Sunderland Youth Offending Service rated Good by HM Inspectorate of Probation

Tuesday 13 December 2022

Sunderland Youth Offending Services (YOS) - which are delivered by Together for Children on behalf of Sunderland City Council - have been rated 'Good' overall by HM Inspectorate of Probation, with the following areas being judged as 'Outstanding': Staff, Information and Facilities, and Assessment (including Planning, Implementation and Delivery, and Out-of-court disposal policy and provision).

Following an inspection in September, Sunderland YOS was judged across three broad areas: the arrangements for organisational delivery of the service, the quality of work done with children sentenced by the courts, and the quality of out-of-court disposal work.

Sunderland Youth Offending Service has a strategic focus on prevention and diversion, alongside a trauma-informed approach to working with a small but complex cohort of young people.

Many of the young people that the service works with have experienced trauma or adverse childhood experiences, such as domestic abuse or criminal exploitation. The service offers an in-depth understanding of the challenges facing young people and delivers a mix of targeted, specialist and mainstream services, providing a creative and innovative offer of support to address key issues that impact youth offending, such as substance misuse, mental health support, and education, training and employment opportunities.

In a report by HM Inspectorate of Probation, YOS staff were praised, with the report stating that 'Practitioners are skilled, child-centred and build positive relationships with children to engage them. Allocation of cases priorities a consistency of case manager and recognises the individual diverse needs of children.'

Governance and leadership of the service was also recognised, with the report highlighting that 'The YOS Head of Service is well respected across the partnership and has links with a range of local and regional strategic groups and forums. Strategic partnership arrangements are mature and collaborative and the YOS uses data to inform strategic decisions and to demonstrate the impact of its work on children.'

Partnership work was recognised throughout the report, with joint-up working seen as strengthening the service offer and outcomes for children. Information governance was deemed timely and relevant, resulting in high-quality support and a personalised and responsive approach for all children.  

When asked how they rated the service received from the Youth Offending Service, all children who responded provided positive feedback. One child commented: "My worker does everything he can to help me. He's flexible with us, has a great relationship with us as a family and is understanding".

A parent of a child supported by the service said:"YOS was good with all the family. The worker helped my child to open up - he would never normally, but the worker got him talking about things".

Linda Mason, Service Manager Targeted Youth Services at Together for Children said: "I am delighted that the inspection report recognises the hard work, skill and commitment of staff at all levels in working with young people and victims. We look forward to further developing the service to ensure we continue to deliver effective outcomes."

Councillor Louise Farthing, Portfolio Holder for Children's Services in Sunderland, added: "I am pleased that Youth Offending Services in Sunderland have been recognised as good and that many areas of those inspected were deemed to be outstanding. Many of the young people the service works with have complex backgrounds and face significant personal and family challenges, meaning a significant level of support is needed from the dedicated team. I am proud that the work already happening within the service has been recognised in the report, and we'll continue to strive for better outcomes for young people and their families."

HM Inspectorate of Probation made five recommendations to the service for future consideration, which it anticipates will have a positive impact on the quality of youth offending services offered in Sunderland.

You can read the full report on the HM Inspectorate of Probation website.