Knowsley Youth Offending Service (YOS) has received an overall rating of ‘Good’ following an inspection by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation.

Chief Inspector of Probation Justin Russell said: “Knowsley Youth Offending Service is performing well, and this is to the benefit of the children they supervise and for the protection of the local community. They understand the needs of children and are well supported by Merseyside Police and Knowsley Council. Though improvements are needed – particularly in areas such as education – strong foundations are in place to make the necessary progress.”

The inspection found that leadership at Knowsley YOS is a particular strength, and the report calls the service manager ‘inspirational’ in providing guidance to the youth justice team, support their wellbeing and making them feel valued. We found that this, in turn, is helping staff provide dedicated and compassionate supervision to children with the involvement of their parents or carers.

The assessment of children’s needs, which involves tailoring the type of service a child receives to prevent the chances of reoffending, was of a high standard. This work was strengthened by good quality health provision, and services tailored toward supporting victims of crime.

However, we found that too many children at the YOS have been excluded from school and others aren’t accessing training or employment opportunities – the inspection calls on the Knowsley YOS management board to better understand the cause of this and address it as a priority.

The report makes four recommendations to Knowsley YOS, including that they make sure that the partnership understands the reasons for the over-representation of care-experienced children.

ENDS

Notes to editor

1. This service works with children aged 10 to 17. 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).
4. The report is available on the HM Inspectorate of Probation website on 11 May 2023 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 2023.
7. For media enquiries, please contact Head of Communications Diane Bramall media@hmiprobation.gov.uk (E-mail address)