Meaningful evaluation should always identify implications for the development (or termination) of an initiative. I was therefore very interested to read my colleagues’ report of their evaluation of the Ministry of Justice’s Youth Justice Reform Programme. The implications for the development of the YJRP are clearly set out in the report and are grounded in the team’s findings. While our evaluation report is a landmark in the ongoing development of the youth custody system in England & Wales, its findings are also relevant to concerns in the US about the welfare of children in custody and the development of a workforce that will meet their needs.
The Youth Justice Reform Programme (YJRP) was the British government’s response to the Taylor Review of Youth Justice (2016) that found several shortcomings in the youth custody system. Among the short comings, Taylor identified poor safety, missed education opportunities, insufficient staff skills, and disjointed resettlement pathways. The YJRP sought to address these shortcomings by:
- Delivering an individualised approach that meets the needs of children in custody through an integrated framework of care.
- Creating a larger, more resilient, and more stable workforce with specialist skills.
- Providing strong leadership and governance to support a rehabilitation culture.
Get the Data were commissioned by the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) to conduct an evaluation of the custodial elements of the YJRP. This prestigious evaluation was designed to provide evidence of the implementation and delivery of the YJRP, as well as robustly assessing the programme’s impact on key outcomes of interest, such as assaults in the custodial estate and increase in the workforce. The evaluation ran during the COVID-19 pandemic from the spring 2020 to the spring 2022, and consisted of three strands:
- Scoping study: the GtD team commenced the evaluation by identifying the baseline position of each Young Offender Institution (YOI) that was within the scope of the evaluation, such as current population size, composition, staffing level, and when the YJRP was or was to be implemented.
- Process evaluation: was based on a theory of change approach that illustrated how operational and contextual factors contributed to child and workforce outcomes. GtD’s evaluation team collected data from staff and children in the YOIs through semi-structured interviews and an online survey.
- Impact evaluation: was able to estimate the YJRP’s impact on the number of staff and their time in post and the number of assaults in the YOIs using an interrupted time series analysis where longitudinal data from before the intervention was used to construct a counterfactual. Given the limited availability of a strong counterfactual, the conclusions are suggestive rather than definitive. A children’s survey was designed to measure their attitudes to relevant elements of the YJRP.
In commissioning the evaluation, the MoJ was seeking findings that related to the first two aims of the YJRP, namely the individualised approach and workforce development. From our findings, the evaluation was able to identify a series of discrete implications for the programme’s future development.
The individualised approach to care
The individualised approach to care has education and wellbeing at its heart and is delivered principally through the Behaviour Management and the Education and Sports work strands of the program.
Behaviour Management
Despite the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the GtD evaluation team found that progress to make YOIs safer was being achieved via staff support for children, and that consistent relationships between staff and children was facilitating good behaviour. The Framework for Integrated Care (SECURE STAIRS) and the evidence-based custody support plan (CuSP) generally delivered positive outcomes such as supportive relationships with staff, feelings of safety, and confidence when leaving the establishment. However, feedback from the children’s survey suggested that case workers and the CuSP was not benefiting all children, particularly those from ethnic minority backgrounds.
Education and Sports
The provision of education was hindered by the COVID-19 pandemic, with a lack of face-to-face education. Nevertheless, the evaluation found that most children regularly attended the available face-to-face classes and reported a good choice of courses. Many children also reported being involved in various sports and physical activities.
Implications for the individualised approach
- The YJRP should address why not all children said they are supported by either CuSP or a case worker and audit the allocation of resources across different ethnic groups.
- Ensure that current educational and vocational pathways align with children’s preferences.
- Improve the uptake of interventions amongst children or individuals who are resistant to changing their behaviour.
- Focus on improved relationships between children by prioritising the Framework for Integrated Care (SECURE STAIRS), conflict resolution, and other behavioural management interventions.
- Maintain needs-led multidisciplinary planning and wrap-around provision throughout the child’s resettlement journey to address current gaps in provision.
- Prioritise the improvement of communication with children and their involvement in constructing their care and support plans and keeping them informed about any changes that impact upon them.
- Prioritise transitional planning to ensure effective transition is embedded in a child’s overall support, particularly the transitions to adult settings.
Workforce Development
The aim of the YJRP’s Workforce work strand was to (i) create a bigger, more resilient, and more stable workforce (ii) employ more staff with specialist skills and (iii) create a culture change for staff who want to work with children with a focus on rehabilitation.
A Bigger More Resilient Workforce
The GtD team reported that staffing levels had increased at every participating YOI, and that the proportion of staff who remained in their post for at least 12 months had increased following the implementation of the YJRP. However, the report found that changes are still required to recruitment strategies and the workforce and management culture to allow for a more resilient and more stable workforce.
More Staff & Specialist Skills
The evaluation found that more staff had been trained and had completed training on the delivery of CuSP and the Framework for Integrated Care (SECURE STAIRS). The findings also suggested a need for more specific training on the core elements of the YJRP and professional development, as well as staff study days and time to complete relevant training.
Staff Culture Change
Evidence from the staff and children found that the YJRP had changed the culture of youth custodial estate to a more rehabilitative environment. In turn, this contributed to a better relationship between staff and children.
Implications for Workforce Development
- Prioritise staff training, continuous professional development, Guided Reflective Practice, and other support to increase further staff resilience, reduce turnover, and develop shared values.
- Prioritise the need to communicate between all tiers of the workforce to develop a more rewarding culture for staff.
- Understand disruptions to the delivery of custodial services and identify mechanisms to ensure greater consistency and agility in the deployment of staff.
This landmark report further bolster’s GtD’s reputation in the field of youth justice and the needs of young people on both sides of the Atlantic. If you are interested in learning more about how our Social Impact Analytics can help develop your youth justice initiative, please contact me at alan.mackie@getthedata.net. GtD’s full evaluation report has just been published by the Ministry of Justice and is available to download on the GOV.UK website.