Nottinghamshire Youth Justice Service (YJS) has received an overall rating of ‘Good’ following an inspection led by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation, conducted jointly with HM Inspectorate of Constabulary, Fire and Rescue (HMICFRS) and the Care Quality Commission.

We also inspected the quality of resettlement work – the key services which need to be in place when a child is released from custody, for example to meet accommodation needs – which was separately rated as ‘Outstanding’.

Interim Chief Inspector of Probation, Sue McAllister said: “We were impressed by efforts taken by Nottinghamshire Youth Justice Service to capture the views of children, parents, and carers. The service has a strong, child-first ethos and the motivated and passionate team do all they can to support children’s engagement. However, whilst we were pleased with the arrangements in place for children subject to out-of-court disposals, we were concerned with the quality of assessment activity for those dealt with by the courts, particularly in relation to work to keep others safe. With a few critical changes, this service could thrive, and we look forward to watching them develop further.”

Inspectors were impressed with the resettlement practice at Nottinghamshire YJS. Children are supported by a multi-agency response to identify children’s accommodation requirements and the case managers consider individual diversity needs when planning appropriate provision. Sufficient planning is in place to support the child’s education, training and employment needs on release.

Elsewhere in this inspection, in collaboration with our colleague inspectors from police, health, social care and education, we identified that the YJS does not currently benefit from the skills seconded police officers can bring. The board have not been effective in challenging the police secondment arrangements to the YJS which do not follow the guidance of the Youth Justice Board or the National Police Chief’s guidance.

The report makes seven recommendations to Nottinghamshire YJS, including to establish data and information sharing mechanisms across the partnership to ensure the right services are in place for YJS children.

ENDS

Notes to editor

1. This service works with children aged 10 to 17. 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). Resettlement was rated as ‘Outstanding’.
4. The report is available on the HM Inspectorate of Probation website on 23 January 2024 at 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 September 2023.
7. For media enquiries, please contact Head of Communications media@hmiprobation.gov.uk (E-mail address)