David Leask david.leask@theherald.co.uk WATCHDOGS have questioned whether Labour's much-vaunted war on youth crime offered value for money.
Audit Scotland, in a report published today, warned there is no way to show whether substantial cash investment in youth justice under the last Scottish Executive actually paid dividends.
The old Labour-LibDem administration increased spending on Scotland's system of justice for children from £235m in 2000-01 to £336m in 2005-06 with a strong emphasis on cutting the number of persistent offenders. Figures for young offenders, however, rose in the same period.
"The effect to which the new investment offers value for money and makes effective use of resources cannot be demonstrated," Audit Scotland said in its report.
The watchdog also warned the introduction of Asbos for under-16s had injected tension into the youth justice system.
"Most councils," it said, "have found it difficult, both strategically and operationally, to overcome the differences between the child-centred focus of youth justice under the children's hearing system and the community-focused design of the antisocial behaviour legislation."
Just four Asbos for under-16s were granted in the first 18 months of the legislation. The report added: "The executive has been unable to demonstrate it considered the impact of the antisocial behaviour legislation on existing arrangements prior to its enactment."
There were some improvements, Audit Scotland found.
More services are now in place and partnership working at a local level has improved, the report finds. Timeliness of police reporting now meets national standards, it is taking far less time for children's reporters and hearings to process referrals and reach decisions, and more social workers have been recruited.
Bernadette Docherty, of the Association of Directors of Social Work, warned: "Tensions between antisocial behaviour orders and the focus by the Children's Hearing System on young people's needs must be resolved so systems don't operate in parallel, duplicating work and effort."
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