Wolverhampton's Youth Offending Team is working well to protect the public and prevent young people from reoffending, according to inspectors. They gave the City of Wolverhampton Council-run service top marks in four of the six inspection areas, and the second best rating in the other two, making it one of the best performing Youth Offending Teams in the country.
In the report, the Chief Inspector of Probation gave the Youth Offending Team four stars – the maximum possible – in the areas of reducing reoffending, protecting the public, ensuring that sentences are served and intervening to reduce reoffending, and three stars for protecting children and young people and for governance and partnerships.
Inspectors found the frequency and seriousness of youth offending in Wolverhampton had decreased and that their work to reduce reoffending was effective, with the team's interventions “delivered skilfully, enthusiastically” and with purpose.
The work to ensure sentences were properly served was also found to be good with inspectors finding that children, young people, parents and carers praised the efforts of the team. Its determination to protect the public and actual or potential victims was also highlighted.
In the foreword to the report, Alan MacDonald, HM Assistant Chief Inspector of Probation, said: "Wolverhampton Youth Offending Team and its partners placed children and young people at the heart of their work.
“Planning for work to reduce reoffending was impressive. Interventions were delivered to a high standard by dedicated and skilful staff. Their knowledge about the children and young people with whom they were working was being used to change lives.
"Overall, we found that Wolverhampton was performing very well; children and young people, and their parents and carers were appreciative of the service they were receiving."
