Following a rigorous inspection, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation has praised Wokingham Borough Council’s youth offending team (YOT) for the significant progress it has made since its last inspection in 2008.

Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation, which today (August 3) published the inspection findings, described the report into the work of the YOT as ‘a creditable set of findings’ and praised the service for its ‘safeguarding aspects of the work [which] were done to a sufficiently high level of quality’.  There was praise too for the ‘enthusiastic work of the small team who were keen to employ creative approaches’ to their work.

The report is part of a national inspection of youth offending which began in April 2009.

Wokingham Borough achieved a score of 82% against a national average of 68% in safeguarding, 72% against a 63% average in risk of harm to others and 79% against an average of 70% on preventing young people reoffending.

The inspectors also told the service that 'they believe the future looks promising for this small but committed youth offending team.' 

The inspectors spent four days examining more than 30 cases and interviewing case managers. Some 23 young people completed a questionnaire and four victims were asked to comment on the service they received from the YOT. 

All of the victims were either mostly or completely satisfied with the service provided by the YOT. One commented: "The service was more than I expected and was very welcome in helping me recover from the experience of burglary." Another said: "I have really appreciated the updates of action taken."

Over two-thirds of the young people felt their life had improved for them as a result of their work with YOT. One said: "Before coming to the YOT my issues with self esteem hindered my ability to put myself out there and apply for employment… the sessions involving confidence and self esteem have enabled me to find a job I enjoy."

Also highlighted in the inspection report was the team’s keenness to employ creative approaches, such as in the field of reparation where innovative work is being delivered. The report said: 'New procedures had recently been introduced, designed to strengthen decision making in the areas of risk of harm to others and vulnerability through the involvement of other key partners, including Thames Valley Probation Trust. However, these procedures were not yet fully embedded. Nonetheless, managers were actively involved in supporting staff in their work and this led to a good standard of interventions being delivered to children and young people.’

Claire O’Leary, manager of the youth offending service, said:  "I am delighted with this latest inspection report. The YOT work hard to support and help young people in the Wokingham Borough and our scores are well above the national average, which is very pleasing. We have come a long way since our last inspection report. We work hard to divert young people away from reoffending and to help them to overcome challenges in their lives. We also work hard to provide the victims of youth crime with a good service.   Inspectors praised our innovative work, however, we are not complacent.  We remain very much committed to improving our services to vulnerable children and young people even further."

Cllr Rob Stanton, executive member for education services, said: "This is an extremely positive inspection report and it’s down to the hard work and commitment of our youth offending team over the past three years. They work day in, day out with some of the most challenging and vulnerable young people in our borough. This is another example of rapid and substantial improvements we have made to our services for children and young people in the Wokingham Borough." 

The inspection report also highlighted areas where the YOT could improve its performance including more work to ensure interventions are reviewed when circumstances and risks change and to increase the rate of enforcement of sentences.