Leeds council told to 'take it on the chin' after failing in challenge over critical youth justice inspection

Leeds Youth Justice Service was given a rating of 'requires improvement' by HM Inspectorate of Probation in November, with inspectors saying it had many strengths but also some "notable gaps".

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There was praise for its high-quality partnerships across the city, young people getting timely access to support services and the way it worked with police to determine appropriate action for less serious offenders.

But inspectors want to see improvements at board level as well as action to address shortcomings in management oversight and assessments for out-of-court disposals, which offer a more informal approach to dealing with minor offences.

The latest meeting of Leeds City Council's Executive Board heard how 'inadequate' ratings given for assessment and planning in relation to out-of-court disposals had dragged the overall rating down from 'good' to 'requires improvement'.

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Coun Fiona Venner, executive member for children and families, said the council had challenged the overall judgement, the methodology of the report and the methodology of the inspection - the first at Leeds since a new inspection framework was introduced 12 months ago.

She said there had been concerns about inspectors assuming that "working in a child-centred restorative way was in conflict with keeping the public safe".

She went on to highlight statistics showing 82 per cent of young people engaged with voluntary out-of-court disposals do not go on to re-offend, saying this rate compared well against other services nationally.

The meeting heard the council's challenge had failed to secure a change in the rating, but Leeds had been invited to contribute towards a review of the national inspection criteria.

Suggesting the inspection report and resulting action plan be referred to the Children's and Families Scrutiny Board, Coun Venner added: "There is always room for improvement, there is an action plan. However, this service is effective and compassionate, it delivers outcomes for young people and that's not reflected in this report."

The Labour-led council's challenge on the inspection findings drew criticism from the leaders of the Conservative and Liberal Democrat groups though.

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Lib Dem leader Coun Stewart Golton said a separate report setting out the situation to the Executive Board felt "overly defensive" and the council and service needed to "offer some humility" in the face of criticism.

Steve Walker, director of children and families, said no service users given out-of-court disposals had been spoken to by inspectors and the Howard League for Penal Reform had voiced similar concerns about the new framework.

But Tory leader Coun Andrew Carter said they must "take it on the chin and do something about it" as he backed the recommendation that the report and plan be referred to the scrutiny board.

He said it was typical of "the bureaucracy" to only support favourable inspection findings and dismiss those that were negative, adding: "I'm sorry but some areas are highlighted where we clearly are wrong and have to do better. Just get on with it."