An inspection of Wirral Youth Justice Service (YJS), by HM Inspectorate of Probation, has resulted in an overall rating of ‘Good’.

Wirral YJS works with children aged 10 to 18. Most children under their supervision are aged 15 to 17 (84 per cent), male (87 per cent) and white (96 per cent). They supervise children with complex needs, and some are in the care of the local authority (Looked After Children).

The Inspectorate analyses three key areas: organisational delivery, the quality of the management of children on a court order (court disposals) and that of children subject to out-of-court disposals (cautions or community resolutions)

In July 2020, the YJS moved from Wirral Council’s neighbourhood directorate into children’s services. Prior to the move, the YJS was part of the police-led community safety initiative.

Chief Inspector of Probation Justin Russell said: “It has been a period of significant change for Wirral Youth Justice Service, following the move into children’s services, and this is proving beneficial. We found a good service, with strengths clearly evident across the planning, implementation and delivery for both court and out-of-court disposals.

“The service has an excellent understanding of the factors that help children to stop offending, though improvements are required in the assessment of children’s safety and wellbeing, and in the identification of the risks the child may pose to others. Evidence from this inspection suggests that they are aware of these issues and are seeking to improve.

“New members to the management board have been recruited which, in part, has resulted in a board with renewed energy and a focus on the needs of children under their supervision. Some improvements are needed, but Wirral YJS is on the right path.”

Inspectors reported that arrangements for facilities and staffing at Wirral YJS were good, but that governance, leadership and partnership work require improvement. The report details that the service had lacked strategic direction, which was affecting areas of their work including educational and health provision for children, but plans were in place to correct this.

Mr Russell continued: “There are gaps in how Wirral YJS provides children with educational and health support. The recent recruitment of an assistant education director is ensuring this is addressed. We also noted that there is limited provision for YJS children accessing speech, language and communication interventions and staff are not trained in identifying these issues. We have made a recommendation for the service to address this.”

Of note is Wirral YJS’s work with children subject to a court order (court disposals) and out-of-court disposals, of which some areas were considered ‘Outstanding’. Inspectors commended the service on their ability to properly assess desistence (reducing the likelihood of reoffending) and the wellbeing of each child.

The inspection also referred to the use of Operation Inclusion, by the YJS – a Merseyside-wide out-of-court disposal policy to defer prosecution and avoid children becoming unnecessarily criminalised. Though this is a police-led initiative, the YJS attend various meetings to discuss this policy, share good practice and work with others across the region on options that meet the diverse needs of children and link these with the types of out-of-court disposals available.

Mr Russell concluded: ”Operation Inclusion appears to be an interesting and innovative policy, giving higher-risk children one last chance before going to court. Wirral YJS is clearly looking at all options available to avoid children acquiring a criminal record and give them every opportunity to move away from offending. We look forward to seeing the outcomes of these ideas, and how they develop in the future.”

The Inspectorate made five recommendations to Wirral YJS including ensuring that children under their supervision receive their statutory entitlement to education and training services and ensure the needs and wishes of victims are fully captured and addressed.

ENDS

Notes to editor

1. The report is available at justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmiprobation on 26 October 2021 00.01.
2. HM Inspectorate of Probation is the independent inspector of youth offending and probation services across England and Wales.
3. The Inspectorate uses a four-point scale: ‘Outstanding’, ‘Good’, ‘Requires improvement’ and ‘Inadequate’. The Inspectorate rates specific aspects of each service and also gives an overall rating.
4. Fieldwork for this inspection took place in July 2021.
5. The recommendations made following this inspection are detailed on page 12 of the inspection report.
6. For media enquiries, please contact Corporate Communications Manager Diane Bramall on 07929 790 564 or media@hmiprobation.gov.uk (E-mail address)