Support for youth offending teams could model good practice for adult services, report finds

A report examining the impact of recruitment and retention in the criminal justice system by Criminal Justice Joint Inspection finds that “over the past year, staffing was one of the highest rated standards for youth inspections, with over three-quarters of inspected services rated as “good” or “outstanding” in 2022”.

It praises evidence of “stable and motivated staff groups” seen in youth offending services, noting that they receive “effective supervision, which includes space for reflective discussions and practice”.

• Interview: Steph Roberts-Bibby, chief executive of the Youth Justice Board

• Children's Workforce Guide to Qualifications and Training 2023/24

“Workloads for youth offending services are reasonable, actively managed and their allocation considers the capacity of case managers. This is in contrast to what is seen in the majority of probation services and there are many effective ways of practice that can be taken from youth justice services,” adds the report.

However, it also highlights a shortage of probation officers in the youth justice system, attributing this to “wider pressures on the probation service”.

“These gaps have significant implications, including for effective transitions from youth to adult services. The Youth Justice Board, Association of Youth Offending Team Managers and the Youth Justice Policy Unit at the Ministry of Justice are all actively monitoring unfilled probation secondee roles. However, there are still significant gaps in staffing these probation roles and these need to be urgently filled,” the report states.

It also notes that all services inspected by HMI Prisons in 2022/23, including in the youth secure estate, suffered from difficulties with recruiting and retaining enough staff.

The report urges “all agencies should invest more in understanding why staff leave” in a bid to reduce turnover levels.

Speaking to CYP Now last month, Steph Roberts-Bibby, chief executive of the Youth Justice Board, said: “People leaving the workforce is one of the biggest risks facing the youth justice system, and something we are seeing across all public services.

“We need to think about what our workforce will need to look like in five years because we have got people retiring and leaving and we need a plan for how we retain that expertise.”

• Listen to the latest edition of the CYP Now podcast for more on Roberts-Bibby’s interview here.