Camden's Youth Justice Service achieves 'Outstanding' rating for a second time
Camden's Youth Justice Service (YJS) has been awarded an 'Outstanding' overall rating for a second time, following an inspection by HM Inspectorate of Probation. The rating highlights the exceptional quality of work with children and victims, further solidifying Camden's reputation for delivering top-tier public services.
This latest achievement follows Camden Children's Services being rated 'Outstanding' by Ofsted for the second consecutive time, and Camden Adult Social Care receiving an 'Outstanding' rating from the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
This makes Camden the only local authority in the country to achieve the highest possible 'Outstanding' ratings from all three major inspectorates for its Children's Services, Adult Social Care, and Youth Justice Service.
This 'Outstanding' rating for our Youth Justice Service is a powerful testament to our team's unwavering dedication, expertise, and compassionate approach. From innovative employability projects to diversity initiatives that truly understand lived experiences - it's inspiring to see their impactful work recognised at the highest level.
The work doesn’t stop here. We’ll implement the recommendations to build on our success and ensure the best possible protection for all our children .
Achieving an 'Outstanding' across our Youth Justice Service, Children's Services, and Adult Social Care is an extraordinary feat and a clear demonstration of Camden's commitment to supporting residents throughout their life.
This holistic success is built on an authentic culture of care and innovation, strong leadership, and unparalleled partnership working. We are immensely proud to be setting a national benchmark for public services that genuinely make a difference to our residents' lives.
Camden’s YJS works with children aged 10 to 17, and their families, to tackle issues that might lead to offending behaviour, as well as helping to prevent children at risk of offending from getting involved in crime and jeopardising their future prospects.
The inspection, which took place in April, assessed the service across two key areas: the quality of work done with children working with the YJS and the quality of work done with victims. Camden YJS achieved an 'Outstanding' rating for its work with children in assessing, planning, and delivery, and a 'Good' rating for its work with victims.
The report praised Camden YJS for its “authentic culture of care and innovation for the children, families and victims they work with.” It highlighted the service's strong management board, inspirational senior leaders with clear strategic links to partner agencies, and a wide range of specialist provisions that cultivate creative opportunities.
The report specifically praised the “consistently impressive work delivered with children and families,” noting the effective balance between achieving positive change and ensuring the safety of children and the community.
Key strengths identified include a strong focus on education, training, and employment, innovative employability projects for post-16 youth, and effective transition practices. The report also commended the approach to diversity, which provides a deep understanding of individual lived experiences, and the consistently high-quality, trauma-informed, and restorative victim work.
While celebrating these successes, Camden remains committed to improving its services for all children, making a significant positive impact on children and victims, and actively promoting safety for the community.