Youth Justice and Youth Services

Mantonville

Youth Justice and Youth Services

Simulation Exercise

Dan Ellingworth

With advice from Graham Smyth and Chris Fox
Mantonville

Scenario

You work as part of the Youth Services Committee of Mantonville Town Council. In the past year, the local businessman Lord Ellingworth-Fox-Smyth has died, and in his will has left the town council £1,000,000 with the specific instructions that this money should be spent improving the lives and behaviour of young people in Mantonville. In the will, he also set out clear instructions about how the expenditure was to be evaluated: the cost of this evaluation was also covered by a separate bequest in his will.

Your job, therefore, is to decide exactly how this money is to be spent. The money will be spent in two years. You will decide on the first year's budget, allocating £500,000, which will then be evaluated by the evaluation team, who will be particularly focussing on 13 'metrics' - statistical measures of 13 different aspects of young people's lives and behaviour. On the basis of this evaluation, you will then allocate the second amount of money. You should note that one outcome of the evaluation might result in the second amount of money changing, up or down, from the expected £500,000. Other chance factors may also come into play between the first and second round of budget.

Mantonville

Mantonville is a small town of around 35,000 people, which is located just outside a large industrial city. It is reasonably affluent, though it has pockets of quite serious social problems in two separate housing estates. There are two large comprehensive schools, both built in the 1970s, and 10 primary schools. There is a large park near the centre of the town, and four smaller parks dotted around the community. There is a leisure centre, but this is not seen to cater for all sections of the community.One youth club is running, but the Education department has agreed that school premises could be used for future developments in this area.

Policing – there is a single central police station, and the town is covered by a staff of 30 police officers, and 10 Police Community Support Officers. There is a limited CCTV provision in the town centre, but this is not considered to be up to required standard.

Young People’s Health – some concerns have been raised over a relatively high level of childhood obesity, which has been rising significantly over the past 20 years. Drinking and sexual health issues are also of growing concern.

A survey of residents found that the major problems perceived in the area are drink-related anti-social behaviour in the town centre at the weekends, and intimidating groups of young people in certain parts of the town.

The "Metrics"

The Interventions

Potential Unforeseen Circumstances (PUCs)

After the evaluation of your Year One Budget Allocation, you will be told how well you have done in terms of changes to the metrics, and also about what budget you have to spend in the second budget round.

As bequeathed by Lord Ellingworth-Fox-Smyth, you might expect another £500,000, but local politics being local politics, this may not be the case. If the council Chief Executive sees fit, you might be rewarded for successful performance, or be granted some extra money because one problem or another might not be responding as expected. You may even have money taken away because you have done such a good job that ‘youth issues’ are not deemed that important. There is the added issue that there is a local election happening at the end of the first year, so substantial changes in approach of the council may occur, if the election produces a changed council.

All these PUCs will result in a change, up or down, to your budget, so do not decide on your second round expenditure until you are told what it is.

Game Flow Chart

1. Seminar One - divide into teams; introduction to Mantonville; allocation and submission of first budget. Teams should record the decisions they take, and why.

1. After Seminar 1 - budget will be entered into spreadsheet by Dan / Chris, and evaluation prepared.

1. By Wednesday 5pm - Evaluation report will be emailed to the group contact. This will tell you how the 'metrics' have changed, any "PUCs" you have incurred, and what budget you have to allocate for the second round of spending.

1. After receipt of evaluation, the teams will meet to allocate the second round of budget expenditure. Teams should record the decisions they take, and why. The budget should be emailed back to Chris / Dan.

1. Seminar Two next week - final changes to metrics will be reported, and teams will report on the approach adopted and decisions made. A 'winning' team will be announced.

