Youth Offending Teams: Coronavirus

(asked on 13th October 2020) - View Source

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has to improve digital communication between (a) youth offending teams and (b) young people and their families during the covid-19 pandemic.


Answered by
Lucy Frazer Portrait
Lucy Frazer
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
This question was answered on 16th October 2020

Local authorities are responsible for the delivery of Youth Offending Team (YOT) provision.

However, the Youth Justice Board has oversight of Youth Offending Teams and has taken steps, in light of Covid-19, to support YOTs to improve digital communication with young people and their families. It has amended the terms and conditions in the Youth Justice Grant for 2020/21 to provide for capital spend, allowing flexibility for Youth Offending Teams to use funds, as appropriate, from their annual grant to provide children under their supervision access to suitable equipment to facilitate regular virtual engagement.

Practitioners have also developed innovative ways of providing positive interventions, using technology wherever possible. Similarly, many referral order panels have been conducted virtually. Face to face contacts, maintaining physical distance, have been used if the risk is deemed justified. Youth Offending Teams are working with highly vulnerable children and are working to use digital technology to make a positive change.

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