Press statement on behalf of the Reading Youth Justice Service Management Board


 

 

 

The report is available on the HM Inspectorate of Probation website.

Reading’s Youth Justice Service (Reading YJS) partnership is disappointed by an inadequate rating following an inspection by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation (HMIP) but accepts the findings and is moving at pace to implement improvements.

HMIP is the independent inspector of youth justice and probation services in England and Wales. HMIP reports on the effectiveness of probation and youth justice service work with adults and children.

Inspectors visited Reading in September this year and published their report this week (December x). They inspected and rated Reading YJS across three broad areas: the arrangements for organisational delivery of the service, the quality of work done with children sentenced by the courts and the quality of out-of-court disposal work.

Despite the low rating, inspectors concluded their report by saying that if their recommendations are accepted and addressed, they had no doubt that the delivery of youth justice services will develop positively.

Of the 12 areas covered, seven were rated ‘inadequate’ and five as ‘requires improvement’, so the overall rating was ‘inadequate’.

The Reading YJS is made up of a partnership between the local authority, police, probation and health services.

Inspectors acknowledged that significant progress had been made in Reading in the last 12 months. This included the appointments of the independent management board chair and service manager, who have been proactive in making positive changes. These include developing a ‘child-first’ vision and a re-energising of the youth justice partnership.

Inspectors said they saw some aspects of effective practice beginning to emerge; healthcare provision is having a positive impact, there is evidence that the voice of the child is being heard more effectively and support for the parents of exploited children is impressive, but said too little attention had been given to youth justice work since the last inspection in May 2016 and there had been an underestimation of the impact this had had.

Criticism was levelled at the levels of access to and engagement with education for children and young people within the youth justice system, as well as access to substance misuse interventions or support. 

In addition, inspectors found that the response and approach to addressing concerns outside the home for young people caught up in crime were not always effective and the needs of victims not sufficiently met.

Michael O’Connor, chair of the Reading Youth Justice Service Management Board, said: “We are all clearly disappointed with the inspection findings, but we have taken a strategic and pragmatic approach to address all the recommendations made in the report.

“We began implementing changes almost immediately, following feedback from inspectors while they were on site. We have drawn up a comprehensive improvement action plan and are also building on progress made within the last 12 months, which was too soon for the impact to be seen by inspectors while they were here. 

“While the grading is a blow to staff across all agencies in the partnership, we will use it to drive us forward positively and demonstrate that what we are doing is improving outcomes for young people who find themselves caught up in the criminal justice system.”

Notes to Editors

The Reading YJS website information is hosted on Brighter Futures for Children’s website, which is one of the partners.

by Joe Difford

Reading foster carers celebrate Black History Month through wellbeing event 

Foster carers and professionals from Brighter Futures for Children’s independent fostering agency (IFA) in Reading marked Black History Month with a special event last week, focusing on the mental health and wellbeing of our black community through a series of presentations, workshops and activities. 

The event was hosted by the only not-for-profit IFA in the Reading area, which offers short and long-term, emergency, and parent and child placements. 

It included talks from Dr Evas Mbire-Chigumba, Educational Psychologist at BFfC, who shared insights from her doctoral thesis on culturally responsive practices to foster a stronger sense of belonging in children, and Amanda Mavunga, Clinical Lead for the Mental Health Support Team and CAMHS in GP Primary Care, who provided a valuable overview of available mental health services and pathways. 

Later in the afternoon, there was an arts and crafts workshop for children, a delicious dinner of Ethiopian cuisine, and Julia Titus provided music. 

Di Smith, Board Chair of Brighter Futures for Children, said: “Our foster carers make an enormous difference to children’s lives and create many happy moments for them, so events like this, which focus on mental health and wellbeing of these incredible individuals, are so important. 

“Black History Month is a time to learn, reflect, listen and celebrate, and this event did just that for all of the foster carers and professionals who attended.” 

Cllr Wendy Griffith, Lead Councillor for Children, said: “It was a pleasure to be a part of the first BFfC Black History Month event for foster carers and children looked after. 

“We were shown the new ‘Fostering is Everything’ film created to recruit more foster carers, and it brings a tear to the eye. Both presentations were energising and thought-provoking, Tutu’s delicious food did not disappoint and Julia’s musical entertainment while we ate was wonderful. 

