Background

History

The AIM Project  (Assessment Intervention Moving On)  was established in January 2000 as part of the Greater Manchester Youth Offending Teams award of Pathway Status and its associated funding by the Youth Justice Board.

The need for such a project was recognised by a Greater Manchester scoping study which focussed on young people within the criminal justice system who commited sexual offences, it revealed a fragmented and unco-ordinated approach to adolescent sex offenders; lack of clarity about assessment and intervention modelsand inadequate training and supervision for frontline practitioners.

Julie Henniker took up post of AIM project co-ordinator in January 2000  ­originally seconded from NSPCC, to work across the 10 local authorities and key agencies in Greater Manchester. This appointment recognised that for too long managers and practitionershad been struggling on top of their ’day job’ to develop services for children and young people who sexually harm. The co-ordinator was responsible for policies, procedures, inter-agency protocols and information sharing systems; co-ordinating a training programme; providing consultation and support mechanisms; troubleshooting when difficulties emerged; keeping issue on everyones agenda and feeding back to key stakeholders.

 Project Aim

To develop clear, consistent agreements and working practices relating to how we respond to children and young people who display sexually harmful behaviour sexual behaviour. Being aware that some young people will be identified by the criminal justice system: others will be identified by the child protection or children in need route, some may come from the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), residental units, foster care placements or education pathways.

Project Objectives

  • To identify and agree definitions of what constitutes sexual abuse
  • To identify, agree and encourage the provision of a minimum level of service provision
  • To develop a common set of policies and procedures
  • To identify and agree a common and multi-agency means of response relating to assessment frameworks and levels of appropriate intervention
  • To raise the level of experience, skill and confidence amongst key agency practitioners

 

It was intended that the delivery of the project objectives would be in three parts:

  1. By the preperation of inter-agency guidelines and protocols to include assessment frameworks
  2. By the provision of training events and toolkits for workers
  3. By promoting the development of effective and innovative practice by monitoring, evaluating outcomes and disseminating findings

Between January 2000 and March 2002 the project worked on these objectives. An evaluation was carried out by Steve Myers from the Manchester Metropolitan University and was published in March 2002. The evaluation concluded:

  • The project has introduced structures that have developed;

‘clear, consistent agreements and working practices relating to how we respond to children with sexual behaviour problems and adolescents who sexually abuse across Greater Manchester'.

  • The Procedures and the Assessment Model have been developed to recognise the different systems that these children and young people are subjected to, as well as involving the relevant range of agencies and practitioners in the development of these.
  • The Project has achieved its aims and objectives. There are some areas for development that are recognised as necessary for a dynamic, rather than event, process. These include:
    • The need for the momentum of the Project to be continued
    • The need for development of intervention resources
    • The need to recognise local needs and to develop these in response to specific local circumstances
    • The need for a central resource that can inform, co-ordinate, develop, facilitate and support services across the Greater Manchester region.

AIM Initial Assessment Model

A key component of the work plan was the creation of an Initial Assessment Model. This was launched in June 2001 when all partner agencies (Social Services, Youth Offending Teams NSPCC, Greater Manchester Police) across Greater Manchester agreed to follow a common set of procedures which integrated the AIM Initial Assessment Model. Jane Gilgan from the University of Minnesota, USA was consulted regarding the development of the model.

An evalutation of the AIM Initial Assessment Model was funded by the YJB and was undertaken by Dr Tony Beech from the University of Birmingham and Helen Griffin from YJT. 

The evaluation was published in December 2003 and identified - that there was an impressive take-up of the AIM Iinitial Assessment Model, that continued work was needed to imbed practice across all agencies and areas that a medium strength/concern category should be developed. The evaluation concluded:

  • It has been difficult throughout this evaluation to distinguish the tool from the context in which it came to be developed.The desire to give a range of professionals the confidence and consistency in dealing with young with sexually harmful behaviours has led, organically, to an assessment tool which reflects this wider integrity of purpose.
  • Consideration of the assessment process has been particularly helped and sustained by the commitment from a range of practitioners and their managers; by high quality training to support and facilitate the implementation of the tool and by the expertise of a skilled Co-ordinator whose professional integrity has continually informed the process and operation of the project. It is clear also, that the assessment process has provided a springboard to a number of positive and constructive developments. In the case of the AIM Project this includes an ability to focus on the next steps and raise awareness, standards, confidence and quality of work around the comprehensive needs of young people with sexually harmful behaviours, their families and their victims.
  • The AIM Project gives consideration to empowering practitioners to continue to develop this work locally, to interventions with young people with sexually harmful behaviours, and to the development of restorative approaches within the family and community giving recognition for the need to work with victims. In this context the AIM assessment model appears to deliver on the rather invisible, but ultimately incredibly important, variables of consistency and confidence.

By the time, the project's funding from the YJB ended, the AIM Project had demonstrated its effectiveness and had also identified a number of developmental tasks which required attention.

