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REPORT OF THE WORKING PARTY ON CO-OPERATION AND COMMUNICATION BETWEEN AGENCIES CONCERNED WITH CHILDREN AND YOUNG PERSONS APPEARING BEFORE JUVENILE COURTS IN WALES, 1977

NCJ Number
46186
Date Published
1977
Length
132 pages
Annotation
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CHILDREN AND YOUNG PERSONS ACT, 1969 (GREAT BRITAIN) ARE MADE; THESE INCLUDE TRAINING IN COURT WORK FOR SOCIAL WORKERS, MORE DIVERSIONARY PROCEEDINGS, BETTER LIAISON.
Abstract
IN MANY WAYS THE CHILDREN AND YOUNG PERSONS ACT REPRESENTED A RADICAL DEPARTURE FROM PREVIOUS HANDLING OF JUVENILE CASES IN ENGLAND AND WALES. THE MAJOR CHANGE IS A CHANGE IN ATTITUDE; THE COURT IS TO INTERVENE ONLY WHEN THE CHILD'S NEEDS ARE UNLIKELY TO BE MET UNLESS THE COURT MAKES AN ORDER. COOPERATION BETWEEN SCHOOL AND SOCIAL AGENCIES IS PUT AT A PREMIUM. THE FIRST RECOMMENDATION OF A WORKING PARTY ON IMPLEMENTATION IN WALES IS TO KEEP BETTER RECORDS OF YOUNG PERSONS HANDLED BY COURTS IN WALES. AT PRESENT JOINT STATISTICS ARE KEPT BY ENGLAND AND WALES AND ONLY LENGTHY RESEARCH WAS ABLE TO PRODUCE ROUGH FIGURES FOR WALES ALONE. (THESE FIGURES ARE APPENDED. THEY SHOW THE NUMBER OF CHILDREN FOUND GUILTY OF INDICTABLE OFFENSES INCREASED FROM 3,864 IN 1965 TO 6,967 IN 1974.) OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS INCLUDE GREATER TRAINING OF SOCIAL WORKERS IN COURT APPEARANCES AND GREATER AWARENESS ON THE PART OF COURT OFFICIALS OF SOCIAL SERVICES AVAILABLE. IT WAS RECOMMENDED THAT FORMS BE DEVELOPED FOR THE SCHOOL, EACH SOCIAL AGENCY INVOLVED, AND THE COURT TO GATHER FULL DATA ON EACH CHILD TO BE BROUGHT BEFORE THE COURT. THIS DATA COULD THEN BE USED BY THE COURT TO DETERMINE THE MOST SUITABLE COURSE OF ACTION. IN CHILD DEPENDENCY AND NEGLECT CASES EVERY EFFORT SHOULD BE MADE TO SETTLE THE MATTER WITHOUT A COURT ORDER. IN CASES OF INDICTABLE OFFENSES, EVERY EFFORT SHOULD BE MADE TO KEEP PROCEEDINGS AS SIMPLE AS POSSIBLE SO THAT THE CHILD AND THE PARENTS CAN UNDERSTAND THE CHARGES AND THE PROCEDURES. IN LARGER COURTS IT MAY PROVE FEASIBLE TO HAVE ONE PERSON IN CHARGE OF LIAISON WITH SOCIAL AGENCIES TO HANDLE JUVENILE MATTERS. EVERY EFFORT SHOULD BE MADE TO ELIMINATE COURT DELAYS, AS THESE ARE MUCH MORE SERIOUS FOR A YOUNG PERSON THAN AN OLDER DEFENDANT. FOLLOWUP SHOULD BE PROVIDED FOR THOSE WHO ARE SENTENCED. RECORDS SHOULD BE KEPT OF THE JUVENILE FOR THE GUIDANCE OF COURT STAFF IN FUTURE CASES. APPENDIXES PRESENT CONSULTATIVE PRACTICES BETWEEN AGENCIES PRIOR TO COURT APPEARANCES, A REPORT ON COMMITTEE CORRESPONDENCE WITH MAGISTRATES CLERKS, THE REPORT OF THE CHIEF PROBATION OFFICER, NOTES ON A CONSULTATIVE MODEL FOR COURT AND SOCIAL AGENCY, RECOMMENDATIONS FOR A PRECOURT MEETING TO REDUCE DELAYS IN JUVENILE CASES, NOTES ON REPORTS CURRENTLY SUBMITTED TO MAGISTRATES COURTS, SAMPLES OF THE SCHOOL INFORMATION FORMS, STATISTICS OF CHILDREN COMING BEFORE THE COURTS, STATISTICS ON LENGTH OF TIME TAKEN TO HANDLE VARIOUS JUVENILE MATTERS IN VARIOUS COURTS, AND A DIAGRAM OF RESPONSIBILITIES AND PROCEDURES UNDER THE CHILDREN AND YOUNG PERSONS ACT OF 1969. (GLR)