Youth Justice Liaison and Diversion:
Lewisham

The Youth Justice Liaison and Diversion (YJLD) scheme in Lewisham has been operational since December 2008. Lewisham was one of the first pilot sites in the country to have already implemented a triage service, through the Youth Crime Action Plan (YCAP) funded model, and this has become an integral part of the YJLD scheme in Lewisham.

YCAP-funded worker

Through the YCAP grant, Lewisham Youth Offending Team (YOT) has employed prevention/triage workers who are based in the police custody suite and work with the police to identify vulnerable young people with low gravity offences (1-3).

Triage workers complete an initial assessment on those identified using the SQIfA (mental health Screening Questionnaire interview for Adolescents). If this prompts any mental health issues, the triage workers divert to the YJLD practitioner.

YJLD-funded worker

Through the YJLD grant, Lewisham YOT employed a CAMHS mental health practitioner. When referrals are received, this YJLD practitioner carries out a fuller assessment using the NHS CAMHS Assessment and depending on the young person's circumstances, C4 and/or SDQ.

The YJLD practitioner works closely with the police and the triage workers to identify mental health problems and vulnerabilities and provides mental health advice on YISP (Youth Inclusion and Support) panels. Most referrals come via the triage workers, although sometimes they come from generic CAMHS or directly by police officers.

Team structure

Lewisham is unusual as it has a specialist CAMHS forensic team within the YOT, which is where the YJLD scheme sits. This team includes an in-house clinical manager, a psychiatrist who completes regular sessional work, a substance misuse worker, social workers and health workers, all aiming to provide mental health assessment and intervention.

Within 15 days of initial referral, all cases are discussed during multi-disciplinary team meetings, after which the YJLD worker tries to make contact with the young person or family (usually through home visits).

Achievements

The workers in Lewisham are able to meet with the young person in an office environment away from the police suite, engage the young person and put together packages of support or restorative justice to deal with the case without formal processing.

Lewisham are successfully improving police officers' understanding and awareness about young people presenting with mental health issues, so that they can receive a more comprehensive and appropriate service in the custody suite and beyond. In most cases, police will now automatically triage a young person, without the intervention of YJLD staff.

Several key policy makers have visited the YJLD pilots. Phil Hope MP, the former Health Minister, visited Lewisham in December 2009 and Helen Edwards, Director General of Justice Policy for the Ministry of Justice, and Frances Crook, Director of the Howard League for Penal Reform, visited in July 2010.

Contact the team

Maxine Oteng
maxine.oteng@slam.nhs.uk
020 8314 9748

Robbyn Linden
robbyn.linden@lewisham.gov.uk
07834 145 117/ 020 8314 9448

Wendy Geraghty
wendy.geraghty@slam.nhs.uk
020 3228 1000

Terry Clay
terence.clay@slam.nhs.uk
020 8314 9748