To what extent does the existing Welsh devolution settlement enable youth offending teams to develop bespoke and innovative approaches to youth justice in Wales?

Abstract

The focus of youth justice-related discussions most commonly studies singular elements and the voices of those who are consistently looked at by policymakers and Governments both locally and nationally. As a result, often, the voices of those who live youth justice at the coal face of research are overlooked. This research intended to understand the role and influence of youth-offending team managers in Wales, which has been measured in the context of a complex devolution settlement in Wales pertaining to youth justice.The research was qualitative in nature, aiming to illuminate new understandings of justice in pre-devolution Wales, exploring the experiences and voices of policymakers, policy managers, practitioners, and young people. The research has a 3-tier effect, which effectively means that three different components come together to complete the data set. Those who implement policy, those who manage and study policy implementation, and those who deal with the policy at the coal face. Through the research, it was found that YOTs in Wales may enjoy a unique but also complex relationship both constitutionally and through partner agencies. It was found that YOT managers in Wales have significant levels of autonomy and influence in the decisionmaking process.Reflecting on the findings found through this research, the following key messages were distilled. The structure of YOTs suggests that there is localised discretion in Wales, as shown within the data, it is visible if the youth justice board gives them localised power, youth offending team managers are the principal authority; there is a persuasive authority that may not be visible but is powerful. Moreover, a youth justice space has been created by the constitutional setting. Youth offending teams and YOT managers have a significant impact, and their roles and influences in terms of service delivery are vast.As indicated above, this research was intimately concerned with YOTs post-devolution and the relationships between key stakeholders and how they understand justice for children, research is still evolving, and there is the prospect of further constitutional devolution for Wales it is hoped that this original research will add a unique contribution to the body of knowledge that exists and inform policy and practice across Wales.