Birmingham Youth Offending Service Inspection

Birmingham City Council and Birmingham Children’s Trust are grateful to Her Majesty’s Inspector of Probation for carrying out this inspection which was somewhat disrupted by the pandemic.

The inspection identifies some real strengths in the work of partners in Birmingham’s Youth Offending Service. It recognises that we are effectively reducing the number of first-time entrants into the service and reducing the incidences of repeated offending by young people.

However, while the report recognises some good practice, it also identifies some significant shortcomings in some areas of the service’s work, in some parts of the city. The arrangements in place prior to the inspection, to assure the quality and consistency of practice, have not been strong enough.

Birmingham Children’s Trust operates the YOS on behalf of the City Council.

The Trust’s Chief Executive, Andy Couldrick, said: “We take these findings very seriously and have already taken important steps to improve the quality and consistency of practice across the Youth Offending Service, and to make sure our oversight arrangements are effective and give us confidence that practice in the YOS, like the rest of the Children’s Trust, is constantly improving.”

Cllr John Cotton, Cabinet Member for Social Inclusion, Community Safety and Equalities, for Birmingham City Council, said: “The Youth Offending Service is a vital part of our arrangements across Birmingham to keep young people safe and to help to reduce youth crime and vulnerability.

“We know there is work to do to improve the service, and both the Community Safety Partnership and Youth Offending Steering Group will play a prominent role in scrutinising practice and holding all service partners to account. I am committed to ensuring we see the improvements needed and determined to bring the service up to the level of the best.

“This is a partnership service: the Council, the Children’s Trust, Police and Health and National Probation Service are working together to maintain strong practice that reduces offending and reoffending, and to improve where improvement has been found to be necessary.”

Improvement plans are already in place and being implemented.