‘Significant progress’ has been made by Ceredigion County Council to improve in its youth justice services after a damning inspection report found that services have “systemic shortcomings” with “significant concerns” over whether it can keep children and victims safe.

Ceredigion Youth Justice and Prevention Service (YJPS) received an overall rating of ‘Inadequate’ following an inspection by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation in November 2024.

It was the first ‘Inadequate’ rating given to a Youth Justice Service since July 2020.

Chief Inspector of Probation, Martin Jones CBE said the inspection of Ceredigion services “observed systemic insufficiencies in all levels of service delivery and the concerning findings from this inspection require immediate attention.”

The report found that “the vulnerabilities and complex needs of children in the youth justice arena are overlooked and the profile and identity of the service have become lost within the local authority and statutory partnership arrangements.”

Inspectors raised concerns over the “assessing, planning, and delivery of work to promote desistance and to keep children and other people safe.”

A report to be put before members of the council’s Governance and Audit Committee on 3 June said that “Ceredigion Youth Justice and Prevention Service has responded proactively to the HMIP recommendations” and that the “principal areas of weakness identified by HMIP have been addressed.”

“The next phase of work is focused on embedding these improvements so that they are consistently evidenced in casework quality, partnership contribution and outcomes for children, victims and communities,” the report said.

“Key risks to sustained improvement include workforce capacity, the timely availability of specialist partner provision and the need to maintain high-quality data and evidence of impact.

“The service will continue to work openly with regulators and partners to maintain momentum and secure the best possible outcomes for young people in Ceredigion.”