How to Allocate

Round One

1. You have a budget of £500,000 to allocate across the interventions listed above.
2. You do not have to allocate money to all of these interventions, and there is no maximum, other than the overall budget limit. You should allocate the full budget – any money left over will disappear into the wider council’s coffers.
3. The costs listed give you an idea of what your money will buy. You do not need to allocate the money in exact multiples of these amounts (NOTE – with the exception of the Yellow School Bus Scheme – see detailed information later on). If for example, you decide that you want to allocate £20,000 to 'Youth Workers' (£13,000 per worker) this will get you about one and a half youth workers - one full time, and one part time.
4. The costs of some interventions are simply "per year", while others are "capital expenditure and upkeep" - this is where something physical is built, so there is a high initial cost, and then there is an annual 'upkeep' cost. Your budget decisions need to consider both the initial cost and 5 years of up keep – the upkeep costs are compulsory, and multiply up with each unit of intervention you have decided on
5. Example: Offender Display Boards (aka Name and Shame Boards)
6. Initial Capital Expenditure (cost of manufacture and installation) - £10,000
7. Annual Upkeep (cost of repair and updating) £2000
8. Total Cost £10,000 + (5 x £2000) = £20,000

1. Where the intervention involves the employment of someone, they will all be given a five year contract.
2. If you go over budget, the Chief Executive of Mantonville Town Counil (either Dan or Chris!) will randomly choose which intervention to cancel.

You need to complete the form overleaf, and return it to your seminar tutor at the end of the seminar. The evaluators will then report back to you (via the group contact email) – this report will tell you what has happened to the metrics, what your budget is for the second round, and any advice the evaluators might make.

You will then need to meet with your group, and agree the second round budget, which should be emailed back to Chris/ Dan.

Please identify one ‘minute taker’ per group who will record what your group discusses, decides, and why, to allow feedback next week.
”Mantonville”

Team Name______

Seminar Group Time ______Seminar Tutor______

Members

Team Leader ______

Minute Taker ______

Other Members

Main Contact Email ______

When are you going to meet to discuss Round 2 Budget? (Suggestion - Towards the end of this week, for about half an hour. The evaluation reports will be emailed around about 5pm, Wednesday, and you will need these to decide on Budget 2).

______

Total Budget for Round Two is ______

(this will be emailed to you with the evaluation report)

Detailed Information about the Interventions

Youth Club

Each £7500 will pay for a youth club, staffed by volunteers, to be set-up in a school property. This would run for one evening a week, from 7-9pm, for a year. You can set-up clubs to run up to 5 evenings a week, but only one in each school property.

Mentoring Scheme

This will pay for the employment of a mentor to work with individual pupils who are deemed at risk of either criminal behaviour, or disengagement with school. Each mentor can work with up to 5 pupils.

Play Equipment

Play Equipment Models – no staffing costs included

Model 1 - The most expensive – High quality modern play equipment, designed with high levels of safety in mind. Included in the price is rubberised safety surfacing.

Model 2 – as above, without the safety surfacing

Model 3 – redevelopment of a wasteland. Clean-up of area; equipped with reclaimed materials from builders merchants etc.

Community Support Patrollers

These are patrolling community wardens, who work with the police, but have limited powers of arrest, and can really only detain someone whilst contacting the police who will attend.

Traffic Calming Measures

A variety of measures are adopted (e.g. speed bumps, signing, artificial road narrowings etc.) but you simply choose a budget for them. Do not include speed cameras.

Speed Cameras

Linked in to existing speed camera network provision. Can produce revenue for further expenditure.

CCTV

Model 1 – High specification cameras targeting known hotspots of youth crime and disorder.

Model 2 – 15 High specification cameras, adopting a blanket approach across town centre. This model will require a significant updating and expansion of the CCTV control room, the cost of which is included in the budget.

Dedicated CCTV Operators

This is not a requirement if you are installing CCTV cameras, but are felt to greatly improve the effectiveness of camera coverage.

Youth workers

Employed in a variety of capacities, but not including formal education or mentoring work. There is a basic provision in place already (10 workers for the town) but there are working to full capacity

Senior Youth Workers

Strategic management of above.

After School Provision

In-school provision of leisure and homework facilities, 3.30pm-5.30pm, staffed by school staff but in a care capacity (i.e. not teaching). The cost cover the club running 5 evenings a week.

