Plymouth Youth Justice Service (YJS) has received an overall rating of ‘Good’ following an inspection by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation. 

Chief Inspector of Probation Justin Russell said: “Plymouth YJS has made great strides over the past two years, which has led to this overall rating of ‘Good’. The service is committed and dedicated – they have a clear vision of how they will manage children under their supervision, reduce the chances of them reoffending and support the victims of offences.”  

Plymouth YJS work with children aged 10 to 17. The majority of children under their supervision are aged 15 to 17 (71 per cent), male (87 per cent) and white (93 per cent). The YJS supervise children with complex needs and some in the care of the local authority (Looked After Children). 

The inspection looked at standards of organisational delivery (leadership, staffing and facilities), their management of children serving court sentences (court disposals) and children serving cautions or community resolutions (out-of-court disposals). We also inspected the quality of resettlement policy and provision, which was separately rated as ‘Good’.

New governance arrangements for Plymouth YJS were introduced in early 2020 which included oversight by a new management board. The new board has developed better relationships and ensured the service is effectively managed. Facilities are now child-friendly and accessible, which has helped to improve services, including interventions. 

Mr Russell added: “Plymouth YJS appears to be thriving under this arrangement. Much of it is down to good leadership and management of the service – even through the challenges of Covid-19 staff are provided with clear direction and support and contact with children under their supervision, particularly those with complex needs, is a priority.”

However, inspectors did find that improvements are required in the planning of both court orders and out-of-court disposals. In particular, the service should focus on planning in relation to the children’s safety and wellbeing and the management of risk of harm to others.

Mr Russell concluded: “The key for Plymouth YJS will be to sustain this good work and build upon our findings and recommendations. They have shown an appetite for embracing change and challenge, and I’m interested to see them use this momentum to further improve over the coming years.” 

This inspection made six recommendations to Plymouth YJS, including improving the quality and recording of management oversight for both court orders and out-of-court disposals and improving the quality and consistency of recording on resettlement cases.

ENDS

Notes to editor

1. The report is available at www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmiprobation on 04 February 2022 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 September 2021.
5. For media enquiries, please contact Corporate Communications Manager Diane Bramall 07929 790 564 or media@hmiprobation.gov.uk (E-mail address)