Engagement and Assessment Policy (Youth Justice)
What's Important To Us
In youth justice, engagement and assessment is the first phase of work we do when a child or young person comes to our attention. There are a number of processes and steps we must take to ensure we engage well with our clients and their families and gather the right information to inform family and judicial decision making.
Every child and young person who comes to our attention will require a unique response. Those that are considered high risk with multiple needs will require more intensive assessment and involvement than those that are low risk who can be supported by their family and community to ‘right the wrong' and change their offending behaviour. For those that are high risk with multiple needs, appropriate and early assessment will help identify the right supports and opportunities that will best enable them to change their behaviour.
Managing youth justice referrals
Prior to the consultation, the youth justice coordinator will obtain all relevant information from the enforcement officer (usually the police). The youth justice coordinator will gather other existing information (i.e. from CYRAS) to ensure that the consultation process is fully informed.
If the young person has a current care and protection status, consultation with their care and protection social worker is required to explore options for diversion from police action.
Where the young person is in the custody of the chief executive, a social worker is entitled to attend the conference as a representative of the chief executive.
Engagement
It is the role of the youth justice coordinator to ensure that all entitled members (s251) are consulted and invited to the family group conference. The youth justice coordinator will consult with and invite all known whānau (including both the maternal and paternal sides) and victims to the family group conference and will enable their attendance where possible.
Where an entitled person cannot physically attend the family group conference but wishes to participate, the youth justice coordinator will enable his or her participation as appropriate (i.e. telephone conferencing, receiving the views verbally or in writing and presenting them at the family group conference).
When consulting with entitled persons the youth justice coordinator needs to ensure that everyone understands that the conference is not confined to accountability for offending, but is required to give consideration to whether or not formal proceedings should be instituted.
The youth justice coordinator must make every effort to consult face-to-face with the child or young person, their whānau and the victim(s) during the convening phase of a family group conference. This includes consultation on the time, date, place of the family group conference and the procedure to be followed at the family group conference.
The youth justice coordinator (and social worker, where allocated) must engage with the appropriate professionals to make sure that all relevant information is provided to the family group conference including, but not limited to, health and education.
The youth justice coordinator is required to take all reasonable steps to discuss with the victim how they wish to be kept informed of the child or young person's progress on the agreed tasks in the family group conference plan (s269A). This process should be discussed during convening although the victim may not wish to make a decision until a later date.
Pre-family group conference case consultation
A pre-family group conference case consultation is required for all children and young people referred for a youth justice family group conference under s247, s281 and s281B of the Children, Young Persons and Their Families Act 1989, including children in care and protection residences and young people on remand in youth justice residences. In all cases, the consultation will be attended by the youth justice coordinator and a youth justice supervisor. When a young person has been admitted to residence, the residential case worker is to be included in the pre-family group conference case consultation wherever practical (this will involve using available technology).
The purpose of the consultation is to determine whether a social worker should be allocated to the case before the family group conference is held and to determine what information is required (including screens and assessments) so that the family group conference is fully informed of all relevant information. The case consultation will determine the roles and responsibilities of the various parties in gathering information and preparing relevant reports.
The pre-family group conference case consultation must be completed as soon as practicable after the referral or direction for family group conference is received and to allow sufficient time for any required assessments and screens to be completed prior to the family group conference being held. The expectation is that the pre-family group conference case consultation will be held within 3 working days of receiving a referral or direction for a family group conference.
The youth justice coordinator will casenote the outcome of the pre-family group conference case consultation in CYRAS under the appropriate case note header.
Youth justice / care and protection interface
A pre-family group conference case consultation for a child offender, a child or young person who has dual status, or care and protection status in the previous three months, will always involve the following people:
- Youth justice coordinator
- Youth justice supervisor
- Practice leader
- Care and protection supervisor
- Care and protection social worker
The practice leader will chair the pre-family group conference case consultation for a dual status child or young person. Where this cannot be easily arranged, the practice leader should always be involved when confirming the best way to proceed with the case.
Children who offend
All children who are referred to a youth justice coordinator for their offending under section 14(1)(e) will be allocated a social worker who will assess the child's risks, strengths and needs prior to the family group conference using the appropriate assessment tool.
- TRAX Adolescent Assessment for children aged 12-13 years
- Child and Family Assessment for children aged 10-11 years
The child's developmental level and cognitive functioning must be taken into account when engaging with and formulating plans for them (see Child Offenders Manual for more information).
The Child and Family Consult, Young Person and Family Consult and Family Strengths and Risks Assessment are other tools that may be used to inform the assessment.
Key information: Undertaking a good child and family assessment
Screening for suicide, psychological distress and substance abuse
It is critical that we look for, recognise and act on signals that a young person may be at risk of self harm, suicide, alcohol or drug abuse or psychological distress. The following screens will be used by Child, Youth and Family staff trained in their use:
• Kessler and Suicide Screens – to screen for psychological distress and suicide
• Substances and Choices Scale – to screen for substance abuse
These screens must be applied whenever mental health, suicide, and/or substance use is identified as a concern or potential concern at any phase of our work. In addition there are specific points within the youth justice process that these screens must be applied as stated in the Practice Tools Policy.
Assessing risks, strengths and needs
When it is required, as determined by the pre-family group conference case consultation and/or the Practice Tools policy, a comprehensive risk and needs assessment using TRAX will be undertaken by a youth justice social worker trained in the use of it. Whenever possible, this assessment will be undertaken prior to the family group conference. The assessment findings will be shared with the youth justice coordinator and used to inform the family group conference.
External screens and assessments
An education screen must be obtained for every child or young person for whom a youth justice family group conference is referred or directed, unless a screen has been completed within the three months preceding a new family group conference referral or direction or the information is available from an education officer in the Youth Court in which the young person is appearing.
For young people who are aged over 16 and no longer formally engaged with education information should still be sought from their last known school or Student Support. Where available, this information will be used to inform the pre-family group conference case consultation.
Health and education assessments must be considered for every child offender, and every young person who is considered to be at high risk of re-offending, and who meets the agreed criteria. The decision to refer for an assessment will be made as part of the pre-family group conference case consultation.
Residential case leader / field social work interface
Residences are expected to contribute to TRAX completion unless a TRAX has already been completed prior to admission to residence on remand. The residential case leader and field social worker will liaise to complete this.
Youth justice custody (not including supervision with residence orders)
A s236 certificate to detain a young person in Police custody for longer than 24 hours can only be signed by a Child, Youth and Family supervisor after visiting the young person in the police cells.
Where a young person is detained in police custody, a social worker will visit daily and ensure the basic needs of the young person are met and appropriate risk screens are undertaken.
Sometimes a young person may be remanded in the custody of the chief executive under section 235 or 238(1)(d). Where a s364 residence is not considered necessary, a community placement may occur. The full caregiver assessment and approval process must be completed. If consideration is given to placing (detaining) within the community under s238(1)(d), full consideration must be given to the caregiver's capacity to provide an appropriate level of supervision. In particular, the placement must be appropriate to avoid absconding, further offending, loss or destruction of evidence, or interference with any witness under s239. The youth justice status of s238(1)(c) requires that the following checks be completed before a social worker is able to approve a potential custodian:
- Police check of prospective caregiver and all other household occupants aged 17 years and older
- CYRAS check on prospective caregiver and all other household occupants
- Interview with prospective caregiver.
Updated 1 October 2010
