Inspectors praise youth offending service

The inspection of Staffordshire Youth Offending Service (YOS), carried out by HM Inspectorate of Probation between February and March this year, rated as "good" the YOS's work in protecting children and young people, reducing their vulnerability, and managing and delivering interventions to reduce reoffending.??

The inspection report also praised the YOS for its work to protect the public and actual or potential victims, and making sure sentences were served.

Governance of the service and efforts to reduce reoffending were deemed “satisfactory” by inspectors. ?

Dame Glenys Stacey, chief inspector of probation, said: “I was delighted at such a solid performance once again from Staffordshire YOS. Staff there were really dedicated.”??

The report includes a list of recommendations to improve services over the next 12 months. These include ensuring young people have access to suitable health resources across the county and that the YOS has an effective response to rising reoffending rates. ??

Inspectors also highlighted the need for looked-after children from other parts of the country placed in Staffordshire to have their vulnerabilities understood and addressed.

In addition, they said the YOS must ensure effective strategies are in place for managing a smaller group of children and young people who may display more challenging behaviour and lower levels of motivation.

??Stacey added: “I hope that our inspection and findings will help the management board and partners to reflect on how they best support the YOS.”

The positive findings mirror those of a 2011 inspection of Staffordshire YOS.