Youth crime chiefs slammed by inspectors

The team responsible for tackling crime in Southport has been given a damning ‘Requires Improvement’ rating by inspectors.

HM Inspectorate of Probation conducted a routine inspection of Sefton Youth Offending Team (YOT) in February and found it was delivering an ‘inconsistent ser vice’ and gave it its second-lowest grade.

Inspectors found staff and senior managers were committed to delivering high quality provision, but more robust systems and processes are needed to support this ambition.

Chief Inspector of Probation Dame Glenys Stacey said: “Sefton YOT does have some areas of strength, including a skilled and committed workforce supporting young people to turn away from crime.

“However, we would have liked to have seen greater progress since our last inspection in 2013.

The YOT needs to gain a deeper understanding of the children and young people that it works with, and use its own data to improve performance.”