Top marks for Youth Offending Team

The Royal Borough's Youth Offending Team achieves high quality results - it's official!

The team has scored well above the national average in a nationwide inspection of the public protection and safeguarding aspects of youth offending work across England and Wales over a three-year period.

The borough scored most highly in its work to reduce the likelihood of reoffending among young people, notching up 86% compared with a national average of 70% and just 1% behind the top mark so far.

The report cited the support young people experienced from the community once their youth offending orders had finished, highlighting the "strong partnership working with education, health and with the Family Intervention Project".

The report also focussed on:
• Safeguarding (action taken to protect the young person) which gained a score of 81% compared with a national average of 68%
• Risk of harm to others - work to keep this to a minimum was completed well 81% of the time, compared with an average of 63% nationally.

Both these categories were assessed as "good" with work "delivered in a manner that engaged children and young people".

Cllr Eileen Quick, Cabinet Member for Children's Services, said: "I am delighted that our Youth Offending Team has achieved some of the highest scores in the country.

"This not only reflects the hard work of the team members involved but means that some of our most vulnerable young people who are involved in the criminal justice system are being particularly well supported in reducing risks to themselves and others and also the risk of re-offending."

Cliff Turner, Director of Children's Services, said: "While we are absolutely delighted with these excellent results we will not be resting on our laurels and will continue to work to maintain these high standards as part of our overall services for young people at risk in the borough."

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