“Thank you to everyone involved in the organisation of this event. It was an excellent time, and I look forward to seeing more foster parents and more speakers next year.” 

Notes to editors 

Photos of this event can be found attached to this email. 

You can find out more about the new film, Fostering is Everything, in our latest press release. 

Brighter Futures for Children has a dedicated fostering website and is part of Local Authority Fostering South East, a hub bringing together 20 councils across the region, with a shared goal of recruiting and supporting foster carers.

by Joe Difford

Fostering is... Everything

A powerful new film made with input from more than 100 councils releases today, emphasising the impact that fostering can have on everyone involved. 

‘Everything’, which is now available to view on YouTube, is the seventh film produced by a growing partnership of local authorities and children’s trusts to promote fostering, with participants from Reading and Essex to Lancashire and Devon. 

The film follows foster carer Mike and his family on a journey through time with two of the children they have looked after, who are now adults. A surprise 60th birthday party for Mike gives Will and Zara a chance to reflect on how being fostered made a difference to their lives, thanking him for everything. 

The message to take away is that what you do with your life could forever change someone else’s - encouraging people to foster in order to make that change. 

In July, Reading joined 19 other councils from across the south east to create the country’s largest local authority fostering partnership, with the goal of recruiting more foster carers for our children and young people in care. Reading is represented by Brighter Futures for Children, which delivers children's services, including fostering, on Reading Borough Council's behalf. 

Di Smith, Board Chair of Brighter Futures for Children, said: “The ‘Everything’ project has given our fostering agency an incredible film that shows the long-term impact fostering can have, with the relationships between carers and children lasting well into adulthood. 

“There is an urgent need to recruit more foster carers, with more than 11,000 children in care across the south east and fewer than 3,000 local authority approved foster carers, so a collaborative piece of work like this will hopefully show people how rewarding and life-changing fostering is.” 

Cllr Wendy Griffith, Lead Councillor for Children, said: “It is fantastic to see Reading represented in such an important piece of work and having more than 100 councils take part will ensure the film reaches a wide audience. 

“Every child and young person deserves to have a safe, loving family, and the hope is that the more people learn about being a foster carer, the more people will consider the life-changing decision.” 

Notes to Editor 

‘Everything’ has been produced by the ReelTwentyFive film production company, and project managed by public sector media partner CAN and Rachel Brown 

Brighter Futures for Children, which delivers children's services on Reading Borough Council's behalf, has a dedicated fostering website. 

Local Authority Fostering South East is a hub bringing together 20 councils across the region, with a shared goal of recruiting and supporting foster carers. 

The Fostering Network is the UK’s leading fostering charity and membership organisation, bringing together everyone who is involved in the lives of fostered children to make foster care the very best it can be. 

Children of Foster Carers Month runs every October, organised annually by the Fostering Network to celebrate the vital contribution the children of foster carers make to foster care.

by Joe Difford

Reading’s mental health service for young people scores highly in survey

Reading’s Mental Health Support Team (MHST), which works in schools across the borough, has been rated good or above by almost 100% of its users for a second year running. 

The service, run by Brighter Futures for Children (BFfC), was rated as good or above by 99% of respondents in an annual feedback report – a 1% rise on last year’s results. 

A total of 258 people responded to this year’s survey, demonstrating that the team has continued to reach a high number of children and young people and schools. 

When asked to rate the overall experience of working with the MHST, over 93% of people scored the service between a 4 and 5 out of 5, which is consistent with last year’s results. 

In addition to figures, the report also collected some feedback about the service over the past year. 

One young person said: “I feel better and happier about doing things. I was encouraged to do things that I wasn’t doing before.” 

A comment from a parent reads: “Incredible! It helped me get my little girl back. Her anxiety crippled her but with the support, she’s got her anxiety under control, and it’s helped our whole family.” 

The MHST was launched in 16 schools in west Reading in January 2020 as part of an innovative trailblazer project. It was expanded to a further 20 schools in south and central Reading in September 2022 and now operates in 36 schools across the borough. 

Plans are in place to extend the offer to the remaining 19 state-funded schools in north and east Reading from September 2024, bringing the total to 55 schools. 

