Reduction in first-time offences, reoffending and custody rates among children in Doncaster

During a meeting of full council earlier this month, councillors approved a new Youth Justice Plan for 2024/5.

The annual strategy outlines support for young people in the justice system and plans to reduce offending rates.

It noted several areas of success in last year’s plan, as offending and custody rates reduced while a greater number of young people accessed support.

Some 124 young people became first-time offenders between October 2022 and September 2023, a reduction of 36.8 percent since the previous year.

The number of young people to re-offend reduced at 31.3 percent, although the council failed to meet its target of 22 percent.

A target of 24 percent has been set in this year’s plan.

The council has several prevention systems in place including Team EPIC, which offers support to children within schools and the wider community.

Almost 2,000 children attended the Team EPIC hub in the Frenchgate Shopping Centre between January and March this year to access support.

The new Youth Justice Plan outlines plans to develop prevention methods further and improve opportunities for young people’s voices to be heard.

Types of therapy such as Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) and Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) will be rolled out further for children requiring mental health support.

Around £2.1 million will be spent to carry out the plan, with £0.8 million of this to be sourced from Doncaster Council’s budget.