Guidance
Intensive Youth Justice Response
Our Intensive Youth Justice Response provides a high level of tailored social work support to address factors that may be contributing to offending behaviour when Police say they may apply for a Young Serious Offender declaration or a declaration is made.What is an Intensive Youth Justice Response
Our Intensive Youth Justice Response delivers focused, coordinated services that aim to:
- identify and address the complex needs and risks of rangatahi who are likely to be or have been declared a Young Serious Offender and their whānau or family
- promote effective interagency collaboration and therapeutic support
- work alongside whānau or family to provide intensive social work support
- ensure that the additional legal complexities associated with the making of the declaration and subsequent orders are well understood and appropriately managed.
There are 2 key phases to the Intensive Youth Justice Response:
- Specialist advice and guidance when a Young Serious Offender declaration is being considered and throughout the court application and decision-making process.
- Direct intensive social work with rangatahi and their whānau or family while a Young Serious Offender declaration is in place.
The Intensive Youth Justice Response is delivered through:
- site-based social work kaimahi
- Intensive Case Management Teams
- the Young Serious Offender practice leader.
Youth justice social work kaimahi (and care and protection kaimahi when the rangatahi has a dual status) can access advice, support and guidance from local Intensive Case Management Teams or the Young Serious Offender practice leader, including:
- expertise in Young Serious Offender processes, court systems and legal pathways
- direct, intensive social work with the rangatahi and their whānau or family
- leadership in coordinating interagency services and brokering support
- support for plans to be achieved – including a therapeutic response to the needs and risks for the rangatahi and their whānau or family
- inclusion with other site-based kaimahi in communities of practice.
Before the Young Serious Offender declaration
Specialist advice and guidance is available for site kaimahi from the point that Police advise that they may apply for a Young Serious Offender declaration. Initial response consists of:
- support to assist the allocated social worker and family group conference coordinator through the declaration process
- an assessment that builds and deepens our understanding with the rangatahi and their whānau or family
- initial safety and support planning with the rangatahi and their whānau or family to promote bail compliance and reduce further offending
- identifying at the earliest stage the key people who could form a multidisciplinary team (MDT)
- considering the appropriate advice and recommendations to the Youth Court, including orders to support the making of the declaration.
Support
Youth justice practice leaders or youth justice family group conference team leaders can access support by contacting yso@ot.govt.nz
The Young Serious Offender practice leader will provide support or put you in touch with local expertise if this is more appropriate.
Assessment
Given the serious nature of the offending, it is critical that we provide balanced information to the court to support decision-making about the appropriateness of the declaration and ensure we are meeting our obligations under section 4A(2) of the Oranga Tamariki Act.
We use Te Puna Oranga to consider our section 4A(2) obligations and focus on building an understanding of:
- the oranga of the rangatahi within their whānau or family context and what influences or contributes to offending behaviours – analysed through static and dynamic risk factors of offending
- previous interventions that may have been used to address the offending behaviour and how effective these were
- whānau or family situations, including siblings, and aspirations for rangatahi
- rangatahi strengths, abilities, goals and motivation
- the support network: whānau or family, and others providing support – section 66C of the Oranga Tamariki Act can be used to support conversations with other professionals involved
- how offending could be adversely affecting others in the home or community (such as siblings).
Our practice approach tools and resources
Guidance: Underlying causes of offending behaviour – dynamic and static risk factors
The completed assessment report can be used to:
- inform the family group conference
- articulate how we have balanced our section 4A(2) obligations
- identify early any gaps in knowledge that may need further exploration, including specialist assessment
- strengthen safety and support plans to promote bail compliance and reduce the risk of reoffending.
After the family group conference, this information is incorporated into a section 335 court plan and associated section 335 plans, to inform the court of the suitability of the Young Serious Offender declaration.
Intensive Youth Justice Response once a declaration is made
If a Young Serious Offender declaration is made, the 2nd phase of the Intensive Youth Justice Response is initiated.
Our response will look different across the motu, depending on rangatahi and whānau or family needs, and local resources. We need to organise our practice to ensure the intensity of our response is coordinated and purposeful. It may involve:
- allocation of a key worker from an Intensive Case Management Team
- a tailored service delivery response led by the site’s youth justice social worker with the support of the Young Serious Offender practice leader and/or nearby Intensive Case Management Teams.
When a Young Serious Offender declaration is made, the youth justice social worker works with their supervisor, regional practice leader and where necessary the Young Serious Offender practice leader. They can also engage with their local Intensive Case Management Team where there is one, and the care and protection social worker and their site leadership where relevant.
