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“Variable” work at Hounslow Youth Justice Service, rated ‘Requires improvement’

Published:

Hounslow Youth Justice Service (YJS) has received an overall rating of ‘Requires improvement’ following an inspection of work with children and victims by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation.

Chief Inspector of Probation, Martin Jones, said: “Staff and managers were proactive in identifying children’s strengths and capturing their views and it was encouraging to see the prioritisation of building trusting relationships with children as part of the planning process. However, the quality of casework at Hounslow was variable which has resulted in the overall ‘Requires improvement’ rating.”

Hounslow YJS’ management structure had undergone a period of change which had impacted the quality of assessing activity. In too many cases, the potential risks to keeping the community safe were not sufficiently analysed and did not always consider previous concerning behaviour. Child-centred and trauma-informed approaches to working with children required strengthening and assessing activity did not always sufficiently identify concerns or analyse the support and interventions needed to keep the child safe.

Work with victims was a strength and inspectors praised the individualised, responsive approach taken by the Service. Children who were victims were able to access the same services and activities as those who had offended, and ongoing support was based on the needs of victims. Service leaders acknowledged the need for further strategic oversight into work with victims to improve analysis, evaluation and feedback.

Mr Jones continued, “Positively, the Service understand what it is they need to improve and were committed and passionate about improving their offer.”

The Inspectorate’s report makes eight recommendations. Three are for Hounslow YJS, including to improve assessing and delivery to ensure consistent and high-quality activity to keep children and communities safe. Five recommendations are for Hounslow YJS management board, including to prioritise the strategic oversight of work with victims.

ENDS 

Notes to editor 

  1. Inspections of work with children and victims is one of two separate types of youth justice inspection undertaken by the Inspectorate.
  2. In this inspection we have inspected and rated work against our standards in domain two, and the victims’ standard. For more information, visit our website: Youth Justice Services – HM Inspectorate of Probation
  3. This service works with children aged 10 to 17. The YJS supervise children with complex needs and some in the care of the local authority.
  4. The Inspectorate uses a four-point scale: ‘Outstanding’; ‘Good’; ‘Requires improvement’ and ‘Inadequate’; rating specific aspects of each service and giving an overall rating.
  5. The report is available on the HM Inspectorate of Probation website on 27 January 2026.
  6. HM Inspectorate of Probation is the independent inspector of youth justice and probation services across England and Wales.
  7. Fieldwork for this inspection took place in November 2025.
  8. For media enquiries; please contact Head of Communications: media@hmiprobation.gov.uk