Youth Offending Teams and MAPPA: past problems, current challenges and future prospects

Abstract

This chapter focuses on why there may be practical difficulties for Youth Offending Teams (YOTs) and those running Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) to work alongside one another. The first part of the chapter outlines the Oxford MAPPA study, summarising the main findings and discussing some of its limitations. The chapter then presents a brief history of YOTs and MAPPA, drawn from available research and guidance. It considers recommendations from the Oxford MAPPA study, with an emphasis on why these were made and what they hoped to accomplish, alongside a realisation that more thought needs to be given to issues beyond simply the process and administration of risk management in this context. The conclusion underlines the need for YOTs to be involved with MAPPA, on the basis that their absence means a body of knowledge about young people will be missing from the process. The chapter also considers legislation and risk context as factors in decision making.