Current Projects

Contract Monitoring and Review of Existing Prevention Projects

Considerable data analysis has been undertaken through the spring of 2009, in order to measure the impact of Devon’s existing Youth Inclusion Support Programmes (YISP). YISP managers will shortly be invited to consider the outcome of this analysis and consider how we can improve our targeting and performance.

ECHO (Empowering Children of Offenders)

ECHO is a new service run by Barnardo's offering support to children with parents in the prison system. The aim is to support children of offenders to reduce stigma, isolation and increase their social and emotional well-being. Ultimately it is about breaking the cycle of offending. The project offers practical advice, emotional and psychological support. Work can include signposting, help with visit arrangements, advice on ensuring a successful prison visit, one to one parenting work inside and outside of prison.

The project will take referrals from anyone for families living within Devon and Bristol. For more information contact Michael Wickens (Project Development Worker) michael.wickens@barnardos 07726700826.

Family Intervention Project (FIP)

There is already an Anti-social Behaviour (ASB) FIP in Exeter which is funded via the City Council from Respect monies.  Under the new Think Family initiative, Devon has now been granted around £120k to develop a Youth Crime FIP with slightly different referral criteria and a much wider catchment area.  We are in advanced negotiation with Action for Children, who provide the Exeter FIP, with a view to developing a jointly managed project which could reach out to North, South and East Devon as well as the city of Exeter.  It is anticipated that this will be operational by the autumn of 2009, and will work very intensively with around 15 families per year.

First Time Entrants (FTEs) into the Justice System

Following the reduction in First Time Entrants of 10.6% between the years 2005/06 and 2007/08 against the national target of 5%, Devon Youth Offending Service (YOS) has now agreed a target with the Youth Justice Board of reducing FTEs by a further 10% between the years 2007/08 and 2010/11.

LINX Programme

Devon has been selected to participate in an innovative pilot programme led by the Hampton Trust, which aims to improve assessment and intervention with young people who exhibit violent behaviour.  Devon will be working in partnership with the Youth Offending Teams (YOTs) and partner agencies in Hampshire, Isle of Wight, and Gloucestershire in developing this programme, and a first training course for its delivery has been delivered to 15 representatives of Youth Offending Team (YOT), Youth Inclusion Support Programme (YISP), Youth Intervention Programme (YIP) and other youth agencies in North Devon.

New Youth Inclusion Programmes (YIPs)

Through the new Devon Preventative Partnership Fund (PPF), Devon Integrated Youth Support Services (IYSS) has been able to allocate £200k per year to commission two new Youth Inclusion Programmes in the neighbourhoods of Exwick (Exeter) and Teignmouth West.  Community Action (North Devon) were contracted to provide the new YIPs; they already operate two YIPs in North Devon.

Preventative Partnership Fund

During 2008/09, Devon County Council put an additional £500k into a range of youth projects which were intended to reduce anti-social behaviour and the perception of ASB.  In 2009/10 five projects have been funded across a range of Devon’s towns and communities.  Further work needs to be undertaken to integrate more fully the work of these projects with existing youth crime prevention programmes.

Restorative Approaches in Schools (RAiS)

This project got underway in the summer of 2008, and has now trained staff in two schools/Pupil Referral Units (PRUs) in South and North Devon, with four more schools being trained.  Feedback so far has been very positive, with the first two schools noticing massive improvements in attendance and reductions in the use of internal disciplinary measures.  A Business Plan is now being developed, in conjunction with colleagues in the Education Welfare Service, to ensure a sustainable and stable future for the project.