Reading Youth Offending Service/Thames Valley Probation
Supplementary Transitions Protocol
14th January 2011
1 Introduction and scope:
1.1 This protocol is supplementary to the protocol between Thames Valley
Probation Service and Thames Valley Youth Offending Teams which
was agreed in 2010. The supplementary protocol concerns the
transition of young people from Reading Youth Offending Service to
Thames Valley Probation (Reading Area).
1.2 Young people are transferred from YOS to Probation at around 18
years. Young people’s experience of transition and ability to negotiate
it successfully will vary according to the young person’s level of
maturity, life experiences and other needs.
1.3 For some young people, with late onset of offending and a short
experience with the Youth Offending Service may make the transition
with relative ease. For this group the YOS will be able to place a high
level of the responsibility to engage on the young person and the
difference between their YOS experience and Probation ‘standard
approach’ will be small. This group will be subject to the main
Thames Valley YOT/Probation protocol, but this protocol sets out
additional requirements in terms of consultation at PSR stage and
information sharing for this group.
1.4 Young people with complex needs are more likely to have had a long
association with the Youth Offending Service and may be less able to
take the major part of responsibility for engaging in their order. For
this group responsibility for engagement may be much more shared,
with a pro-active and flexible approach from services to keep them
engaged. This group is subject to this additional Transitions Protocol.
For this group of young people engagement with the young person’s
parents or carers is likely to assist in their engagement and
rehabilitation. This group will be referred to as Enhanced.
1.5 Judgement as to which young people are subject to the supplementary
protocol will be made jointly by Youth Offending Service and specialist
officers in Probation. Between them these officers will be operating
Virtual Co-location to manage cases for a significant overlap period.
The length of joint management will be decided by the virtual team,
according to the needs of the service user, but will usually be six
months.
1.6 Young people receiving a Youth Rehabilitation Order, a Section 91
sentence or an Extended Sentence within six weeks of their 18 th
birthday will usually be transferred to Probation directly upon
sentence. Young people ending the above sentences within six weeks
after their 18th birthday will usually be retained by YOS until the end
of their order, but will ensure that Probation is informed regarding the
details of the case so that preparation can be made in the event of resentence after the end of their YOS involvement.
2 Staffing:
2.1 Thames Valley Probation Service (Reading Area, hereafter referred to
as Probation) will identify an Offender Manager who will specialise in
managing young people who transfer from YOS. In order to maximise
each service’s knowledge of the work of the other, two day work
shadowing opportunities in YOS will be offered to the specialist
Offender Managers. The YOS will identify key staff to undertake two
days work shadowing with Probation Service.
2.2 Where there is an allocated YOS Officer communication will usually be
between the specialist Offender Manager and the allocated YOS
officer. For other enquiries the YOS Assistant Team Manager (Courts)
and the Senior Probation Officer (transfers) will act as Single Point of
Contact in each service (SPOC).
2.3 For young women transferring between YOS and Probation, a decision
will be made by the Senior Probation Officer (transfers) in consultation
with the YOS Assistant Team Manager (Courts) as to whether a
specialist Women Offender Manager or a Youth Offender Manager will
be the most appropriate allocated Offender Manager.
2.4 The Youth Offender Managers and YOS Caseholding Officers will form a
Virtual Team for the purpose of managing transitions.
2.5 Probation will seek to identify volunteer mentors to provide additional
support to young people subject to enhanced transitions.
All YOS/Probation Transfers:
3 Pre-sentence reports:
3.1 Where YOS is preparing a PSR for a young person aged over 17, whose
order is likely to be of a duration to require transfer before it ends,
YOS will consult an identified probation officers in the virtual team
regarding proposed YRO conditions, custodial sentence plans.
Supervision plans will clearly identify which requirements will be
delivered by YOS, and which by Probation. This will apply to all young
people in this age range, not only those likely to need an enhanced
transition period.
3.2 Probation will be notified at sentence point of all sentences where the
order will ultimately be transferred to Probation.
Enhanced transfers:
4 Transition period
4.1 Enhanced transitions will include a period of approximately 6 months,
(the exact period may vary according to need) co-allocated between
the YOS and Probation. The allocated Offender Manager will attend
planning meetings for six months before transfer and will begin the
process of engaging with the young person and family in this time.
5 Custodial Sentences:
5.1 S91 sentences and Extended Sentences will be transferred from YOS
and Probation around the 18th birthday. All young people serving such
sentences have an allocated YOS officer from the outset. An offender
manager will be identified 6-12 months before the young person
reaches the 18th birthday.
6 Work with parents and families of young offenders:
6.1 For Enhanced cases it will usually be beneficial to include appropriate
family members in the ongoing work with the offender. YOS offers
parenting support to parents of young offenders during its work with
young people. Continuing provision of support for parents will be
decided on a case-by-case basis, subject to resource availability
7 Responsibility for Standards/Compliance:
7.1 Responsibility for standards compliance and enforcement sits with the
YOS until formal transfer has been made at or around 18 years.
8 Tracking progress:
8.1 Review with service user and staff 6m after transition is complete to
monitor what works and what may need to be changed.
9 Monitoring, evaluation & review:
9.1 A supplementary exit questionnaire will be developed for service users
transferring between services
9.2 Review of the protocol will be undertaken in 2012 by a YOS/Probation
focus group and Researcher Sue Hobbs
Gabriel Amahwe
Operational Director
Thames Valley Probation
Lindsey Bass
Youth Offending Service Manager
Reading Borough Council