The specific responsibilities of the youth justice social worker may vary depending on the nature of the order and the circumstances of the rangatahi. Throughout the order, they remain an active member of the multidisciplinary team, working collaboratively with others to provide a coordinated response, maintain engagement with the rangatahi and their whānau or family, and support progress towards agreed goals and outcomes. This includes:
- holding responsibility for the oranga, including safety, of te tamaiti or rangatahi
- providing case direction through assessment and planning
- carrying out statutory and delegated social work functions
- overseeing case activity
- ensuring te tamaiti or rangatahi, their whānau or family, and other key parties understand what is happening, who the key people are, and how communication will occur.
Where a military-style academy order is made, this also includes working closely with the clinical team attached to the programme to understand and support ongoing therapeutic goals.
When working together, we need to define specific case responsibilities. This includes:
- clarifying roles and required supports
- allocating budgets, especially for dual status rangatahi
- ensuring the intensive response is fully enabled.
How the Intensive Youth Justice Response will be delivered for the rangatahi and their whānau or family is set out in an Intensive Youth Justice Response case management plan.
Intensive Youth Justice Response case management plan
The Intensive Youth Justice Response case management plan responds to the orders and conditions made following the Young Serious Offender declaration. The plan clearly outlines roles and responsibilities by defining:
- who is leading the work and holds responsibility for assessing progress for the rangatahi and their whānau or family – this will usually be the key youth justice social worker but could be undertaken by an Intensive Case Management Team social worker by agreement
- allocation of specific tasks for each team member (such as the Intensive Case Management Team social worker or care and protection social worker if one is allocated), including visits with the rangatahi and their whānau or family, court reports, and ongoing assessment work
- timeframes for completing agreed tasks and review
- how everyone will work together, including the use of existing multidisciplinary team meetings, clinics or forums for case coordination.
The plan also provides details of week-to-week activities, what the rangatahi and whānau or family will be focusing on, and the supports and actions required to implement and monitor the section 335 plan.
The plan aligns with and complements the goals agreed in the section 335 court plan, any residential care plan, plan to support the Military-Style Academy, plan to address whānau or family needs and the Goal Plan for rangatahi in care. These plans are clear about what the rangatahi needs and what needs to happen for those needs to be met.
The Intensive Youth Justice Response case management plan provides a more practical and detailed breakdown of how those things will occur and by who. It is used to support day-to-day case management that ensures the overarching objectives of these plans will be met. We consider the following:
- The Goal Plan talks about meeting the overarching needs of the rangatahi across their time in care.
- The court plan covers planning across the Young Serious Offender declaration and gives an overview of how we want to reduce the seriousness of offending and prevent further offending. This will have elements of the goals included in the Goal Plan, such as whānau or family contact and health and education issues.
- Residential settings might require another level of detailed plan to talk about how they are going to carry out the day-to-day components of care.
They should all be linked back to the overarching goals, which should be directed by the social worker in collaboration with the wider team and support network.
Agreement and coordination
When agreeing the Intensive Youth Justice Response case management plan, providing the best social work service is at the forefront of our decision-making. Consider:
- who is best able to deliver the intensive social work service to the rangatahi and their whānau or family
- who is best placed to lead whānau or family engagement and what support might they require
- what skills and experience are needed to support kaimahi to build quality relationships
- what level of cultural competence and required skills are needed to engage cross culturally
- if there is any specialist knowledge or skill required.
This plan should be regularly used by all involved to ensure our social work delivery is focused on achieving the identified goals of the rangatahi and their whānau or family, as well as the requirements of any court orders or plans, and should be regularly reviewed and updated as we continue to build and deepen our understanding.
Delivery where there is not an Intensive Case Management Team
In areas without an Intensive Case Management Team, site kaimahi deliver the intensive social work.
Supervisors may need to adjust the caseloads of site kaimahi to enable them to deliver an intensive social work service. Support could be provided through:
- connection with the nearest Intensive Case Management Team or intensive youth justice support social worker
- communities of practice facilitated by the Young Serious Offender practice leader
- guidance from the Young Serious Offender practice leader.
Consider complexity, ability to be flexible and the responsiveness required when considering caseload management.
Working with partners
Contracted partners play a vital role in helping us deliver intensive youth justice support. They may be able to engage with rangatahi and whānau or family in ways we can’t.
These partners also provide essential infrastructure around the Young Serious Offender process, enabling kaimahi to deliver intensive support effectively. We should actively seek and use these partnerships to strengthen our response and outcomes.