Solution
Youth Offending case management built around the child, the family and the panel process.
Coordinate early intervention, diversion, court orders, panels, reviews and partner support in one secure platform.
Make Time Count helps Youth Offending Teams keep the child at the centre while giving practitioners, panel members and partners a clear, auditable view of what has happened, what has been agreed and what needs to happen next.
Why it matters
Coordinated action, not disconnected systems.
Youth offending work depends on coordinated action across YOT practitioners, police, schools, children's services, health, substance misuse providers, restorative justice teams, mentors and families. When information sits in separate systems, panel packs take time to assemble, actions are hard to track and it becomes difficult to evidence the child's journey from referral to outcome.
The journey
From referral to positive outcome.
| Step | What happens | Platform functionality | Value & outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Referral received & screened | A referral arrives from police, courts, schools, children's services or a community partner. The team screens urgency, source, presenting needs, offence details and any immediate safeguarding issues. | Single case record, referral source capture, configurable triage fields, safeguarding flags and routing to the right pathway or practitioner. | Faster triage, clearer ownership and less risk of information being lost at the start of the case. |
| 2. Initial engagement | A practitioner contacts the child and family, explains the process, records preferences and begins building trust before formal planning starts. | Contact attempts, communication preferences, family network details, consent, engagement notes, appointments and mobile notifications. | Better engagement from the outset and a clearer record of how the child and family have been involved. |
| 3. Assessment | The team gathers information about education, family, health, substance misuse, peer relationships, offending history, strengths and protective factors. | Configurable assessment forms, needs and risk scoring, document upload, case notes, voice-to-text capture and structured evidence fields. | More consistent assessment quality and a richer view of the child's circumstances before decisions are made. |
| 4. Partner information gathering | Schools, police, social care, health and commissioned providers are asked for information or updates before a decision, panel or review. | Partner tasks, secure document exchange, controlled partner access, due dates, reminders and an audit trail of requests and responses. | Less email chasing, quicker preparation and a more complete case picture. |
| 5. Panel preparation | The case is prepared for a Youth Justice panel or review meeting, with the agenda, case summary, partner input, assessment findings and decisions required. | Panel module with agenda creation, digital case pack, invite list, attendance tracking, document bundle, decision prompts and pre-panel task checks. | Better prepared panels and less time building packs manually. |
| 6. Panel review & decision | Panel members discuss the case, agree recommendations, set conditions or interventions and identify actions for practitioners and partners. | Live panel recording, decision rationale, action assignment, responsible owners, due dates, review dates and full audit trail. | Defensible decisions, clear accountability and no ambiguity about what was agreed. |
| 7. Plan creation & referral | The panel decision becomes an intervention or support plan covering mentoring, education, restorative justice, family support, wellbeing or specialist services. | Action plan builder, one-click referrals, provider directory, appointment scheduling, document sharing, automatic notifications and referral tracking. | Quicker connection to support and a live plan everyone can work from. |
| 8. Delivery & engagement | Practitioners and providers deliver sessions, record contact, monitor attendance and identify missed appointments or changes in risk. | Attendance tracking, check-ins, provider updates, secure chat, appointment reminders, escalation flags and progress notes. | Improved visibility of engagement and earlier intervention when attendance or risk changes. |
| 9. Review & adapt | The plan is reviewed with the child, family and partners. Actions may be completed, changed, escalated or returned to panel. | Review workflow, progress dashboards, outstanding task view, repeat panel scheduling, updated assessments and change history. | Plans remain live and responsive rather than static. |
| 10. Outcome & closure | The case is closed when actions are completed or the pathway ends. Outcomes, learning and onward support are recorded. | Closure checklist, completion status, outcome fields, feedback surveys, onward referral options and reporting dashboards. | Stronger evidence of impact, better learning and a clear record of the child's journey. |
Core functionality
Built for the work, configurable to your model.
Panel agenda & digital packs
Agenda creation, digital case packs, decision recording and action follow-up in one place.
Child-first planning
Assessment, intervention planning and family engagement built around the child's needs and strengths.
Partner referrals & updates
One-click referrals, provider updates and secure document sharing across the partnership.
Attendance & engagement
Track attendance, check-ins and missed appointments with escalation flags when risk changes.
Decisions & audit trail
Defensible decision rationale with full audit history across panels, plans and reviews.
Outcomes & review dashboards
Attendance, engagement, outcomes and review dashboards for management and scrutiny.
Outcomes
Measurable impact for your teams and partners.
- Faster triage and clearer ownership from first referral.
- Better prepared panels with digital packs and recorded decisions.
- Quicker connection to interventions and support services.
- Earlier intervention when attendance or risk changes.
- A complete, auditable record of the child's journey.
- Stronger evidence of impact for the service and its partners.