Derby City Council recently welcomed Keith Fraser, Chief Executive of the Youth Justice Board, to see the work of the Derby Youth Justice Service (YJS) with young people and victims.

The Derby Youth Justice Service has achieved Quadrant 1 status, signifying its position as one of the highest-performing Youth Justice Services across England and Wales.  

Following his visit, Mr Fraser told the service:

There were so many positive and inspiring aspects about your service. You demonstrated practice I have not often seen in other services, for example the children that were scrutinising the stop and search processes. You are also successfully keeping fewer children in police custody and also having fewer children remanded.

Derby YJS is performing exceptionally well, consistently achieving results below national averages for the rate of First Time Entrants into the justice system, the number of young people sentenced to custody, and rates of re-offending.

Key achievements highlighted during the visit included successful early intervention, which has seen more young people diverted away from possible offending and fewer young people being seen by the service as a result of going to court. Fewer children from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Communities have been referred into the service following a court appearance, while none are currently serving secure remand or sentence.

The service has also achieved 100% satisfaction rates from children’s feedback, with every child reporting they had been helped by Derby YJS.

The service attributes its success to several critical factors:

  • Committed practitioners who understand the children and young people well and can show the positive impact they make based on individual needs
  • A strong Multi-Agency Board working together to provide children with access a broad range of services
  • Stable senior leadership providing consistent direction
  • Service delivery based on insights to create tailored support for children, young people, and victims
  • A consistent understanding of risk across all levels.

Councillor Paul Hezelgrave, Derby City Council Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Skills, said:

We’re immensely proud of the Derby Youth Justice Service’s achievements, and it was a pleasure to welcome Keith Fraser to witness their excellent work firsthand.

The YJS consistently delivers exceptional results, creating opportunities for positive change for young people while ensuring the safety of our communities – a true testament to our passionate practitioners and strong partnership working.