AYM Contacts

The AYM Executive Team meets every six weeks and is made up of representatives from across the country. It comprises the following people:

Charlie Spencer

My career in youth justice started in 1994 when I was employed as a bail support worker in Birmingham. Having spent 18 months in this role, I was successful in becoming a youth justice social worker; progressing to senior social worker within 13 months. I have predominately worked throughout my career in diversely populated deprived areas, that has fed my passions to address the over representation of blacxk youth within the criminal justice.

In 1999, I was successful in obtaining funding from the YJB to set up the Black Young Persons initiative across Birmingham to seek to address these issues in partnership with west midlands Police and the Association of black lawyers. I combined the role of project manager, with the Deputy team manager’s role within one of Birmingham’s 5 YOTS. I then subsequently progressed to become the Project Development Manager for Birmingham YOS, which was subsequently regarded to Preventions and Development Manager. I held a number of responsibilities within this role including; setting up and managing the Pilot youth inclusion and support panels, Anti-social behaviour, Gang related violence and gun crime, plus the YOTS diversionary activity programme.

I left my most recent role in Birmingham Youth Offending Service, as Prevention’s Development Manger in February 2006 to take up the role of Youth Offending Service Manager in Sandwell to improve the YOTs overall performance. I am an elected committee member of the National Association for Youth Justice, where we set up the Black Youth Justice forum, and a member of the Association of YOT managers. I still maintain links with the voluntary and community sector, assisting where I can to ensure that collectively as a community we can address the over-representation of black youth in the criminal justice system, and tackle the issues of guns and gangs in our community.

West Midlands Sandwell

Emma Rathbone

Wales

Gareth Jones

Gareth started his career working with offenders in the early 80s, in the voluntary sector. He qualified as a Probation Officer in 1990 and worked in various locations across Manchester and Salford, particularly specialising in multi-agency crime prevention initiatives. He joined the fledgling Manchester YOT in February 2000 and developed Restorative Justice and Referral Panels across Manchester. He joined Lancashire YOT in 2003 as Deputy Head of Service before taking the helm at Halton and Warrington in 2005.

Outside of work, his passions are family, football and fast motorcycles. He also indulges his interest for travel and good food and wine. Extremely occasionally all those passions coincide!! Happy days!

North West Halton & Warrington

Ian Langley

Ian is a qualified Social Worker, who started his career in 1982 working in a variety of residential settings with young people until 1995. Since then he has respectively worked as a Child Protection Social Worker, Probation Officer and Youth Justice Worker. The latter with the Wessex Youth Offending Team, where he eventually became the Area Manager for North Hampshire. In 2001 he took up a secondment to the Youth Justice Board as performance monitor to the SE and Eastern Regions, before returning to the Wessex YOT 18 months later as their Performance and Information Manager. In June 2004 Ian took up his current post as Head of Wiltshire Youth Offending Service. Ian is a self-confessed sports nut, football, cycling and table-tennis are sports he still participates in or at the very least spectates.

Secretary - Wiltshire

John Hawkins

John Hawkins is the Treasurer and the Membership Secretary of the AYM and one of its founder members, joining in 2001. John is the Head of Youth Offending Services at East Sussex YOT, having worked for the local authority for 30 years – predominantly as a qualified social worker.

John, who is responsible for two AYM Portfolios - New Legislation and YJB Counting Rules, believes that: “The AYM has a valuable role to play in informing the public and political leaders about effective ways to help young offenders stop offending”. Outside of work John enjoys the theatre, travel and good wine.

Telephone: 01323 466633

Treasurer: East Sussex

John Simkins

John is the head of Lincolnshire Youth Offending Service and has been Secretary of the AYM since May 2004.

He has portfolio responsibility for Criminal Justice Boards and HR / Workforce Planning. He also shares responsibility for AYM policy on the Prolific Offender Strategy (POPO) with Pauline Batstone.

In his spare time, he is a keen follower of Wakefield Trinity Rugby League Club and enjoys real ale.

East Midlands Lincolnshire

Lorna Hadley

Further details to follow

Vice Chair - Newham YOT

Lorna Hadley

London Newham

Louise Kemp

Harrow YOT

Membership Secretary - London and South

Mike Thomas

Mike Thomas is the head of West Sussex Youth Offending Service, having moved there in September 2004 from running Luton YOT - one of the pilot sites established by the YJB.

Mike is the Vice Chair of the AYM with portfolio responsibility for Policy Development, ASBOs, Monitoring / Inspections, Parenting and Prevention (including Children’s Fund).

Chair: West Sussex

Pat Jennings

Head Of Walsall Youth Offending Service

Pat Jennings has worked within local authority youth/children services for the last twenty years and is currently the Head of Walsall Youth Offending Service, having moved there in November 2003 from his post as operational manager Reading and Wokingham YOT.

Previous to working within youth justice system, Pat was a Senior Youth and Community worker, who specialised in International Youth exchanges and the development of intercultural learning materials for European youth workers, sports, and youth crime diversion programmes.

Pat has also sat on the national executive of his former union the Community and Youth Workers Union as the black caucus representative and was an active local member.

Tel. No. 01922 714966

Fax. 01922 493462

jenningspat@walsall.gov.uk

Membership Secretary - North/Midland Walsall

Pauline Batstone

Pauline Batstone became Chair of the Association of Youth Offending Team Managers in May 2004 having been one of the founder members of the Association in 2001. Pauline has been Service Manager of the Bournemouth and Poole Youth Offending Team since its inception in 1999.

Before setting up the YOT, Pauline was a Senior Probation Officer in Dorset, managing two Probation Hostels, and prior to that was seconded to manage a charity for three years, and also previously ran a Probation Centre and a fieldwork team. She was also a District and County Councillor for sixteen years.

South West Bournemouth and Poole

Pete Dennis

Pete Dennis, 53, is a South Eastern Region Representative for the AYM and the ISSP Manager in Berkshire. Pete has been a social worker for 25-years and spent the last 14-years specialising in youth justice. He has vast experience of working with children/young people and family services across the whole spectrum of social care in both the UK and Australia. He is especially interested in trying to reduce custodial sentences for young people, particularly amongst young women, minority ethnic groups and care leavers.

Pete is clear about the value of the Association’s role in youth justice. He says: “It provides a real opportunity to influence policy-making decisions and ensure the service views young offenders as young people first. It is important to help inform the public on all aspects of youth justice and the contribution communities can make locally.”

Away from his ISSP work Pete has plenty of interests including: classic cars, flying, sailing, walking, gardening, music and supporting Lincoln City FC as An ardent “Red Imp”.

pete.dennis@reading.gov.uk
Tel: 01628 777223

Assistant Secretary - Berkshire ISSP

Peter Kay

Biography to follow

Eastern: Thurrock

Richard Smith

Richard Smith is the YOT Manager in Kirklees, where he is working on reducing the numbers of custodial sentences served by young people.

He joined Kirklees in 1997 and became the YOT Manager in 2000. Previously Richard worked for Save the Children in the late 80's managing an "alternatives to custody " project, where he and his team were able to get the annual custodial sentences for young people down to single figures. He began his social work career over 30 years ago in the days of remand homes, approved schools and borstals. After qualifying as a social worker in 1978, he worked as a generic social worker. He moved on to child protection before specialising in work with young offenders.

Richard has responsibility for the AYM Portfolios on Mental Health and Substance Misuse. He says: "I would like to see a greater emphasis given to the impact of alcohol on offending behaviour."

Yorkshire & Humberside: Kirklees