The HM Inspectorate of Probation, the independent inspector service for youth offending and probation services across England and Wales, has published this week its Youth Annual Report 2022. Chief Inspector of Probation Justin Russell has praised the improvement in the overall quality of the services, with 70 per cent of the 33 services rated as ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’, compared to 58 per cent in 2018/2019
“Children leaving custody are receiving better support compared to four years ago, and I’m impressed with the range of specialist services available to support children with speech, language, and communication needs. Also, it has been good to see that many children are now getting the assessments they need for autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder – though it’s worrying how many only receive a diagnosis when they enter the youth justice system, and often in their mid-teens.”
The 2022 report also notes that more children are dealt with out of court, increasingly being offered support and intervention without receiving a criminal sanction.
However, this annual report also highlights concerns remaining around education, training and employment (ETE). “The number of recommendations made to services on this issue has doubled since last year, the Inspectorate is still finding services with a high number of older children who are not in any form of training or education, along with high levels of permanent exclusion from mainstream education.” In particular services that offer support for children with special educational needs were “the least well-managed”, failing to identify their needs and plan effectively for their support.