Inspection of Youth Offending work in Waltham Forest
The latest inspection report of Youth Offending work in England and Wales was published today.
Julie Fox, Assistant Chief Inspector, said:
‘This Core Case Inspection of youth offending work in Waltham Forest 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 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 68% of 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 62% of the time, and the work to make each individual less likely to reoffend was done well enough 73% of 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.
‘Waltham Forest was a challenging place to work, but case managers were keen and committed to doing their best for the children and young people who had offended. Half of the cases we inspected involved robbery or other offences involving violence. The YOS was working with children and young people who both posed a Risk of Harm to others but who were also potential victims. Helpfully, case managers were knowledgeable about the local area and the affiliations and allegiances of those with whom they were working.
‘We saw some positive outcomes from the work undertaken with the children and young people, but they could have been better had more attention been given to the assessments of Likelihood of Reoffending, Risk of Harm and vulnerability, and resultant plans.
‘Overall, we consider this an encouraging set of findings. If the recommendations in this report are implemented, the prospects for Waltham Forest YOS, and the children and young people who attend it, should be promising.’
| Scores from the Wales and the English regions that have been inspected to date | Scores for Waltham Forest | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowest | Highest | Average | ||
| ‘Safeguarding’ work (action to protect the young person) |
37% | 91% | 68% | 68% |
| ‘Risk of Harm to others’ work (action to protect the public) |
36% | 85% | 63% | 62% |
| ‘Likelihood of Reoffending’ work (individual less likely to reoffend) |
43% | 87% | 71% |
73%
|
Download a copy of this press release (PDF, 310 kB) (PDF 0.31mb)
Notes to editors:
- Download a copy of the report. (PDF, 533 kB)
- 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.
- Julie Fox can be contacted on 07973264412 or by email (E-mail address).
