Agenda item

The purpose of this report is to update the Local Committee on how Services for Young People has supported young people to develop their employability during 2015/16, which has been the overall goal of Services for Young People since 2014.

In particular, this Local Committee report focuses on the contribution of our different commissions to this goal and how they have performed during the year. Please note that the majority of performance information is provided in the appendix to this report.

Next steps have also been included to set out how we will keep the Local Committee

informed about developments and our progress during the year ahead.

Report and Annex 1 attached

Declarations of Interest: None

Officers attending: Matthew Raleigh, Youth Support Service (YSS) Team Manager (Reigate & Banstead)

Petitions, Public Questions, Statements: None

Member Discussion – key points:

·         Members thanked the YSS Team Manager for an excellent and informative report.

·         Concerns were expressed that the number of young people unknown to the service had shown an increase in the past year. The YSS Team Manager explained that efforts had been made to bring this number down, but that due to budget reductions and new areas of work, the amount of resources required may not have been sufficient. He emphasised that the service’s tracking team made calls to young people and their parents.

·         Members wished to know if the contract performance target referred to on page 83 of the agenda pack was likely to be met. The YSS Manager noted that this referred to the hours provided by Learning Space as part of the 1-to-1 Local Prevention contract, and that the figures were going up. The Early Help Offer meant that a recommissioning of services would be taking place, and that this was likely to result in a 25% increase in hours.

·         It was noted that the report did not mention the Youth Engagement Scheme (YES) operated by Surrey Fire and Rescue Service. Members wished to know how many young people from Reigate & Banstead had participated in the scheme. The YSS Manager explained that the YES was not included in the report as it was not part of the YSS offer, but agreed that it was clearly an excellent scheme, and that it would be useful to have a co-ordinated network of all local services.

·         Discussion took place around the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) offer for local young people. Members were concerned about an increase in self-harm and suicide amongst young people, and that young people were not being assessed by CAMHS in a timely manner. The YSS Manager noted that there were difficulties in getting the correct mental health support for young people, and that these services needed to be accessible, e.g. appointments at youth centres rather than in a clinical setting. It was noted that CAMHS was currently undergoing a recommissioning process, and the YSS Manager noted that he was happy to take Members’ concerns to CAMHS colleagues and to ensure that Members fully understood the new offer. The Chairman asked the YSS Manager to set up a meeting with CAMHS to put forward these issues.

·         Concerns were raised regarding usage of the new Phoenix Centre in Preston. The YSS Manager agreed that facilities needed to be used, but noted that new responsibilities for the Early Help offer presented challenges. He reported that other services, such as Children’s Services and CAMHS operated from Banstead Youth Centre, and hoped that this could also happen at the Phoenix Centre.

·         Members noted the 70% decrease in the number of first time entrants into the youth justice system since 2011-12, raising concerns that this may be due to cutbacks in neighbourhood policing and a low detection rate. The YSS Manager maintained that the service was proud of the statistic in the report and that it had gained a level of national interest. It was representative of a reduction in offending by young people across Surrey. The service had been working with Surrey Police on tackling anti-social behaviour in Redhill town centre, and offered a number of diversionary activities aimed at helping young people to find alternatives to offending, including restorative justice work, which had a high level of satisfaction for victims.

·         Discussion took place regarding the new Redhill youth centre and the number of hours offered. The YSS Manager agreed to provide Members with a response outside the meeting.

·         Members noted that they were impressed by the case study on page 77 of the agenda pack, and asked what the success rate is with these type of interventions. The YSS Manager reported that it was difficult to provide a meaningful success rate as all young people have different issues, and that some outcomes are easier to evaluate than others. However, he noted the success achieved by YSS having integrated a number of different functions into one service.

The Local Committee (Reigate & Banstead) NOTED how Services for Young People has supported young people to be employable during 2015/16, as set out in the appendix to the report submitted.