Breakfast Club

In-school provision of breakfast and care, 7.30-9am, staffed by school staff but in a care capacity (i.e. not teaching). The cost covers the club running 5 mornings a week.

Police Officers

A single additional officer for a year.

Health promotion Campaign

One months campaign includes 2 large poster sites, a visit to each school by a professional Health Worker, and advertisements and features in the local newspaper.

Health Worker in Schools

A dedicated worker assigned across all school to inform and advise on diet, exercise and health-related matters.

Offender Display Boards

So-called ‘name-and-shame’ boards – the money will pay for one hi-tech electronic advertising board which will publicise the names of known perpetrators of Anti-social Behaviour in Mantonville.

Alcohol Sales campaigns

A campaign that identifies and targets action against shops and pubs known to sell alcohol to under-age teenagers.

Drugs Awareness Campaigns

One months campaign includes 2 large poster sites, a visit to each school by a professional Drugs Outreach Worker, and advertisements and features in the local newspaper.

Yellow School Bus Scheme

The provision of a dedicated Yellow School Bus for a school. The running costs include salary of driver, fuel and upkeep. Note – has to be budgeted in terms of exact numbers of buses – you can’t have half a bus).

Walking Bus Schemes

Costs cover the set-up of a volunteer run scheme which encourages groups of children to walk, supervised, to and from school. Costs cover the setup, publicity and provision of high-visibility jackets.

Pupil Referral Unit

A central unit across all schools in the town, where pupils deemed to be at risk of exclusion, and a disruption to learning attend to receive their education and counselling about the issues they present.

Park Patrollers

An individual park patroller.

Leisure centre Youth Provision

No building work involved, but funding will go to expand provision, extend opening hours, and increase staffing to provide a range of activities for young people. Simply designate an amount of money.

School Capital Expenditure

Funding for a variety of building work in schools. As above, simply designate an amount of money.

Detailed Information about the Metrics

1 Teenage Crime (Incidents / 100 Persons)

Number of crimes recorded by the police, as having, in the view of the police, been perpetrated by people aged under 18.

2 Teenage ASB (Incidents / 100 Persons)

Number of incidents recorded by the police, as having, in the view of the police, been perpetrated by people aged under 18.

3 Traffic Deaths 10-16 year olds (Deaths / 10,000 10-16 year olds)

Deaths of road users (passenger, cyclists or pedestrians).

4 Traffic Deaths 16-20 year olds (Deaths / 10,000 16-20 year olds)

Deaths of road users (drivers, passenger, cyclists or pedestrians).

5 School Exclusions (No. per 1000 school pupil)

Number of school pupils recorded as being formally excluded from school, either temporarily or permanently.

6 GCSE Results (% 5 A-C GCSEs)

The percentage of pupils getting 5 GCSEs at A-C level.

7 Teenage Pregnancy (No per 1000 female aged 10-19)

Number of teenage pregnancies recorded by the local NHS Trust.

8 Teenage STDs (No per 1000 persons aged 10-19)

Number of teenage sexually transmitted diseases recorded by the local NHS Trust.

9 Underage Alcohol Consumption (% reporting 'frequent' consumption)

As measured by a local survey of school pupils. "Frequent" is considered drinking on 2 or more occasions in the past week.

10 Teenage Drug Use (% reporting 'frequent' consumption)

As measured by a local survey of school pupils. "Frequent" is considered using any illegal drug on 2 or more occasions in the past month.

11 Non-traffic Teenage Fatal Accidents (No per 1000 person aged 10-19)

As recorded by the local police

12 Non-Fatal Teenage Accidents (No per 1000 person aged 10-19)

As recorded by the local Accident and Emergency department. An accident is considered a broken bone or dislocation of a bone; a significant cut that required treatment; or concussion. An accident is something that requires treatment at A&E, and no more than one night in hospital.

13 Obesity Levels (16 year olds) % classed as clinically obese

Percentage of 16 year olds having a body weight more than 20 percent greater than recommended for the relevant height.