Norfolk Youth Justice Service rated "good" with staff who go "above and beyond" for children
Norfolk Youth Justice Service (NYJS) has received an overall rating of "good," after an inspection by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Probation (HMIP).
In a report published today, inspectors described staff as "motivated" and "creative" going "above and beyond" to support the children they work with.
The report followed a visit by inspectors in October - the first in 12 years.
NYJS is a multi-agency partnership hosted within Norfolk County Council's Children's Services. Its aim is to prevent children from offending, help them repair the damage they cause victims and help children achieve their potential.
The inspection found the governance of Norfolk YJS to be strong, with an experienced independent chair of the management board, who is "skilled and knowledgeable." The quality of resettlement policy and provision was separately rated as "outstanding."
Chris Robson, Chair of the Norfolk Youth Justice Board, said: "This is a really positive report that highlights the dedication of all those working across the youth justice system. In Norfolk, children's needs are at the centre of practice and partners work well together to help prevent children from entering the youth justice system and to reduce reoffending.
"Inspections provide us with the welcome opportunity to focus on what further improvements are needed and we will now be looking closely at inspectors' recommendations and ensuring a robust action plan is in place."
Inspectors were impressed by the work to plan and deliver interventions in relation to children's desistance, with case managers considering children's strengths and aspirations as part of the planning. The wishes and needs of victims were reflected in plans and included victim awareness sessions. However, assessing for post-court orders was an area in need of development. Inspectors found that case managers did not always access information from other agencies to help analyse the risk of harm to others.
The inspection also provided some areas for further development, specifically around post-court assessments; ensuring more opportunities for high quality education, training and employment, and using the views of victims to better inform our work.
The service will now develop an action plan focusing on how it can further improve in these areas.
Cllr Penny Carpenter, Cabinet Member for Children's Services at Norfolk County Council, said:
"This report provides a really positive overview of a service that supports young people that often have a range of vulnerabilities. Our role is to ensure that they have the support they need to help them make positive choices and achieve their potential and I want to thank the dedicated staff who go above and beyond to support these young people.
"Of course, there is always more to do and within Children's Services we strive for all of our services to be outstanding, so that every child has the very best chance to flourish. We will be looking closely at the recommendations of this report and putting in place an action plan that builds on what is already a very strong service."