Luton Youth Offending Service works hard to support children to move away from crime but must improve in other areas, according to inspectors.

HM Inspectorate of Probation conducted a routine inspection of Luton Youth Offending Service (YOS) earlier this year. Inspectors looked at 12 aspects of the service’s work and gave an overall rating of ‘Requires improvement’.

Chief Inspector of Probation Justin Russell said: “Staff and managers at Luton YOS are trying hard to deliver a high-quality service. Staff are skilled at engaging children and efforts to support them to desist from crime were outstanding.

“However, some aspects of work to manage the risk of harm to others and to secure the safety and wellbeing of children require significant improvement.”

Luton YOS works with 10 to 18-year-olds across the area who have offended or who are at risk of offending. The service operates as a partnership with representatives from the local authority, police, probation service and health services.

Inspectors noted the local authority has had substantial budget cuts over the past few years and this has affected the YOS’s funding. The YOS has been through three restructures since 2016 to make savings. This has had a significant impact on staff, but inspectors found a stable and motivated team is now in place.

The top of the organisation has also undergone change, with the appointment of a new Chair of the Management Board. Their appointment presents an opportunity to get the right people around the table to advocate for children known to the YOS. Leaders also need to do more to ensure agencies such as the police and children’s social care are involved in managing risks of harm.

Inspectors found the leadership team had access to high-quality reports on the profiles and collective needs of children, and used this data to commission relevant services.

Inspectors were impressed by the YOS’s facilities, which were designed in conjunction with children. They also applauded the efforts of staff to gain the views of children about the services they receive.

Staff were positive about the supervision they received from their managers. However, inspectors concluded management oversight was not robust enough in too many of the inspected cases.

Mr Russell said: “Managers should scrutinise cases and offer constructive challenge to case managers. They should give clear direction to staff to ensure everything is being done to meet the needs of the individual child and protect the public.

“We found management oversight was inconsistent and was effective in only half of the inspected cases. This had an impact on the quality of work delivered.”

The Inspectorate has made six recommendations with the aim of improving Luton YOS’s work yet further.

ENDS

Notes to editor

1. The report is available at justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmiprobation on 29 May 2020 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 to rate individual aspects of work and to award an overall rating. The ratings are: ‘Outstanding’, ‘Good’, ‘Requires improvement’ and ‘Inadequate’.
4. This is the first inspection of Luton YOS using our current standards and ratings.
5. Fieldwork for this inspection took place in January 2020.
6. For media enquiries, please contact Head of Communications Catherine Chan on 07889 405930 or media@hmiprobation.gov.uk (E-mail address)