The Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee of Doncaster Council met on Wednesday 12 August 2026 to discuss the Youth Justice Plan 2026-2027 and the Council's Forward Plan of Key Decisions. The committee reviewed the Youth Justice Plan, noting both its strengths and areas for improvement. The committee also proposed organising an event to bring together various provisions and services for children and young people in Doncaster.

Youth Justice Plan 2026-2027

The committee considered the Doncaster Youth Justice Plan for 2026-2027 to 2028-2029, a statutory document outlining how the council and its partners aim to prevent youth offending, reduce re-offending, and support young people. The plan was praised for its strong performance in prevention and diversion, with initiatives like the EPIC programme and Turnaround initiative successfully engaging young people and helping many avoid the criminal justice system. The reduction in the use of custody was also highlighted, with only one child receiving a custodial sentence during the reporting period.

However, the committee also identified areas for improvement. The number of first-time entrants into the justice system remained above target, despite explanations provided regarding Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) processes and motoring offences. While re-offending rates had improved, they were still above the local target, and further reductions were sought for the most complex young people. The Education, Employment, and Training (EET) target of 90% was also not met, with the service achieving 71.4%.

Officers explained that the number of first-time entrants was significantly impacted by motoring offences being dealt with by fines rather than diversionary measures, and by the CPS's interpretation of guidance. They also highlighted that the Youth Future Pilot Pathways Programme was a new initiative aimed at intervening with children at risk of offending before they come into contact with the criminal justice system.

Regarding re-offending, concerns were raised about data reliability, with officers assuring the committee that local data was more reliable than national published figures. The committee was also informed that the profile of young people most likely to come into contact with the youth justice system was a white, Doncaster-born male aged between 16 and 17, and that this demographic information was a statutory duty to report on for disproportionality.

The committee discussed the challenges in achieving the EET target, noting that the measure was solely calculated based on a child's destination on their disposal end date. Efforts to improve this included specialist support from careers advisors and education coordinators, and new links with Doncaster College.

The effectiveness of the EPIC programme was debated, with officers acknowledging the difficulty in directly attributing reduced offending to the programme due to its broad reach. However, indicators such as a 100% drop in the serious youth violence rate in Doncaster over two years following the hub's opening were presented as evidence of its positive impact.

The committee also discussed the financial sustainability of the service, noting its reliance on external grant funding. While the core grant was considered secure due to the service's statutory duty, specific programmes like Turnaround and the Youth Future Pilot Pathways Programme were identified as being at risk if funding was withdrawn. The volatility of remand costs was also highlighted as a significant financial pressure.

The plan identified that children in the youth justice cohort have significantly higher Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) needs than the general population. While efforts were being made to identify and support these children earlier, particularly through the SEND reform plan, it was acknowledged that some cases, such as unidentified speech and language needs, might have been missed earlier.

Victim feedback on restorative justice was positive, but participation numbers remained low at 15.4%. Reasons for this included a time lag between the offence and contact from victim workers, and the voluntary nature of restorative justice.

The committee made several recommendations, including noting the importance of early intervention. They also proposed organising an event similar to the R-DASH event to bring together various provisions and services for children and young people in Doncaster.

Overview and Scrutiny Work Plan and Council's Forward Plan of Key Decisions

The committee reviewed the updated Overview and Scrutiny Work Plan for 2026/27, noting planned reviews on Integrated Offender Management, Leaving Hospital/Supporting People at Home, and SEND Transformation and Sufficiency. They also noted the Council's Forward Plan of Key Decisions, which included the Youth Justice Plan 2026/27 being presented to Cabinet on 24 September 2026.