The report

The report marks the inspectorate’s first evaluation of services for young adults as a distinct group and focuses on the quality of work delivered by the Probation Service (previous inspections focused on the transition from youth justice to probation). In recent years, there has been increased attention on the experiences of young adults in contact with the criminal justice system.

The report is based on a review of the cases of 115 young adult offenders supervised across six different probation delivery units. Key themes are summarised below.

The framework

The commitment set out in the Young Adults Policy Framework, to address the unique needs of young adults by taking a distinct approach to the delivery of probation services for them, is creditable. Putting this framework into practice, however, has been challenging for probation services. When the framework was introduced, there was not enough understanding of or attention paid to identifying what was needed to make it work. As a result, while there are some pockets of good work being done, it is not widespread. To embed the framework into practice, improved governance structures with clear lines of accountability need to be established for delivering it, and sufficient resources allocated.

Complexity

Staff and managers emphasised the complexity and demands of working with young adults. Overall, they had not received sufficient training to implement mandatory aspects of the framework, such as completing maturity assessments. Where resources had been made available, not all staff were aware of them or felt confident in using them. To embed the trauma-informed approach advocated in the framework, staff must be provided with the necessary resources, training, and support to do the work well.

Transitions

In almost half of the cases inspected, the young adult had previous, and often significant, involvement with children’s social care. However, court orders frequently begin without all relevant information being received and/or analysed to inform the assessment and interventions. Information is rarely sought from YJSs, despite many young adults on probation having been previously involved with them. YJSs hold a wealth of information on the children they work with, and if probation staff were to access this, it would give them a better understanding of the young adult, their needs and their life experiences. This includes information on previous out-of-court disposals, which may not always appear on police records but could help explain any patterns of offending.

Inspectors did, however, find some excellent examples of partnership working in practice, for example the work between probation services and leaving care teams to support young adults who are care-experienced.

Relationships

Young adults told inspectors that their relationship with probation practitioners is critical in helping them engage with probation services, access interventions and support, and complete their sentences. For them, it’s often ‘make or break’. The focus on building meaningful relationships was a strength in much of the casework we inspected. Practitioners genuinely want the best for young adults, and they are motivated to work with them. However, they need to do more to ensure that young adults’ needs are understood and met, that their safety and wellbeing are prioritised, and that, where risk issues have been identified, other people are kept safe.