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Contents

1. Principle
2. Aims
3. Appendix 1- Action in Different School Circumstances
4. Appendix 2 - YOT Access to Educational Psychology Assessment.
5. Appendix 3 - Careers, Further Education, Training and Employment

1. Principle

The weight of evidence indicates that success in education and training is the single most important protective factor at play in reducing youth offending. In the vicious circle of social exclusion, education and employment are usually the most necessary and most productive areas in which to begin to build an intervention against offending.

2. Aims

1. to establish YOs as an accepted high priority for focused supportive action by the LEA and schools;
2. to achieve the Youth Justice Board target of 90% of YOs (Young Offenders) in full time ETE by the end of 2004;
3. to achieve sustainable and fulfilling employment for our YOs, or the education or training that will lead to it;
4. in cases where B) or C) seems impossible for immediate mental health reasons, to arrange psychological or psychiatric assessment.

3. Objectives

Strategic

1. to achieve structured working relationships with the LEA and schools - embedded in planning processes - which harness resources to action towards our targets;
2. to achieve structured working relationships with the Learning and Skills Council, Connexions, the Learning Partnership and City College - embedded in planning processes - which harness resources to action towards our targets;
3. to continue the development of a careers advice service at the YOT which is tied in with Youth Justice programmes and is in full communication with the wider Connexions Careers Service;
4. to develop an operational network with local employers which reassures them about, or rewards them for taking on YOs as employees.

Tactical

1. to establish regular YOT ETE team meetings;
2. to establish an ETE Practice room at the YOT as a Working base for ETE objectives;
3. to maintain a database of ETE circumstances of YOs on roll, and to produce regular statistics to compare to targets;
4. to gain agreement from schools, YOT caseworkers and YOT administrative Staff to the practical implications of the Statement of Working Arrangements;
5. to gain agreement from the Head of Pupil Support services of the LEA to a formal agreement to achieve Aims A) and B);
6. to establish 6-monthly review schedules for protocols with LSC, Connexions, Learning Partnership and City College which compare YOT ETE statistics against agreed targets, and which contribute to their planning processes;
7. to establish with schools a system of referral (where necessary) of YOs on their roll to the Educational Psychology Service;
8. to systematise careers screening of YOs at the YOT, ensuring all who come onto the roll receive a checkup from the attached careers adviser.
9. to systematise literacy screening of YOs at the YOT, to provide evidence for YOT programme design, for development of school teaching provision, for F.E. provision and for choice of employment;
10. to design, cost and make the case for resourcing an employment brokering system to operate from the YOT, Connexions, the Careers Service or the LSC, which will support the YJB targets for employment;
11. to review the Statement of Working Arrangements with schools to establish procedures for the automatic flow of full school information to the YOT on attendance, broad curriculum achievement and special needs.
12. To adapt the communication systems developed with schools for use with custodial institutions, FE colleges, other training providers and employers.

The ETE team at the YOT consists of the ETE Manager, the Connexions Careers PA, the Educational Psychologist and the Senior Education Welfare Officer. This policy will be reviewed and developed by the team in regular meetings at the YOT.

3. Appendix 1 - Action in Different School Circumstances

YP is at school, attending satisfactorily, no obvious school issues:

Contact school Programmes Co-ordinator for quick conversation to check no other services needed eg. Housing, Family work.

YP is at school, with issues of learning, attendance or behaviour:

Contact school Programmes Co-ordinator to discuss and arrange interagency support by phone (if not too serious) or at a special school meeting. School Education Welfare Officer should be involved if there are attendance problems. Be prepared to add in YOT services to a multi-agency plan. ETE Manager can attend the meeting with you if it is a serious case (eg likely exclusion) or you don't feel in control of the issues or situation.

YP is permanently excluded from school

YP should receive, within 12 school days of ratification of exclusion by the school governors, a full-time education placement at the Alternative Centre for Education (ACE) pupil referral unit (PRU). Ask YP what is happening, and refer case to ETE Manager for checking. Any problems will be taken to the ACE Admissions Forum meeting, and you may be able to help with further action if you have a good relationship with the family (eg appeal, choosing a new school).

YP is a complete non-attender:

Ring up the Education Welfare Officer ( listed against the relevant school on Secondary School Contacts sheet) for background to the case and to check what action is being taken. If action is not clear or not actually happening, refer case to ETE Manager who will take up the case with the LEA Manager of Pupil Services.

YP is withdrawn from school by Parents:

Get the story from Parents and YP, and refer to ETE Manager who will check the validity of the case with the LEA Manager of Pupil Services, and the officer for Education Otherwise Than At School.

YP is on a reduced school timetable:

This should not be the case unless it is part of a very tight plan to (re-) introduce YP to a full timetable. If you are not convinced this will happen in a short time, refer to ETE Manager who will take it up with the school and/or LEA Manager of Pupil Services.

YP has no allocated school place:

Refer to ETE Manager who will take up the case with the LEA Admissions Manager.

YP is receiving only Home Tuition

Refer to ETE Manager who will take the case up with ACE or the Manager of Pupil Support services, and secure a documented plan.

4. Appendix 2 - YOT Access to Educational Psychology Assessment.

If you want to get information about previous educational psychology assessments:

• Ask the school to send on copies of relevant reports (e.g. Statutory advices, recent assessment reports).

If you need further information following a request to school:

• Inform the Parents/Carers that you are requesting this information.
• Contact me (e-mail/ conversation) to discuss case.
• I will collect the information and arrange a time to meet with you and go through it with you.

If you think a young person needs an assessment by an educational psychologist and the young person is already on roll at school:

• You need to inform the schools Programme Co-ordinator and ask them to discuss the case with their attached educational psychologist.
• Let me know if you are making a request so that I can also inform the psychologist who works in the school.

You can request an assessment through the YOT educational psychologist when:

• The young person is out of school, has left school or is unlikely to engage with school based support services.
• The assessment will directly inform an intervention at YOT.

To do this you need to:

• Gain Parental permission for the assessment.
• Contact me (e-mail, conversation) to discuss any specific questions issues you would like addressed through the assessment. You might want to include any information that you might feel would be relevant.
• Prior to an assessment being carried out we will need to arrange time for the young person and family to meet with the educational psychologist and time for the caseworker to discuss the outcomes of the assessment.

5. Appendix 3 - Careers, Further Education, Training and Employment

All young people aged 14+ should have a careers checkup for information / advice / guidance on their current and future options in education, training and employment.

To book a session with Liz, fill in the booking sheet stuck up on the corridor door outside her office, or for appointments further ahead than the booking sheet contact Liz at the YOT or Careers Centre (827400)

End.