The team, funded by Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire & Berkshire West Integrated Care Board, supports children and young people, and their families, with emerging, mild or moderate mental health needs, focusing particularly on low mood, anxiety and behaviour. 

Lara Patel, Executive Director of Children's Services, said: “For the second year running, our fantastic Mental Health Support Team has received outstanding feedback from young people and their families. 

“I am delighted to see the team having so many positive impacts in our schools to help children and young people received essential mental health support and wellbeing when they need it.” 

Cllr Ruth McEwan, Reading’s Lead Councillor for Education and Public Health, said: “Reading’s Mental Health Support Team does an outstanding job at providing support for our children and young people, at a time when nationally they are struggling more with mental health concerns. 

“This feedback continues to demonstrate that the service is making a big difference across Reading, and the team will work hard to make sure this level of support is maintained.” 

Notes to editors 

You can view the full report and find out more about the MHST at: https://brighterfuturesforchildren.org/for-parents-carers/mental-health-support-team/ 

by Joe Difford

Reading’s not-for-profit independent fostering agency rated ‘Good’ by Ofsted again

Brighter Futures for Children’s (BFfC) independent fostering agency (IFA) has been rated as ‘Good’ following an Ofsted inspection in July. 

The overall judgement for the only not-for-profit IFA in the Reading area, which offers short and long-term, emergency, and parent and child placements, remains the same as the previous inspection in 2022. 

The detailed inspection judgements were: 

  • The overall experiences and progress of children and young people are deemed to be ‘good’.  
  • How well children and young people are helped and protected is likewise deemed to be ‘good’.  
  • The effectiveness of leaders and managers is deemed to ‘require improvement to be good’. 

Lara Patel, Executive Director of Children’s Services at BFfC, said: 

“We’re delighted to see that our IFA is maintaining its high standards and continuing to provide effective fostering services. 

“While the inspection report contains several recommendations, these are all known to the IFA and the team are working towards fully implementing them as part of their improvement journey.” 

Cllr Ruth McEwan, Reading’s Lead Councillor for Education and Public Health, said: “I want to thank all BFfC staff who were involved in this inspection. A second consecutive ‘good’ rating is something to be incredibly proud of. 

“Thanks also go out to our foster carers for their unwavering commitment to caring for children in Reading.” 

Notes to editors 

The full assessment report is available on Ofsted’s website. 

by Joe Difford

Reading GCSE exam results day 2024

Young people in Reading will be collecting their GCSE or vocational technical qualification (VTQ) results this morning. 

While the majority will be pleased with their grades, the team of advisors at Elevate careers service, run by Brighter Futures for Children, will be on hand to offer education and training advice to anyone who needs support. 

There are a variety of ways to take advantage of Elevate’s offer of support, including a drop-in session between 12-4pm today (Thursday 22 August), as well as face-to-face appointments that can be booked (details below). 

Brian Grady, Director of Education at Brighter Futures for Children, said: “A huge congratulations to all young people in Reading collecting their results today, you should all be proud of what you have achieved. 

“For those who may not have received the results they were hoping for, please rest assured that there are many options available to you. Our Elevate careers service is there to help support you and offer guidance on your next move. 

“I wish you the best of luck with your A-levels, BTEC, college or whatever your chosen next step may be.” 

Cllr Ruth McEwan, Reading’s Lead Councillor for Education and Public Health, said: “A massive well done to everyone in Reading receiving their exam results this morning. This is a group of young people who have been through lockdowns, remote learning and major disruption to their education not too long ago and everyone should be very proud. 

“If you were disappointed with your results, I urge you to reach out to BFfC’s expert advisors at Elevate who will be there for your in planning your next steps.” 

There are a variety of ways of getting in touch with advisors at Elevate: 

The following websites offer advice for young people and parents/carers about coping with stress and anxiety around the exam results period: 

 

by Joe Difford

Reading A-level exam results day 2024

Young people in Reading will be collecting their A-level results this morning, as well as T-level, BTEC and other Level 3 results. 

While the majority will be pleased with their grades, the team of advisors at Elevate careers service, run by Brighter Futures for Children, will be on hand to offer education, training and employment advice to anyone who needs support. 

