Inspection of Youth Offending work in Croydon
The latest inspection report of Youth Offending work in England and Wales was published today.
Andy Smith, Assistant Chief Inspector, said:
‘This Core Case Inspection of youth offending work in Croydon took place as part of the Inspection of Youth Offending programme. We have examined a representative sample of youth offending cases from the area, and we have judged how often the Public Protection and the Safeguarding aspects of the work were done to a sufficiently high level of quality.
‘We judged that the Safeguarding aspects of the work were done well enough 65% the time. With the Public Protection aspects, work to keep to a minimum each individual’s Risk of Harm to others was done well enough 56% the time, and the work to make each individual less likely to reoffend was done well enough 72% the time. A more detailed analysis of our findings is provided in the main body of this report, and summarised in a table in Appendix 1. These figures can be viewed in the context of our findings from Wales and the regions of England inspected so far – see the Table below.
‘We found an enthusiastic and committed group of staff who were keen to deliver a high quality service and who focused on making and sustaining positive relationships with children and young people and their parent/carers. However, although management oversight was undertaken, particular attention was needed to ensure the effective management of Risk of Harm to others presented by children and young people to be fully effective in bringing about the desired outcomes.
‘Overall, we consider this a reasonable set of findings. We are confident that if the recommendations in this report are implemented the improvement required can be achieved and sustained.’
| Scores from Wales and the English regions that have been inspected to date | Scores for Croydon | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowest | Highest | Average | ||
| ‘Safeguarding’ work (action to protect the young person) | 37% | 91% | 68% | 65% |
| ‘Risk of Harm to others’ work (action to protect the public) | 36% | 85% | 63% | 56% |
| ‘Likelihood of Reoffending’ work (individual less likely to reoffend) | 43% | 87% | 71% | 72% |
Download this press release (PDF, 293 kB) (PDF 0.29mb)
Notes to editors
- The report is available at www.justice.gov.uk/about/hmi-probation/index.htm.
- This Inspection of Youth Offending (IYO) programme started in April 2009. Youth Offending work in all 158 areas of England & Wales will be inspected over the course of a three-year cycle.
- Andy Smith can be contacted on andy.smith@hmiprobation.gsi.gov.uk (E-mail address) and 07771 527327.
