Inspection

With the recent publication of a re-inspection report on Newport Youth Offending Service by HMI Probation, I thought it would be a good opportunity to give some insight in the YJB's role in inspection (and to finally pluck up the courage to release my first blog!). It will also give a good idea of how we try to work with youth justice services more generally. I like to think of us as a kind of 'sports coach' to the sector.

Newport's story tells of a journey from the very disappointing result in 2014 to the complete turn around we just saw. I think this is a good case study to demonstrate what goes on between the three interested parties - YOT, Inspectorate and the YJB.

There are three different flavours of YOT inspection:

• Thematic inspections - looking at a particular aspect of YOT work. These, like the recent one on Desistance, are intended to raise awareness of an issue and inform on the best ways of approaching it. They look at how a sample of seven or so YOTs respond to the theme in question and make system-wide recommendations. There's generally one Welsh YOT included, to take account of how devolved law and policy in things like health and social services impact.
• Short quality screening inspections look at individual services - a small case sample is scrutinised and recommendations are given to YOTs in the form of a short letter. 
• Finally, there are full joint inspections (FJIs). Again, these examine individual services. However, they involve a much more comprehensive inspection of the core elements of youth justice delivery, carried out by all relevant Inspectorates and a lay inspector from the sector. In Wales, again to take account of devolution, partner inspectorates include CSSIW, HIW and Estyn.

These FJIs are the big ticket events that we look forward to . . . but YOTs, not so much!

Throughout this cycle of inspections we in YJB Cymru keep up a regular dialogue with HMI Probation, the devolved inspectorates and the Welsh Government. We provide summaries of the data we collect on YOT performance and any other information picked up through our monitoring of and interaction with youth justice services in the community and secure sectors. This helps the inspectorate decide which YOTs to look at next and where they might find good practice or possibly poor performance.

In return, the inspectorates let us know the themes and methodologies for their respective inspection programmes. Irritatingly, but quite rightly, they don't let us know when and where they're inspecting next - that would be giving too much away!

It's after an FJI that we really swing into action. The first thing that happens is informal feedback to the YOT management board from the lead inspector, to which we're invited. This allows the YOT to start planning for how it will respond to recommendations and gives us a head start on deciding what support we can offer.

Following publication of the report the YOT has a set period in which to submit an improvement plan to the Inspectorate - and we advise on this.

As a baseline, we have a statutory role to oversee the plan's delivery through regular updates from the YOT management board. But we try to do more than this. Once this plan is finalised - even before it's published - we start work with the YOT on areas we agree we can be of most help. Depending on the extent of the recommendations, this can range from just being a critical friend - always ready to take a phone call for quick advice - right through to being an active provider of hands on, consultant-like support.

Having been involved in 15 years of monitoring, supporting, consulting and innovating with YOTs across Wales and England, we have an extensive stock of experience, good practice and performance improvement resources. Also, if we don't know the answer to a particular conundrum, we know a YOT who likely does.

With Newport we were ready to be more hands on and the service was keen for us to help. Over the past couple of years we've provided a range of training and development sessions for them. This included: 

• advice on establishing strong quality assurance systems
•  a review of the area's relatively high use of custody -  including interviews with young people and a staff development workshop
• a comprehensive data interrogation and interpretation exercise, to build a better understanding of young people who re-offend
• a session with the management board to help strengthen governance 

Also, early on in the process, we linked the YOT up with a manager from another high performing service who we'd asked to give peer advice and support.

The aim is to support the service, in any way we can, to learn and progress following the often quite harrowing experience of inspection so they do better next time. More important, though, so they deliver ever better services to young people.

Earlier, I mentioned my notion of the YJB as a coach - or maybe personal trainer - for youth justice services. A good coach will base their advice on nutrition, sports science and medical research. Ours comes from things like national standards, legislation, management science, social research and inspection criteria. 

Working on performance improvement with us is like this in another way. While you set the outcomes you're looking for and agree on our training schedule, as we work towards you becoming a superstar, we will make a nuisance of ourselves in helping you get there! There will be days you won't feel like getting up for that management board equivalent of a 6am run and times when you won't like what the weighing scales of our case file dip-sampling will tell you. But, honestly, afterwards, you will feel better and be able to bask in that post-workout glow.

And that's just where the good folk of Newport YOS are now. They've made the biggest turn around we've ever seen between inspection and re-inspection. It's been earned by their hard work and dedication to doing the best for the young people they supervise and care for. Just like any coach would be, we're proud of our athletes - but we know there's more we can do together. There's extra muscle to be gained and always a new personal best to achieve.

So, after the big race, the training cycle starts again. 

For Newport, with re-inspection comes a new - pleasantly shorter - improvement plan. For us? Well, we get to do what we like doing best - help out and learn from the people who are themselves helping some of our most vulnerable young people.