Bath and North East Somerset Youth Justice Service (BANES YJS) has received an overall rating of ‘Good’ following an inspection by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation.

Chief Inspector of Probation, Martin Jones, said: “Children who come to BANES YJS can expect to receive a strong offer of support. The skilled staff are supported by a well-functioning management board who have worked proactively to create a child-first vision for the service.”

The report praises the “strong and impactful” work for children receiving post-court interventions, where analysis was supported by a collaborative approach that consistently considered feedback from children and their parents or carers. The inspection saw high-quality, bespoke interventions being delivered which focused on the child’s individual needs, with dynamic planning activity that responded to identified concerns with new plans for intervention.

Assessment activity for children subject to out-of-court interventions was not as consistent, however, and inspectors were not assured that case managers had always identified and analysed all potential risk factors when ensuring the safety of the child and the wider community.

Mr Jones continued: “While there were some small inconsistencies in service delivery at Bath and North East Somerset, our findings were very positive, and the attitude of staff and managers was encouraging – I have no doubt they have what it takes to improve even further.”

The Inspectorate’s report makes four recommendations. One for BANES YJS to ensure all children given an out-of-court disposal receive high-quality assessment activity that considers all risk factors, and three for the management board, including to develop its understanding of quality victim work practice and to review the use and application of the formal risk register.

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 04 February 2024 at 00.01.
5. HM Inspectorate of Probation is the independent inspector of youth justice and probation services across England and Wales.
6. Fieldwork for this inspection took place in October 2024.
7. For media enquiries, please contact Head of Communications: media@hmiprobation.gov.uk (E-mail address)