06.11.15
Youth offending team funds to be cut by £9m, but could prompt local flexibility
The Youth Justice Board has decided to press on with £9m in-year budget cuts to youth offending team (YOT) grants to meet a £13.5m savings target, despite councils warning the move would be counterproductive.
As a result of cuts, more YOTs – who work with police, health and housing services, schools and local government – will have to consider merging.
The board will also explore removing ring-fencing from grants to give teams more flexibility to manage their squeezed budgets.
It was required to make cuts of £12m in this financial year in addition to a £1.5m shortfall in its 2015-16 budget that persisted even after a range of measures were taken.
It consulted on proposed budget reductions in September, outlining the limited options available to the organisation as a result of past efforts to protect the Youth Justice Grant by making reductions elsewhere in the system.
At that point, the LGA claimed the “unexpected proposal” would threaten to throw agreed local plans into jeopardy. Councils warned that the move could end up costing more as a result of the “increased likelihood” of more entrants into the youth justice system.
And indeed, Lord McNally, chair of the board, said the decision to cut funds by £9m were made reluctantly and only after carefully considering the 129 consultation responses. The rest of the cuts applied to meet the £13.5m expectation were located in underspends on staffing and contractual efficiencies.
YJB chief executive, Lin Hinnigan, said: “This has been an exceedingly difficult decision. We share the concerns of respondents to the consultation that reductions to the YOT grant will put the successes seen in the youth justice system – including the savings they have generated – at risk.
“We also recognise that these budget reductions falling as they do in-year are going to be particularly difficult for the YOTs locally to manage and will ultimately impart on outcomes for some of the most vulnerable children in society.
“We are acutely aware of the impact these reductions are going to have on YOTs and in response to the requests made through consultation will support them to minimise the impact.”
The board will reduce reporting burdens on YOTs and issue guidance on mergers to support the teams through these cuts.
HMI Probation has also agreed to remove three of the proposed screening inspections scheduled to be carried out before the new year, allowing teams due to be inspected to manage the impact of cuts without concurrent scrutiny.