There are a variety of ways to take advantage of Elevate’s offer of support, including a drop-in session between 12-4pm today (Thursday 15 August), as well as face-to-face appointments that can be booked (details below). 

Brian Grady, Director of Education at Brighter Futures for Children, said: “Congratulations to everyone collecting their results today. It is always a fantastic day and our young people should be proud for all that they have achieved. 

“For those who may not have received the results they were hoping for, please rest assured that there are many options available to you. Our Elevate careers service is there to help support you and offer guidance on your next move, whether that be further education, training or employment. 

“I wish you the best of luck for your onward journey into further education, apprenticeship or employment.” 

Cllr Ruth McEwan, Reading’s Lead Councillor for Education and Public Health, said: “A massive well done to everyone in Reading receiving their exam results this morning. This is a group of young people who have been through lockdowns, remote learning and major disruption to their education not too long ago and everyone should be very proud. 

“If you were disappointed with your results, I urge you to reach out to BFfC’s expert advisors at Elevate who will be there for your in planning your next steps.” 

There are a variety of ways of getting in touch with advisors at Elevate: 

The following websites offer advice for young people and parents/carers about coping with stress and anxiety around the exam results period: 

by Joe Difford

Children’s services mascot fronts innovative new messaging campaign

Brighter Futures for Children’s (BFfC) mascot is the face of a brand-new poster campaign, aimed at improving communication, independence and behaviour messaging at children’s centres and nurseries. 

Freddie Future, a firefly who powers up his tail to light the way to a brighter future for Reading’s children, originally launched in a story about fostering for children aged 5-7. 

In a new campaign, Freddie features on a series of comic book-inspired posters to share key messaging around getting ready for nursery or school independently; using the toilet and washing your hands; limiting pushchair use to avoid ‘buggy back’; and playing nicely with others, a message that kickstarted the campaign on International Day of Play in June. 

Along with the messages for young children, a reminder for parents to hold conversations instead of their mobile phones is the focus of one poster going up later this year. 

Maria Young, Director of Family Help & Safeguarding, said: “Communicating so many important messages to our children can be challenging, but this campaign is an innovative example of using our mascot to speak directly to those attending our children’s centres and nurseries. 

“Freddie Future is a symbol of what we’re all working hard to do at Brighter Futures for Children, so he’s perfectly placed to front our fantastic campaign.” 

Posters are now up in our children’s centres ahead of the busy summer holiday period. To find out more about what activities are on during the holidays and catch a glimpse of Freddie himself, visit our children’s centres webpage. 

Notes to editor 

Freddie Future is the mascot of Brighter Futures for Children and full details can be found on the BFfC website. 

Poster of Freddie Future with messaging about avoiding 'buggy back' Poster of Freddie Future with messaging about getting ready for the day Poster of Freddie Future with messaging about playing nicely for International Day of Play

by Joe Difford

South East local authorities host new minister’s first fostering visit

Twenty local authorities in the South East have hosted a visit from newly appointed Minister Janet Daby MP.  

The visit from the Labour MP for Lewisham East, and former children’s social worker, follows the launch of Local Authority Fostering South East. This is a DfE funded project to recruit more foster carers across the region. The project has become the largest local authority fostering recruitment hub in the country.  

Minister Daby met with foster carers, care-experienced young people and representatives from Local Authority Fostering South East. The visit took place in Time Square, Bracknell Forest, on Wednesday, 31 July. 

The Minister heard about the Mockingbird support programme for foster carers, and the new innovative approach to foster carer recruitment. This includes the joint marketing campaigns running across the region to attract more people willing to take on this life-changing role.  

It is Daby’s first engagement with fostering services since becoming Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Department for Education (DfE).

Janet Daby, Minister for children and families, said: “We know that there’s a growing demand for foster placements across the country and we must do more to recruit and retain more foster carers.

“Today, I met with the South East’s newly launched recruitment and retention hub team to find out how they will offer support to prospective foster carers, improve the transition to becoming a carer and encourage more people to foster children.

“I encourage anyone with an interest in fostering in the area to get in touch to find out more and help to give children growing up in care every possible opportunity for better life chances.”

To find out more information, visit Local Authority Fostering South East.

