COMMENDEE 2023-24: Kathy is Commended in her role as Manager of Wirral Youth Justice Service, for embedding the ‘Child First’ approach she exemplifies, and introducing a range of initiatives, such as ‘Operation Inclusion’ focused on those at risk of exploitation, and the ‘In the Zone’ outreach programme to schools.

Kathy’s nomination

Kathy was nominated by: Anthony Kirk (Head of Service, Contextual Safeguarding, Wirral Council).

At Wirral Council we are fortunate to have so many dedicated staff and special people, employed or volunteers, who serve the community in a variety of different ways.

One such person is Kathy Gill. Kathy is our Service Manager for Youth Justice. Kathy has worked within a variety of paid roles, youth worker and social worker to name but two. She has, along with her late mother, looked after many young people in a fostering context. Kathy’s nomination however comes from her impact at the lead for our Youth Justice Service. The loss of her mother in recent years has not deterred Kathy from making a difference to children in Wirral.

Internally, Kathy has developed a team which attracted a ‘Good’ grading from HMIP in 2021. This despite, at the time of the inspection, the service only just moving from community safety leadership into the children’s service structure and ethos. She leads a team of professional, creative, and caring people – who translate those values into their work with our young people. The Wirral Youth Justice Service have seen a reduction in re-offending rates and fewer young people entering the criminal justice system year on year under Kathy’s leadership. Last year saw a 25% reduction in the rate of first-time entrants into the criminal justice system.

Kathy has led several significant innovations. One such example is Operation Inclusion – a deferred charging schemed aimed at preventing re-offending by young people you are vulnerable to gangs and exploitation. Kathy worked with the Violence Reduction Partnership to set up arrangements across the Criminal Justice System. In 2022/23 Kathy’s team worked with 15 highly susceptible and vulnerable young people under the umbrella of Operation Inclusion. To date none of the young people have gone on to re-offend. The Inclusion ethos is really at the heart of a ‘Child First’ approach to justice. The (then) Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation described Operation Inclusion as innovative. Inclusion went on to receive national recognition from the Howard League for Penal Reform, receiving the ‘Community Award’ under the category of ‘Policing and Children’ in 2022.

Youth Justice has previously suffered from being ‘the place the naughty kids go’. Under Kathy’s leadership, she has moved her role from one of operational line management to being a system leader. Kathy has been instrumental in bringing Trauma Aware practice and Trauma Informed approach to the Youth Justice System in Wirral. She has led the commissioning and training of staff across our contextual safeguarding services and key partners, embedding the child’s voice within key governance reports. This has helped Kathy draw in additional resource, such as an Education Psychologist, to support those professionals working with our children who have additional educational requirements.

Kathy developed our own local Enhanced Case Management approach, developing a cohort of staff with enhanced Trauma Training skills, working with a more complex cohort of children. This approach was broadened out to not just those children under a statutory youth justice status, but to children who were being exploited and on the cusp of potential offending behaviours. The Trauma Informed approach of Youth Justice was reviewed by The University of Chester, who commended the Wirral approach as an exemplar.

Kathy has also supported the SEND Operational Group in responding to Wirral’s recent inspection. Kathy’s example of operational and systemic leadership and innovation has led to her being personally selected to mentor colleagues in the department and model effective improvement practices.

Post pandemic, Kathy has looked to take her expertise, services, and support ‘out’ to children. She has set up the ‘In The Zone’ interactive youth support session for all year 9 pupils in Wirral. This went from half a dozen schools in the first year to ALL secondary setting in Wirral, including alternative provisions and specialist schools. Kathy drew in subject matter experts and youth workers to deliver a carousel of sessions linked to risk themes for our young people – e.g., Peer relationships, substances, knives, exploitation, and gangs. The feedback has been extremely positive, as can be inferred from the exponential take up between years one and two across all settings. The result this year is that over four thousand young people will be better equipped to keep themselves and their peers safe; and understand how to avoid situations which may lead to offending behaviours.

Of note is that as part of ‘’In The Zone” Kathy approached a Mum who lost her son to a knife related murder. This lady engaged with Kathy and felt able to tell her story on film which forms a key part of the knife safety input for those year 9 pupils. This has been a particularly impactive and emotive aspect of ‘In The Zone’.

Kathy has more recently partnered with Police and other youth work organisations to develop an Early Intervention and Prevention operational group – with the aim of creating a more cohesive set of working arrangements between organisations, agencies and services seeking to support young people around contextual safeguarding themes. This has scaled up the impact of the Home Office Turnaround funding by using the fund to create coordination and management capacity across wider stakeholders. This approach will also seek to use Police and Council data to identify young people who may benefit from support, earlier. The overall aim is that an insight supported, collective and collegiate approach with be more effective in improving outcomes for young people.

The last project to reference as part of this nomination is the bid Kathy has led to fund the roll out of Restorative Justice Practice across our partnership. Again this is beyond the operational arena of Youth Justice and takes in how we manage relationships in schools and across community and voluntary sector organisations. Kathy is a trained ‘train the trainer’ and is ensuring RJ has a presence across our local youth justice system, safeguarding partnership and community safety networks.

In conclusion

Kathy manages to lead exceptionally and deliver outstanding results despite being diagnosed with dyslexia. Kathy works to her formidable strengths which are leadership, empathy, and emotional intelligence. Last year she was selected by her regional peers to be the North West regional lead for the Association of YOT Managers. Kathy is a real credit to Youth Justice.