Youth offending service collaboration to end

A collaborative arrangement which involves the sharing of youth offending services across three council areas is to end next month.

The Western Bay Youth Justice and Early Intervention Service – which comprises of Bridgend County Borough Council, Neath Port Talbot Council and the City and County of Swansea Council – will come to an end on 1 April.

Cabinet Members from Bridgend County Borough Council have agreed that the time is right to bring the voluntary collaboration to an end as it coincides with health services for Bridgend migrating east from the Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board to the Cwm Taf Health Board.

All partners have agreed that this is an opportune time to end the collaboration which has been in place for the last four years. We will revert to running a youth offending service solely for Bridgend County Borough’s young people, however we have already begun discussions with the Cwm Taf Health Board about opportunities for collaboration on specific projects.

Youth justice services are co-ordinated and delivered to reduce anti-social behaviour, offending and re-offending. Under the Western Bay Youth Justice and Early Intervention Service, in Bridgend County Borough we saw the decline in the number of young people offending and re-offending.

Young people who access the service will continue to be actively engaged in activities to help them to become better citizens. I have every confidence in the expertise of our staff to continue to reduce the number of young people entering the Criminal Justice System, help turn around negative behaviour and make our communities safer.”

Councillor Dhanisha Patel, Cabinet Member for Wellbeing and Future Generations