Received the report and noted the involvement of partners in delivering health and prevention services to young offenders. The Board :-
Agreed
(i) The Divisional Director Community Safety and Public Protection should liaise with the Chief Operating Officer LBBD CCG in regards to a ‘task and finish’ group and to report back to the Board in six months on the support needed and available for young offenders, particularly for those that fall in between troubles families and offending.
(ii) NHS Barking and Dagenham Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) needed to have regard for the adequate provision of health services to support Youth Offending Services with a clear set of outcomes and activity expectations across the breadth of the youth justice system.
(iii) All young offenders should have an annual health check encompassing physical, mental health, emotional health and health risk behaviours. The findings and the agreed health outcomes plan agreed with the client should form part of the overall YOS care and support planning records.
(iv) YOS Health Services need to be commissioned with adequate resource and a clear set of outcomes and activity expectations across the breadth of the youth justice system.
(v) Significant work was needed to educate the wider health community about the needs of young offenders and develop a clear coherent pathway and transition plans for youth offenders; this work could be led by a GP clinical champion who has a special interest in adolescent medicine and the criminal justice system.
(vi) Workforce development planning and training programmes for both health and social care staff should include explicit education on youth justice for all front line professionals. There should also be specific training additional training support on health risk assessment and understanding of the NHS for YOS professionals.
(vii) Consideration should be given to adding Young Offenders to the list of vulnerable groups in the Health and Wellbeing Strategy.
(viii) Noted that the Metropolitan Police Custody Suites were now under a dedicated London-wide command to bring consistency to the service provided and NHS England had indicated that they were re-thinking their health provision in prisons and custody suites.