Isle of Wight Youth Justice Service (YJS) has received an overall rating of ‘Requires improvement’ following an inspection by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation.
The report 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 ‘Good’.
Interim Chief Inspector of Probation Sue McAllister said:
“It was a mixed picture for Isle of Wight Youth Justice Service.
"Staff are committed and determined to improve the lives of children under their supervision, but there are areas we think need to be improved.
"This includes how the risk of harm a child may pose to others is identified and analysed, and greater input from the management board to lead the service’s future.”
There are services in place to support children involved in substance misuse or with mental health issues, and a clear offer of support for parents or carers.
However, inspectors felt the management board needed to ensure there were appropriate services available to help meet children’s diverse needs, particularly their physical health, and speech and language.
It also found inconsistencies in the quality of work across both court work and out-of-court disposals (where children receive support without having to go to court.)
This was particularly pertinent in areas that focused on the safety and wellbeing of children.
The report identified that some staff told us their workloads felt unmanageable at the time of this inspection, and this is something the inspection team have asked the YJS to address.
Ms McAllister concluded:
"We made seven recommendations which we believe will have a positive impact on youth justice services on the Isle of Wight.
"This includes recommendations to routinely gather and utilise the views of children and their parents or carers to inform service provision and strengthen management oversight to improve the quality of work with children.
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