Lancashire Youth Justice Service rated 'Good' following inspection

Lancashire Youth Justice Service (YJS) has received an overall rating of ‘Good’ following an inspection of work with children and victims by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation.

This inspection took place against a backdrop of significant public scrutiny following the tragic events in Southport in 2024 and the ongoing public inquiry.

These events prompted important questions about the work of agencies responsible for supporting children, assessing risk and protecting the public.

However, this inspection was not an inquiry into the Southport events, nor part of the public inquiry.

Martin Jones, HM Chief Inspector of Probation, said: “As an independent inspectorate, our role was to provide assurance to government, partners and the public about the quality of youth justice services being delivered and the extent to which they meet the needs of children, victims and the community, measured against our standards.

“We found strong leadership and a clear commitment to development and ongoing improvement, with senior leaders establishing a positive organisational culture underpinned by a clear vision and a strong understanding of local needs and priorities.”

Lancashire YJS worked with children who presented complex needs and vulnerabilities and inspectors found the service had maintained a clear focus on supporting children to achieve positive change and keep them and the community safe, while also responding to changing patterns of offending, including exploitation and serious violence.

Staff were well supported, motivated and committed to achieving positive outcomes with children, building effective relationships with children and their families and delivering interventions that encouraged engagement and supported sustainable desistance from offending.

The YJS also demonstrated a commitment to supporting victims effectively, with victims' needs and wishes identified and considered, and appropriate support made available for those wishing to engage with the service.

However, inspectors identified several areas requiring improvement. These included the need for more consistent attendance and engagement from management board members, inconsistent access to education, training and employment opportunities for children, and delays in the assessment of children with neurodiverse needs.

Inspectors also found that the partnership's response to serious youth violence needed to be more fully integrated with the YJS's existing arrangements and operational practice, and identified two groups of children, those receiving community resolutions and those placed in residential care in Lancashire by other local authorities, for whom a stronger shared understanding of needs and risks was required.

Martin Jones added: “This inspection found the YJS was delivering consistently high-quality work with children and victims during a period of significant challenge and scrutiny.

“Strength in leadership, committed staff, and effective practice provide firm foundations for further development.

“Given the significant scrutiny they have faced, staff and leaders in Lancashire deserve credit for ensuring a continued focus on the day-to-day work of the YJS to help keep children and their communities safe.”

Nine recommendations

The Inspectorate’s report makes nine recommendations.

Five are for the Lancashire YJS management board, including to ensure that independent chairing arrangements drive effective leadership oversight and partner engagement which results in consistently high-quality delivery of YJS in Lancashire.

Two are for the Integrated Care Board, including that they ensure that all YJS children with emotional and mental health needs can access timely, appropriate and effective mental health assessment and support.

One recommendation is for the Ministry of Justice to work with the Department for Education and Ofsted to address the impact of the concentration of children's homes in the area and ensure that local partnerships have the capacity and resources to meet the needs and manage the risks of children placed in Lancashire.

The last recommendation is for the Probation Service to ensure that Lancashire YJS has sufficient seconded probation officer capacity to enable effective transition, information sharing, and improved communication which keeps children and the community safe.