Girls transitioning from Youth Offending Services when turning 18 - Lesley Tregear
The importance of planning in helping girls to transition effectively from supervision by a youth offending service (YOS) to the National Probation Service (NPS) when a girl reaches 18 years of age, cannot be underestimated. Seldom is a girl with a YOS for such as short period that such planning cannot be achieved, however much relies on the early allocation of the girl’s case within the NPS to ensure that the girls experience of transition is positive.
Planning for transfer of a case should begin early, with the YOS practitioner explaining clearly the need for the transfer and the way in which that transfer will occur. Practitioners and their managers will appreciate the vulnerability of girls within the criminal justice system and the likelihood of that young person having experienced abuse resulting in trauma. Such adverse life experiences create barriers to trust of adults in all children and young people but for girls who are more likely to have been exploited this is a particular concern. Where they have been supervised for some time, they will generally have developed a positive relationship with their supervisor, and the bonds they make with that supervisor should not be underestimated. An ineffective transfer process can result in a sense of loss and disengagement with the YOS and the NPS, leaving the girl vulnerable.
Transferring a ‘case’ is not about handing over responsibility, but about helping the recipient agency understand the young person; their needs, vulnerabilities and any risks they pose to others. This requires sharing assessments, plans and the ways in which those plans are best managed.
Girls, of course, do not live in isolation and as a result information about the way in which they interact with family, friends and their community is also important. Sharing is done best in joint meetings between the girl, the current and new supervisor and the girl’s family, where appropriate. Such meetings should form part of a planned transition and should occur over a period of time to suit the young person; seldom is a one-off meeting sufficient to support an effective transition. Best practice suggests that meetings post-transfer are held; avoiding the girl feeling like a commodity that is handed over.
When young women transfer into adult services, it’s important to understand that she in herself has not changed - today she may be 17 years and 11 months and tomorrow 18 years – her behaviours will not change from child to adult and her vulnerabilities may remain for many years into adulthood. A girl cannot reasonably be expected to change overnight from someone who is supported in her home, to one who ‘reports’ on a set day and time each week. It should also be recognised that she may need more support and contact than that defined by national standards, especially where she is particularly vulnerable. Unlike services for adults, services designed for children do not consider this unusual. It is important that girls do not become disenfranchised due to lack of responsivity, particularly during the early stages of transfer.
It is likely that when transferring between the YOS and the NPS, a girl may also need to transfer from other children’s service provision, especially where they may have other issues such as mental ill health. Such young people are likely to be in receipt of support and treatment from Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), at 18 years this support will be provided by Adult Mental Health Services (AMHS) and it is important that this transition is managed seamlessly. This requires planning from both the YOS and the NPS, not only to ensure that the service is offered seamlessly but also that the young person is assisted in engaging with AMHS.
Planning to support effective transition to the NPS in the community requires both YOS practitioners and probation officers to be clear of the importance of continuity of care, albeit from a different person in a different agency. However, it should not be overlooked that some girls may also be transitioning to the NPS and to an adult secure facility. This brings additional responsibilities on both agencies to identify early the officer that will be supporting the young person in custody and, in a similar manner, joint meetings should be arranged and preferably an introductory visit arranged to the establishment to ensure that the potential for trauma is avoided.
Keeping the young woman at the heart of all planning is vital if they are to move between services designed for children to those of adults, the time and effort this takes should not be underestimated, and it is essential that it is properly resourced.
Find out more in the Young Women’s Justice Project briefing Falling Through the Gaps.
Funded by Lloyds Bank Foundation and run in partnership by Agenda and the Alliance for Youth Justice (AYJ), the Young Women’s Justice Project provides a national platform to make the case for the needs of young women aged 17–25 in contact with the criminal justice system, including of the needs of girls transitioning into adult services as they turn 18.
We are keen to continue collaborating with others working in this space, with both lived and learned experience of the issues. If you work with girls and young women in contact with the criminal justice system and would like to get involved, please contact maggie@weareagenda.org.