Turning the tide: transforming children’s lives on the Isle of Wight

By Steph Roberts-Bibby, YJB Chief Executive Officer

I visited the Isle of Wight’s youth justice service (YJS) to learn more about the great work the team is doing as part of its improvement journey.

After a bracing ferry trip, we travelled to the YJS’s head office, set within Newport Town County Hall. Pastel Victorian shopfronts dot the high street and the County Hall’s boxy blue and white front makes quite a contrast. This led me to reflect on the difference between the traditional image of the British seaside town and the complex realities hidden beneath.

As with other seaside towns, the Isle of Wight has several challenges. Due to its island location, jobs tend to be seasonal and tourism-dependent, leading to high rates of unemployment and economic hardship in the off-seasons. Many families here have been impacted by the lack of opportunity and affordable housing is scarce. The cost of living has hit many hard resulting in the high use of food banks in some parts of the island. Health services are limited, and the island has fewer resources for mental health support, addiction services, and homelessness prevention. Another pressing issue is education inequality, with local schools facing significant funding constraints compared to mainland counterparts due to a reduction in the number of children on roll. To put this in context, the island is 80th out of the 317 most deprived areas in England.

The number of its children eligible for free school meals has risen by 63% in the past 4 years and recent figures show 32.4% of its children grow up in poverty. The scale of these issues is such that, in October this year, Isle of Wight councillors unveiled a poverty reduction plan.

The YJS, in its youth justice plan, has aligned itself with the council’s vision to reduce poverty. It sees its role as helping children to lead happy safe and healthy lives and this involves them achieving their full potential away from the Criminal Justice System. A core part of this is access to education and the service has an Education, Training and Employment Officer who assesses and supports the children as well as cultivating partnerships with schools and careers services that are necessary to make this a success.

A startling improvement journey

One of the purposes of my visit was to see firsthand the work that the YJS was doing following its ‘requires improvement’ rating from HM Inspectorate of Probation last year.

The inspectors found that despite “staff committed and determined to improve the lives of children” there were areas to be improved. The inspectors found gaps in the assessment process around safety and wellbeing, as well as risk to others.

I was pleased to see that the service is already taking steps to improve its approach to assessment and is developing a training package for staff. Staff had completed assessment training from Silver Bullet which was well received by the team. The YJS had also made improvements to its local audit process to ensure enhanced oversight of direct work with children.

The inspectors also found that there was “strong evidence” that specialist speech and language input was required. As on the mainland, there is a prevalence of speech, language and communication needs among children at risk of permanent exclusion. I learnt that for every child identified, there is now comprehensive screening with end-to-end assessment and all children have personal intervention plans which consider their education, training and employment options. This will help to prevent children getting drawn into the youth justice system.

All YJS staff have been trained in Elklan (accredited training for working with children with SEND – Special Educational Needs and Disabilities). The service has also acknowledged that co-located speech and language therapy provision would further enhance its offer. In July, it was awarded Youth Justice SEND Quality Lead status with a Child First Commendation. It is clear that huge strides are being made in this area.

I was shown a range of innovative interventions and projects, varying from emotional regulation through to victim awareness. I couldn’t help but be in awe of the energy and commitment displayed by the staff and management as they take on these challenges. The challenges faced by seaside communities like this are significant, but so too is the determination of the people working to make a difference.

I will end by urging you all to reach out and nurture your strategic relationships. You have a unique ability to pull together all the different agencies that have a positive impact on the lives of children. By co-ordinating your work with partners in the police, voluntary, health and education you can push through improvements that lead to safer communities with fewer victims.

This was an educational and inspiring visit and left me with plenty to think about on my trip back to the mainland. One story left a lasting impression on me and that was a letter written by a child who had turned their life around since contact with the service. It is a reflective piece but also highlights how easy it is for children to fall out of education and lose their path. It is about redemption and how YJSs have such an important role in helping children navigate their way to a positive future. I have shared it below and hope you find it as moving as I did:

The Invisible Rock

I enjoyed primary school and Year 7 at high school, but it was different after lockdown. I found it hard to work and didn’t do any schoolwork. When I went back in Year 9 I felt like I didn’t care about school. I kept getting detentions for silly reasons and then isolations and the more that happened the more I missed in lessons and didn’t know what was going on. I wasn’t disrespectful to staff but was chatty and laughed a lot. I started going in only for maths and English lessons and sat in a classroom where I wasn’t taught but just had to complete past exam papers. I didn’t care about school at all and started mixing with others who didn’t either. There was a group of us, and we all ended up hanging around together. Some days I’d jump the gate just to get into school to meet my mates, and then jump the gate after lunch.

I tried a joint in Year 11, then ended up trying some more and then ended up buying it to share with others, and then ended up buying it and smoking on my own when mum had gone to bed, as well as with friends. I don’t think I was addicted but I smoked most days. I’d do odd jobs for money and ask mum for lunch money but spent it on weed.

I loved football and had always played. I played for the school football team too, but as my attendance was so low, they wouldn’t let me play on the school team anymore, so I gave up playing football after that.

I was looking forward to the Prom and arrived in a limousine with my mates but when I got there the teachers came over and told me I wasn’t allowed to go. I was angry and really embarrassed. It wasn’t how I’d imagined finishing school.

In the summer holidays I hung around with my mates and we smoked weed. One day, we’d met up to go shopping in town. I was going to buy some new trainers with my birthday money. We were hanging around smoking a joint when we saw the police arrive. They told us there had been reports that we were smoking weed and told us to sit on the bench so they could search us. We thought we could get away and we ran away from them. I’d nearly got away when I tripped and fell.

The police got me and arrested me. They took me to the police station, and I was put in custody – it was scary. Before I was arrested, I thought it would never happen to me! I couldn’t believe I was in a cell and the realisation hit me that I was in trouble. My mum came down and sat with me and she was disappointed and upset with me. I’d never been in trouble with the police before. I was released under investigation – it was scary knowing it was out of my hands and not knowing what the outcome might be. The police thought I’d been selling drugs as I had my birthday money on me to buy trainers.

I feel like the program the youth justice service put me on was very beneficial for me. It helped me to realise and understand the situation I was in a lot better and made me realise the changes I could make for the good.

I had a place at college on a plumbing course due to start in September, just after my arrest. I started and loved it straight away. I am retaking my maths and English too. It’s a different atmosphere at college, you are treated like an adult and must take responsibility for your attendance and learning. I made new friends on my course and am passing my assessments. I want to complete my plumbing course and then study to be a gas engineer. I am working hard to pass my maths and English as I don’t want to have to retake them again.

I have joined an adult football team and am loving playing football again. I train twice a week and play in a match at the weekend, sometimes on the mainland and I’m looking forward to being part of the beach football team this summer.

Looking back, I wish I had made better choices, but I’m grateful for the lessons I’ve learned and I’m grateful for the ‘invisible rock’ that tripped me up that day and changed my path!