West Sussex Youth Justice Service rated 'good' as staff praised in report

The West Sussex Youth Justice Service has been rated 'good' in a watchdog report with members of staff praised for their work.

Inspectors from Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Probation "were impressed with individual aspects of West Sussex's work with children in the local area".

The report also praised staff and said "their work shows that they understand the trauma some children have experienced and the importance of safeguarding".

Chief Inspector of Probation Justin Russell said: "West Sussex YJS has all the hallmarks of a service which understands the needs of children under their supervision and is doing all it can to improve their lives and turn them away from further crimes.

"They have weathered a tricky period, from the impact of Covid-19 to changes in local children's services, to continue to make improvements for the benefit of the children, victims and the local community."

There were areas for improvement for the service, too.

The report found there is a "lack of provision to help children with their education, and speech and language needs".

The Inspectorate says the management board has accepted recommendations including increasing the proportion of school aged YJS children who are in full-time education.