YOUTH offending services in Greenwich have been left in need of massive improvement following last summer’s riots and a lack of senior management staff, inspectors say.

In a report released today, the service was judged by the Inspectorate of Probation to require drastic action in the way it safeguarded young people and minimised risk of harm to the public.

Substantial improvement was also required for its reoffending work.

The service, made up of social workers and probation officers among others, aims to help young people accused of crimes and reduce reoffending.

Inspectors looked at a representative sample of youth offending cases in the area, including a number involved in gangs and organised crime.

They found that the service’s relocation to the Woolwich Centre in July had an adverse impact while the August riots put additional pressure on an already squeezed service.

Despite “committed and enthusiastic staff”, unfilled key roles had led to a “reliance on short-term contracts and locum staff”, the report found.

Assistant Chief Inspector Julie Fox said: “Overall, we consider this a very disappointing set of findings.

“However, Greenwich had already recognised that changes were required and an improvement plan was in place.”

Among their findings were assessments for offenders’ risk of serious harm being completed late and of poor quality more than half the time, with very little effective oversight from managers.

Elsewhere more than two-thirds of cases had not given sufficient attention to the safety of victims while reports of young people reoffending or being released from custody often did not trigger a case review.

'We welcome this inspection.'

A Greenwich Council spokesperson said: "Greenwich Council is committed to providing high quality intervention and support for young people.

"We welcome the inspection and accept its recommendations.

"Through our own management processes, we had already identified weaknesses within the youth offending service.

"The inspection report acknowledges that we have begun to address these concerns and that there are encouraging prospects for improvement.

"The council is absolutely determined to bring about swift and sustained improvements to this service.

"We welcome the support of the Youth Justice Board in helping us to drive forward improvements with an urgency that reflects our commitment and that of our partners to improve our performance in these areas of the service.

"It's worth noting that the Youth Offending Service also provides an important role through its diversionary work, which supports young people at the initial point when they enter youth justice system.

"This aspect of the service, which has good results with first-time offenders, was not covered by this particular inspection."