HAMPSHIRE’S Youth Offending Service has been rated as “good” by inspectors.

In the report, the chief inspector of probation, Dame Glenys Stacey, noted that the service, run by Hampshire County Council, “provided an excellent range of interventions to reduce the likelihood of offending”.

She also highlighted that “staff were skilled, motivated and worked creatively to engage young people. They were particularly adept at delivering interventions to address desistance and showed tenacity in advocating for young people.”

Two aspects of the service were also judged to be 'outstanding'. These were: Partnerships and Services about which Dame Stacey said: “Partnerships were particularly strong, and had led to the development of additional resources and staffing to meet the needs of the children and young people supervised by the YOS”; and Assessment of Court Disposals about which she added: “Assessments were thorough and staff knew their young people well."

Commenting on the report, Councillor Keith Mans, children’s services head, said: “As one of two local authorities to be judged as 'good', with some features found to be 'outstanding', we are very pleased with the outcome of HMI Probation’s review.

“This is particularly gratifying since the Inspectors were working to a new and very challenging framework. I can confirm that we are taking action to improve those aspects of the service that we had already identified as required needing strengthening. The fact that inspectors rated our partnership work and our assessment work as ‘outstanding’ gives us a good platform on which to build.

“I hope that Hampshire residents, as I am, are reassured by the Inspectors’ judgement that the Youth Offending Team is delivering a ‘good’ service – it is a rating that is not easy to secure and one that our outstanding partnership work with other agencies, such has the Police and health colleagues, has contributed to significantly.”

The chief inspector made it clear that the recommendations in their report have been designed to assist Hampshire YOS to build on its strengths and focus on areas for improvement.