Notes to editors 

Contact information: 

Phone: 0300 1312797 

Email: info@lafosteringse.org.uk

by Joe Difford

Reading’s children’s services has made significant progress with improvements still needed

Overall effectiveness  Requires Improvement to be Good 
The experiences and progress of children who need help and protection  Requires Improvement to be Good 

 
The experiences and progress of children in care  Good 

 
The experiences and progress of care leavers 

 

 Good 

 
The impact of leaders on social work practice with children and families  Requires Improvement to be Good 

 

Reading’s children’s services company has made ‘significant progress in some areas since the last inspection’ with further improvements required according to the latest Ofsted report. 

Ofsted judged two areas of children’s services in Reading as Good and two as Requires Improvement, giving an overall effectiveness rating of Requires Improvement to be Good for the borough. 

The inspection, over a three-week period from 15 April to 3 May, took place under the Inspecting Local Authority Children’s Services (ILACS) framework conducted by Ofsted inspectors. 

Inspectors praised Brighter Futures for Children, which delivers children’s services on behalf of Reading Borough Council, for a number of improvements across its services since its last inspection in 2019, where all judged areas were Requires Improvement to be Good.  

Ofsted acknowledged that a transformation plan, focused on the right areas, was already in place and progress was under way. 

The report said: “Senior leaders have a shared understanding of the priorities and improvements needed, and significant progress has been made in some areas since the last inspection, such as for early help, disabled children, children in care and care leavers. Leaders have also been successful in recruitment and in stabilising the workforce.” 

The report also noted that children and families living in Reading are not currently receiving consistently good services. The six areas identified were: 

  • The quality of assessment, planning and provision for children in need, 16- and 17-year-olds who are homeless and children living in private fostering arrangements  
  • The timely identification of risk for children  
  • The workforce development, training and support offer to attract and retain staff 
  • The timely assessment of and support for connected carers, kinship carers and special guardians  
  • The development and embedding of the response to children at risk of harm outside the home  
  • The timely publication of the local offer for care leavers and the implementation of the delayed measures to improve corporate parenting for care-experienced young people. 

Di Smith, Brighter Futures for Children’s Board Chair, said: “We welcome the findings from the recent Ofsted inspection. It is encouraging that Ofsted has identified areas of significant improvement since the last inspection. But we fully recognise that the report shows there is still much more to do to ensure children’s services are consistently good across every area. 

“The team at Brighter Futures for Children is fully committed and focused on securing further improvement in the areas highlighted by Ofsted and to ensuring the very best outcomes for the children and families of Reading. 

“Our staff are our greatest asset and Ofsted has recognised the leadership of our stable senior team and our success in recruitment and stabilisation of the workforce. They also acknowledged that our transformation programme is focussed on the right priorities. These are important foundations on which we will continue to build further progress and improvement.” 

Reading Borough Council’s Lead Member for Children, Cllr Wendy Griffith, said: “The report clearly identifies areas which need to be addressed while recognising the strides that have been made by Brighter Futures for Children to improve support and protection for some of the most vulnerable young people and families in the borough. 

“We obviously would have liked to see the new rating as Good across all areas, but we are all aware that it takes time to effect sustainable change, especially in a climate nationally where resources and the workforce have been stretched to capacity.  

“The Council will continue to support and challenge Brighter Futures for Children on progress and to play our part as joint corporate parents too. 

“We want to see the very best for the children and young people we care for, which is why Reading Borough Council recognises care experience as a protected characteristic and why we exempt care leavers from paying full council tax under the age of 25.” 

Inspectors found a range of positives during the inspection, including: 

  • Range of impressive & impactful family help services 
  • Robust arrangements for children who go missing 
  • Most children in care live in stable, nurturing and caring homes where their needs are well met and they flourish 
  • Highly ambitious for children in care and care leavers 
  • Developed and improved advocacy and engagement activities 
  • Adoption is a strength 
  • There is real focus and intention to keep children living locally 
  • Senior leaders have a shared understanding of the priorities & improvements needed. 

The full report can be seen on Ofsted’s website.

NOTE TO EDITORS: 

For further media enquiries please email communications@brighterfuturesforchildren.org 

To find out more about Brighter Futures for Children and the services it delivers, please visit www.brighterfuturesforchildren.org 

by Joe Difford