Youth Justice: The Scaled Approach
Youth Justice: The Scaled Approach is a major project that will bring about a change in practice for youth justice services.
The objectives of this project are:
Scaled approach to interventions
The Scaled Approach aims to ensure that interventions are tailored to the individual, based on an assessment of their risks and needs. Evidence tells us that interventions are more effective when their intensity is matched to an assessment of the likelihood of the person reoffending, and are focused on the risk factors most closely associated with their offending. The key benefits are that interventions can be better targeted and, ultimately, offending and risk of serious harm can be reduced. This new way of working will also have the benefit of allowing youth justice services to direct time and resources to young people appropriately, in accordance with their risk assessment.
To prepare for this, we piloted scaled approaches to intervention in four YOTs and took the lessons learnt to draw up a proposed model for the scaled approach which was subject to a consultation process that ended in early 2008. The feedback we received enabled us to refine our initial ideas which can now be found in a revised version of the model.
Click for a full summary of the consultation responses [205Kb PDF, opens in new window].
As we intend for the model to be implemented in conjunction with the Youth Rehabilitation Order, it will only be finalised and distributed once statutory guidance and sentencing guidelines are completed in relation to the youth justice provisions of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008.
Preparing for implementation
We are preparing for the Scaled Approach to be implemented alongside the YRO in autumn 2009.
In addition to the Open University training due to be rolled out nationally from January 2009, the YJB will be working with YOTs and other key stakeholders to ensure they are well prepared to ensure the successful implementation of the scaled approach and YRO.
We will be continually updating this section of the website with up-to-date information and guidance for YOTs in the period leading up to implementation.
Click for more information on our plans to help YOTs prepare for the scaled approach and the YRO and for our responses to some frequently asked questions.
Guidance and standards
In order to achieve the aims of the project we have been developing and revising the following range of guidance for youth justice practitioners and managers to ensure a coherent and consistent approach to their work.
- Must do
National Standards for Youth Justice Services – the minimum service requirements
- What to do
Key Elements of Effective Practice – evidence-based guidance on planning and delivering interventions
- How to
New case management guidance – guidance on managing a case from the earliest point of contact to the end of an order
The new Key Elements of Effective Practice and their accompanying source documents were published in July 2008.
Drafts of National Standards for Youth Justice Services and case management guidance were subject to consultation alongside the Scaled Approach model and are now being completed to take into account the feedback received in the consultation exercise. The feedback can be found here.
They will also include guidance and standards in relation to the youth justice provisions of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008. They will be published in 2009, before the youth rehabilitation order comes into effect.