10 came into effect on 1 April 2009, and replaces the YJB Counting Rules 2008/09. The introduction of the Youth Justice Management Information System (MIS) [opens in new window] marks a significant change to the way data is shared by YOTs and the YJB, which is reflected in this change in name.

Additional guidance will be published when necessary, to provide clarification or correction of the Data Recording Guidance. Note that it is the intention of the case-level recording guidance to serve as a benchmark and to align recording practice in certain areas, but not to force changes in recording practice without good reason. Where the Data Recording Guidance provides guidance which differs from current practice, YOTs should email informationteam@yjb.gov.uk for advice.

An updated version of the Data Recording Guidance was published in November 2009. It describes changes to data recording required for the Youth Rehabilitation Order and other provisions of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008 and the Scaled Approach, affecting the case-level submission to Youth Justice MIS, as well as summary-level ISSP web-forms. Revised data returns are incorporated for Integrated Resettlement Support (quarterly), and for offending by young people on prevention programmes (annual in July 2010). The updated guidance also incorporates all additional data recording guidance published since the start of 2009/10. Due to the timing of this guidance, local recording and reporting capabilities will not reflect the changes described to a minor extent. Corrections will be made as soon as practicable, but for the January 2010 data return a small amount of manual counting may be needed in relation to the YRO. See the updated guidance for more details.

The Data Recording Guidance 2010/11 will be published by the end of March 2010. It will be largely unchanged from the 2009/10 guidance. No changes will be made to the list of case-level data items. The following changes will be made to summary-level data:

• Prevention programme offending measure, P2, will become a quarterly submission from October 2010.
• Reoffending indicator, NI 19 / WYJI 2, will have a row added for the Youth Rehabilitation Order.
• Deter cohort selection guidance will be adjusted to reflect the Scaled Approach, in line with published guidance (see question 24 of the Scaled Approach frequently asked questions) 
• YOT staffing data, B7-B8, will be required broken down by the 16+1 ethnicity categories only.

The YJB will continue to work with software suppliers towards making good some gaps in the reports needed to populate some web-forms. Guidance and reports needed for the limited National Standards data submission scheduled for January 2011 will be made available later in good time. There may also be a need for additional web-form submissions in relation to Scaled Approach monitoring, and further information will be made available in due course.

YJB Counting Rules for 2008/09 and YOT Data Recording Guidance for 2009/10 are available below. All documents will open in a new window:

2009/10

• Data Recording Guidance October 2009 - March 2010 (England) [1Mb PDF]
• Data Recording Guidance October 2009 - March 2010 (England)  [1.8Mb Word document]
• Data Recording Guidance October 2009 - March 2010 (Wales) [1Mb PDF]
• Data Recording Guidance October 2009 - March 2010 (Wales) [1.7Mb Word document]

2008/09

• Counting Rules April 2008 - March 2009 (England) [977Kb PDF]
• Counting Rules April 2008 - March 2009 (England) [1.4Mb Word document]
• Counting Rules April 2008 - March 2009 (Wales) [1Mb PDF]
• Counting Rules April 2008 - March 2009 (Wales) [1.4Mb Word document]

Click for guidance on Originating young person ID, Transfer dates and Local/other status.

Click for prevention data returns guidance.

Web-forms are available to return the reduced set of summary-level data for 2009/10 to the YJB, by accessing them from the Submissions area of the Youth Justice MIS website [opens in new window]. During May to July 2009, YOTs received training on their use and generally found them intuitive and simple to use. Feedback on their use is welcome. Themis will no longer be used for data returns from 2009/10, though any resubmission of previous data may still be done via Themis in the short term.

The summary-level submission via web-forms will remain the key submission for the immediate future. YOTs are required to make the case-level submission as well. However, although the quality of the case-level data already collected in Youth Justice MIS is high, work remains to be done before it can replace the summary-level data. YOTs are however urged to adopt recording of the Originating young person ID and Transfer in and out dates as soon as possible, as these items are of high importance.

This is an opportunity for YOTs to review local data quality procedures in the context of the new tools available to them and the additional time hopefully obtained from the reduction in summary-level reporting. YOTs should commence work towards improving the quality of mandatory case-level data by the July return, however this will be an on-going process, and YOTs are advised to continue to use established methods as the basis for assuring data quality initially, and only seek to make increasing use of new data quality tools to the extent that they are able. Data cleansing of historic data is not required.

Submission dates and summary-level data requirements

The table below gives details of all submissions YOTs must make in relation to the 2009/10 period. YOTs must make a case-level submission by each of the dates listed relating to the quarter ending a month before the deadline date, and also submit all the summary-level tables listed by the deadline date. Significant deadline flexibility for the new case-level submission procedure can be offered however, and YOTs should inform the YJB Information Team in advance if they can not make this return by the relevant date. The summary-level submission return date should however be adhered to unless exceptional circumstances apply and the Information Team is informed in advance.

No submission of National Standards data is required for 2009/10. Details of new procedures for monitoring National Standards will be communicated in due course, once the new National Standards are published later in 2009.