Evaluation of the Youth Justice Board Pilot Resettlement Support Panel Scheme

Custody rates did drop in each case study area, and there was strong qualitative evidence to suggest that young people had benefited from the resettlement work conducted through the pilot schemes.

Recommendations:

• Youth Offending Teams, the police, social housing providers, social services, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and education providers should be represented on Resettlement Support Panels.
• The work of the member of staff leading on resettlement should be distinct from that of personnel whose roles are related to the sentence imposed on a young person.
• Youth Offending Teams should collect Asset and other data on a more systematic and comprehensive basis. Full completion of the assessments is essential if evidence-based decisions and effective review is to take place in future.