Slough Youth Justice Service (YJS) has received an overall rating of ‘Inadequate’ following an inspection by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation. This is only the third rating of ‘Inadequate’ given to a YJS since 2020.

Chief Inspector of Probation Martin Jones said: “A lack of stability at Slough YJS has resulted in some significant deficits in service delivery. There has been a fragile and limited understanding of youth justice practice at management board level which has resulted in a service unable to provide the necessary interventions to support desistance and protect the public.”

Inspectors were concerned with the lack of focus on the needs of victims and a misunderstanding of the service’s public protection responsibilities. Inspectors described the gap in victims work as a “systemic weakness” with the two posts that cover victims, restorative justice, and reparation work being vacant for almost a year, with no effective mitigations in place. The service offered to victims requires significant development and a prioritised, strategic response.

Planning to support desistance had been hampered by a lack of wider effective provision. Less than a third of plans considered the child’s individual diversity needs, and some contained very general objectives and were based on the interventions available, rather than what suited the child’s situation and circumstances.

Until recently, the work of the YJS had not been prioritised by the partnership. A high staff turnover, particularly across management positions, has resulted in a disconnect both strategically and operationally. Positively, the direction from a new chair of the YJS management board shows an ambition to steer the service into one which recognises and responds to children’s needs. There are some very early indications that a new action plan is beginning to bring about changes. However, the board need a greater understanding of key performance indicators, to understand what work is effective in reducing reoffending.

Mr Jones continued: “The findings from this inspection are concerning. Despite a commitment from staff and management to provide a quality service to children, there were significant barriers in achieving this. However, it was reassuring that the members of the board and wider partners are beginning to understand their roles and responsibilities, and we trust our recommendations will assist Slough YJS in their development.”

This report makes 10 recommendations. Five of these are for Slough YJS, including to provide sufficient resources, knowledge and focus on services for victims. Four recommendations are for the management board, and one recommendation is for the Probation Service, to ensure there is effective information sharing with the YJS to support public protection.

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 14 January 2025 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 September 2024.
7. For media enquiries, please contact Head of Communications media@hmiprobation.gov.uk (E-mail address)