North Cumbria's youth justice service ‘requires improvement’

It comes after the establishment of Cumberland Council in 2023 meant that the new Cumberland YJS was also established.

His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation conducted an inspection of the service, that works with children and young people to prevent and reduce crime and antisocial behaviour, in July which revealed significant strengths in staff dedication and engagement but pointed to critical gaps in partnership arrangements, particularly in health service provision.

Inspectors noted that children in the system often struggled to access timely physical, sexual, emotional, and mental health services due to inconsistent cooperation with health partners, limiting the YJS’s ability to fully support its cohort.

Governance issues also surfaced, with the YJS management board lacking cohesion and relying heavily on the head of service for strategic guidance.

This inconsistency in board engagement weakened collective responsibility and hindered the effective translation of strategy into service delivery.

Assessment and planning processes for court disposals were also found wanting, with gaps in risk assessments and management oversight, often missing crucial input from partner agencies.

Resettlement support for young people exiting custody was inconsistent, with communication shortfalls between secure facilities and YJS case managers, leading to variable levels of support.

Furthermore, limited specialist services, including mental health and post-16 educational resources, constrained the service’s capacity to meet the complex needs of its children.

The out-of-court disposals programme, although strong in engagement, faced quality issues in assessing risks to others.

The lack of regular participation from social care, health, and education representatives on decision-making panels led to gaps in addressing children’s safety and wellbeing comprehensively. 

Chief inspector of probation Martin Jones said  the service was suffering challenges: “The significance and depth of the reorganisation of Cumberland YJS was vast, with the service and its newly formed board having to navigate and establish new partnerships and pathways at local and regional levels.

"Despite the changes, we were encouraged by YJS leaders’ unwavering commitment and their awareness of where they need to improve.”

The report highlighted positive work in helping children avoid further offending, especially within the YJS’s out-of-court disposals programme.

Children engaging in this programme benefited from YJS staff’s resourcefulness in overcoming service gaps and finding ways to provide necessary support, the inspection found.

96 per cent of children surveyed said the YJS provided excellent or good help, and that all children surveyed felt 'respected, listened to, and involved in their intervention plans'.

Nearly all children surveyed reported positive changes since their engagement with the service.

Mr Jones added: “There is much to commend Cumberland YJS as they continue to build on the stable foundations put in place over the last year.

“Moving forward, the challenge is for the YJS management board to establish consistency and cohesiveness, to effectively translate strategy into strong service delivery.”

The report issued 10 recommendations to address these concerns, including four aimed at the YJS management board, which is urged to increase both its knowledge of members’ roles and the board’s overall strategic focus. a specific recommendation calls on NHS Northeast and North Cumbria to ensure timely access to health services for children involved with the YJS.

Cumberland Councillor Emma Williamson, deputy leader and executive member for children, family wellbeing and housing, said: "We are proud of the hard work and dedication of Cumberland YJS and the incredibly positive outcomes they are having with children and young people.

"We acknowledge the areas for improvement identified by HMIP and we remain committed to addressing these challenges, and to delivering consistent, high-quality services for young people across Cumberland.

"The commendation of our progress so far is a testament to the dedication of our YJS team, and we look forward to continuing to build on the solid foundations already in place."

Martin Birch, Cumberland Council’s director of children and family wellbeing, said: “We are pleased the inspectorate recognised the work of our teams in helping to support children and young people.

"The team are truly the service’s greatest asset.

"They are motivated, experienced, and deeply committed to putting children at the heart of everything they do.

"Despite the challenges of reorganisation, they have created a culture of collaboration and support, which has enabled the service to remain resilient and child-focused.

"We are proud of the progress made so far and are fully committed to addressing the areas for improvement identified."