Blaenau Gwent & Caerphilly Youth Offending Service (YOS) has received an overall rating of ‘Good’ following an inspection by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation.

Chief Inspector of Probation Justin Russell said: “The work at Blaenau Gwent & Caerphilly YOS is impressive, with a clear focus on prevention, diversion and early intervention at the core of the service’s values. It is clear to see how much the YOS cares for not only the children and families they work with, but the staff – who take pride in their role of supporting and protecting the local community.

“The YOS has an impressive learning culture in place and are continuously seeking to improve the services they provide. Going forward, we hope they will consider our recommendations to build on the strong foundations already in place at the YOS and continue to deliver high quality services to the children under their care.”

Case management was a particular area of strength for Blaenau Gwent & Caerphilly, with Inspectors noting their work with children subject to cautions or community resolutions (out-of-court disposals) as a particular highlight – with three out of four elements we inspect being rated as ‘Outstanding’. However, the decision-making panel for out-of-court disposals in Wales (the Bureau) is not multi-agency and is not always provided with all the relevant information of the children and families, which prevents the service from fully meeting the needs of the child.

The inspectors were impressed with the excellent facilities available at the YOS, particularly the safe and calming office base for both children and staff. The health provisions available to the children were also of a high standard, with access to mental health specialists, substance misuse workers and speech and language therapists.

Inspectors raised some concerns around staffing, with police officers holding both the victim liaison worker posts. Victim engagement is a key part of the work of any youth offending service, but Inspectors recognised that the levels of engagement could be negatively impacted by the pre-held assumptions that victims may have about the police service. Similarly, the inspection found that the YOS seconded probation officer post was vacant and recommend that the YOS keep pressure on the Probation Service to ensure that they are provided with the appropriate staffing to support children moving away from offending.

In addition to this, the report made a further four recommendations, including for the service to actively engage the board to shape the vision and to improve the quality of provisions used to promote children’s desistance.

ENDS

Notes to editor

1. Blaenau Gwent & Caerphilly YOS work with children aged 10 to 17. The majority of children under their supervision are aged 15 to 17 (79%), male (87%) and white (98%). The YOS 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).
4. The report is available on the HM Inspectorate of Probation website on 22 September 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 May 2022.
7. For media enquiries, please contact media@hmiprobation.gov.uk (E-mail address)