Resettlement Policy

1. Introduction

The purpose of this guidance document is to describe arrangements for working with young people during a custodial sentence, and supervision on licence. The document will also look at specific services and what part they play in the process of resettlement. This local policy should be read with Constructive Resettlement (YJB 2018), Standards for Children in the Youth Justice System (MOJ 2019) and Custody and Resettlement Guidance: Section 7 Case Management Guidance (YJB 2019).

Whilst this document attempts to set out some of the key issues relating to resettlement and how they should be tackled, cases will vary in complexity. When planning a resettlement programme YOT Case Managers and other involved professionals should be aware of the following and apply this model to the way they plan and deliver their services.

• Families should be involved;
• All key professionals involved in the case should contribute to the resettlement plan;
• The whole process from sentence to the end of the licence supervision should be regarded as part of a continuous whole, with shared objectives;
• The young person's views and involvement in the resettlement programme are key in promoting desistance, maximising compliance and affecting change;
• Effective communication between the YOT case manager, secure settings case manager, allocated Social Worker and other key professionals is important and should occur frequently to maintain momentum and mitigate any emerging risks or difficulties with the plan.

2. The Initial Sentence Planning Meeting in the Custodial Phase

This meeting should be held in line with National Standards for Youth Justice and should address the immediate needs of the young person while in custody and also their resettlement needs.

The meeting should make it clear what is required from professionals and the young person to prevent reoffending and promote desistance during the custodial phase This must include sharing relevant information and assessments, for example the Education and Health Care Plan, Psychiatric Reports etc and ensuring that the relevant referrals are made to specialist services/programmes within the prison, for example substance misuse services, preparing for employment etc. Any Safeguarding concerns should also be raised. The plans should be looking at how these services /programmes might transfer into the resettlement plan in the future.

3. Communication with the Secure Estate

• The Case Manager must attend the Sentence Planning Meeting. If this is not possible due to staff absence the Case Manager must inform the Operational Manager of the Youth Offending Service so that an alternative representative from the YOS can attend;
• The Case Manager is responsible for inviting other relevant people to all planning meetings, in particular the parents/carers of the young person where appropriate and/or the young persons allocated social worker where applicable;
• The Case Manager must have a clear understanding of the needs, wishes and expectations of the young person and ensure that the young person is aware of what actions are expected of him/her whilst in custody;
• The Case Manager should work closely with the secure estate staff (attending/chairing review and planning meetings). It is imperative that the Case Manager works closely with parent(s) / carer(s) when appropriate, and all partner agencies in ensuring that all required resources have been secured for the young person's release. It is through this process and regular visits to the young person that the Case Manager should be building an ongoing assessment of the young person's progress during their sentence;
• The Case Manager is responsible for referring the case to MAPPA if the case is MAPPA eligible (i.e. serving a 12 month (or more) custodial sentence for a violent or sexual offence) 6 months prior to the release date;
• The Case Manager is responsible for receiving and reviewing documents from the secure estate through the YJAF Portal. If Documentation is not being received this must be escalated to the Operational Manager;
• An assessment of risk will need to be completed in the final stages of the sentence, as the Case Manager and the secure establishment staff will need to agree on whether to recommend the young person for early release. The assessment of risk, and of need, will also impact on recommended interventions for the young person on release;
• An ASSET plus assessment should be updated prior to release and the young person must be discussed at the Youth Offending Team Risk Focus Meeting. The Police Officer attached to the Youth Offending Service must ensure the local police are informed of the young person's release, address and conditions of licence;
• Upon release the Case Manager must ensure that they have a copy of the licence, educational records and any other reports relating to the young person;
• The transition from custody to the community is a high-risk stage and interventions plans and services need to be in place from the first day of this stage. It is advisable for contingency plans to also be in place in the event of unforeseen circumstances and these should be discussed with the young person prior to release;
• Interventions received in custody should continue to be built on when in the community. The effectiveness of meeting identified needs and risk factors will need to be monitored closely, involving all parties, particularly the young person, and their parents/carers and/or social worker. Reviews should be held within National Standards;
• Towards the end of the licence period an exit strategy will need to be developed in collaboration with voluntary and statutory agencies.

4. License Supervision

• Post custody licences must be supervised in accordance with National Standards and interventions should be based upon effective practice criteria.  Licences must be supervised in accordance with the 'scaled approach' which will determine the intensity level of contact;
• ASSET plus will be reviewed at the required intervals and plans updated in accordance with need and risk.  The supervision plan must be flexible enough to respond to changes in circumstances and attitude of the young person, which may not have been foreseen during the custodial phase when release plans were agreed.  However, wherever possible and appropriate, release plans agreed in custody should be implemented and the case manager must ensure that specialist workers are held accountable for delivering the services agreed to in the release plan;
• Where there are compliance issues, the case manager should consider convening a Compliance meeting with the aim of identifying the barriers preventing compliance and getting the young person back on track to successfully complete their licence supervision period. Where this has been tried and failed breach action must be considered in consultation with the YOT Operational Manager. Breach action must be enforced in accordance with National Standards.