West Mercia Youth Justice Service (YJS) has received an overall rating of ‘Requires improvement’ following an inspection by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation.

Chief Inspector of Probation Justin Russell said: “West Mercia YJS is certainly moving in the right direction and is showing it can offer children a path away from crime. However, they have been hampered by the challenges of Covid-19 and many changes to how they operate. I’m confident moving on from these setbacks will result in an improved service, for the benefit of the children under their supervision and the local communities of Herefordshire, Shropshire, Worcestershire, Telford and Wrekin.”

Inspectors noted that leaders at West Mercia YJS are experienced and enthusiastic and use evidence and tested effective practice to influence how the service works. The report also outlines the positive and constructive relationships youth justice officers have with the children under their supervision and their families.

However, the inspection found some key areas where the service was not up to standards, and this resulted in the overall rating of ‘Requires improvement’. We identified weaknesses in their planning and response to the risk of harm some children may pose, and in the support offered to youth justice practitioners by managers to manage their caseloads effectively.

The inspection made nine recommendations, including advising West Mercia YJS to strive for consistency in how it manages cases and staff, develop and meaningful focus on diversity, and improve how they work with their partners.

ENDS

Notes to editor

1. West Mercia YJS work with children aged 10 to 17. The majority of children under their supervision are aged 15 to 17 (75%), male (81%) and white (91%). The YJS supervise children with complex needs and some in the care of the local authority.
2. The Inspectorate uses a four-point scale: ‘Outstanding’, ‘Good’, ‘Requires improvement’ and ‘Inadequate’, rating specific aspects of each service and giving an overall rating.
3. 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 sentences (out-of-court disposals). We also inspected the quality of resettlement policy and provision, which was separately rated as ‘Requires improvement’.
4. The report is available on the HM Inspectorate of Probation website on 19 May 2022 00.01.
5. HM Inspectorate of Probation is the independent inspector of youth offending and probation services across England and Wales.
6. Fieldwork for this inspection took place in January 2022.
7. For media enquiries, please contact Corporate Communications Manager Diane Bramall 07929 790 564 or media@hmiprobation.gov.uk (E-mail address)