Teams want more help with housing

Local housing authorities should be made statutory partners with
youth offending teams to ensure more effective resettlement, Yot
managers said last week.

The proposal, which is due to go to parliament for a decision next
year, could enforce “greater accountability” on local authorities,
workers told the annual Youth Justice Board conference.

Yot managers raised their concerns about the difficulties they
encountered in resettling young offenders, citing “excessive
bureaucracy” as a significant barrier.

One worker described a case where a young person in custody
awaiting release was not housed by the local authority because they
could not physically present themselves at the office as
homeless.

Yot managers also expressed concerns about the lack of suitable
housing for young offenders with learning difficulties who were at
risk of committing sex offences.