In 2003 agreement was reached that the AIM Project should become an independent body, seek charitable status and continue its work. A three year funding agreement between NSPCC, Social Services and Youth Offending Teams across Greater Manchester was established and with this in place the project continued work:

  • Delivering a comprehensive training programme
  • Providing support to practitioners undertaking the work
  • Maintaining  policies and procedures
  • Implementating the AIM Initial Assessment Model (by March 2003 over 100 young people had been AIM assessed - by March 2004 over 200 had been AIM assessed).
  • AIM also researched issues around:
    • Black children and young people who display sexually harmful behaviour and their families - jointly with NSPCC
    • Young females who display sexually harmful behaviour - jointly with the Lucy Faithfull Foundation

Work was also undertaken with regard to:

  • An assessment model for under 10's displaying sexually harmful behaviour
  • An assesment model for young people with a learning difficulty who display sexually harmful behaviour
  • An assessment model for the families of young people who display sexually harmful behaviour
  • Developing educational guidelines which were identified as best practice by the DFES and promoted on their website
  • Facilitating local 'implementation groups' to ensure the effective delivery of services in local areas
  • Co-ordinating the development of group work services
  • Facilatatation of a 'focus group' for practitioners across Greater Manchester
  • Developing guidelines for identifying and managing sexually harmful behaviour in residential settings
  • Developing guidelines for identifying and managing sexually harmful behaviour in foster care settings
  • Developing an assessment model for potential restorative processes

Other Developments

In March 2004 the project gained charitable status and expanded in size and scope, to increasingly work with local authorities outside of Greater Manchester, in terms of developing local services that adopted and adapted the AIM model of working and by providing training to the AIM materials. In addition, the project has taken on a role of influencing policy and practice on a national level.

The most recent development has been the launch of the revised AIM Initial assessment model, now referred to as AIM2. The new version incorporates changes suggested by the evaluation comissioned by the YJB, feedback from practitioners and additional updated research.

In addition the under 10's AIM Initial assessment model has been updated and expanded to include interventions (it now covers childrenunder the age of 12 years). Similarly, the education guidelines have been updated and expanded to include understanding, assessment and management of children and young people who display sexually harmful behaviour in education settings.

The project continues to focus on developing and refining best practice standards with regard to restorative processes in cases of sexually harmful behaviour, based upon reflection and analyasis of a small by often complex case load.We are exploring the potential for an intergrated practice model which balance and cross informs from both an offender and victim perspective. The Project has published best practice guidance with regard to restorative responses to SHB and has earned both a national and international reputation for the innovative practice it has undertaken in this challenging area.

The project recogniised the role new technologies were playing in the sexually harmful behaviour demonstrated by children and young people and commissioned a guidance manual to support practitioners in this area of the work.

Finally the Project is amending its structure, organisation and focus to pay more attention to national developments and support a research and evidenced based response to children and young people who sexually harm.

Developments Outside Greater Manchester 

For a significant number of years the project has worked with a wide range of agencies and local authorities outside the Greater Manchester area, supporting them via consultation in adopting and adapting the Greater Manchester model to fit their organisational needs. It is currently working with YJB and a small number of London authorities to pilot the AIM model. The project sees this promotion of fair and consistent responses to this group as an important part of its work in the absence of a national strategy. In addition the project provides a wide range of training courses nationally and has attended a number of international conferences to present its work and materials. The project welcomes interest from outside agencies.

Partnerships;

G-Map

AIM  has a working partnership with G-map who they commissioned to develop the AIM2 model of initial assessment and an interventions manual.

G-map was formed as a multi agency initiative in 1988 and became an independent organisation in 1996, providing services for young people who display inappropriate sexual behaviours, their families, carers and their professional network.

Consistently at the forefront of developments in this arena, G-map have a national reputation for  high quality and effective services and for their continuing support and contribution to national and international practice, training and research.

Based in Greater Manchester in the UK, G-map  are committed to the welfare of the young people they work with and provide a child-centred environment where the young person can develop the self-belief and self-knowledge they need to progress to a safe and fulfilling future.

G-map's core objective is to reduce the risk of sexual victimisation and their staff are experienced in working with young people with a range of complex needs and high levels of concern regarding their harmful behaviours, including those with a learning disability.G-map support several specialist residential establishments and  a foster care partnership and provide therapeutic services to many local authorities and independent providers.

G-map believe that it is important to locate their practice within the findings of up to date and relevant research. Their continuing programme of research carried out by their own team is supplemented through partnerships with the University of Birmingham and other national and international bodies. 

G-map Staff have been closely involved with the development of NOTA and continue to regularly provide presenters for their annual conferences.

Contact details;

email:       www.g-map.org

AQUILA ALTERNATIVES

More recently, AIM has developed a partnership with Aquila Alternatives, a consultancy, Development and Training organisation which works primarily across the ‘looked after chilldren’ sector. The company was founded in 2006 and is run by two experienced child care professionalswith a passion for helping and inspiring others to work with vulnerable children and young people with challenging behaviour.

Indeed, they offer in-depth and hands on experience of work and management in a variety of projects with the most demanding and challenging young people. As well as providing a range of nationally recognised vocational qualifications for thos working with children and young people in the social care sector.

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