Delivering Community Resolutions: the role of youth offending services

Context

The use of out-of-court disposals (OOCDs) with young people who break the law is increasing. One OOCD is a community resolution (CR) which allows the police to deal with less serious offences in an informal way, providing a diversionary approach without formal court proceedings. This can allow young people to avoid having a criminal conviction on their record, give victims the opportunity to have their say, and provide a more efficient resolution than pursuing a criminal conviction. Youth Offending Teams (YOTs) perform a key role in the delivery of CRs, yet there remains a significant gap in knowledge about how CRs are delivered with young people. This research explored how youth offending services implement and deliver CRs in England and Wales, documenting working practices as well as key enablers and barriers to effective practice. 

Approach

Interviews were conducted with CR-focused managers, case workers, and partner agencies in five YOTs provided good insight to CR implementation and delivery. Supplementing this data, a survey of CR-focused YOT staff in England and Wales was undertaken to provide a snapshot of YOT CR practice across England and Wales. A small number of focus groups with justice-involved young people were also conducted. The research was driven by a 2021 HM Inspectorate of Probation report that found that the overall quality of casework for OOCDs was below that of court disposals, with an absence of standardisation of planning and delivery which resulted in inconsistencies between YOTs. The research aims to identify several key areas for the potential enhancement of the delivery of CRs.