North Yorkshire Police needs to improve child safeguarding

A report by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) published today (March 29) found that the force is not effectively safeguarding children. 

During the course of the inspection in November last year, HMICFRS examined 73 cases where children had been at risk and graded the force’s child protection practice as inadequate in 26 cases, requiring improvement in 34 cases, and good in just 13 cases.

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And although it recognised officers and staff working on child protection cases are committed and dedicated, the standard of investigations in such cases is poor, including those involving missing children and child sexual exploitation.

The report states that in some cases where highly vulnerable children went missing from children’s homes, officers recorded the youngsters as a cause for concern rather than missing, meaning officers didn’t look for them.

It also found that a large proportion of the officers dealing with child abuse investigations had no specialist child abuse investigation training.

The force has recognised this and has booked specialist courses for officers in early 2022 and HMICFRS has suggested further improvements it needs to make.

These include how staff speak to children, records their behaviour, listens to their concerns and uses that information to make decisions about their welfare.

The force also needs to improve how investigations are supervised and must promptly share information with relevant partners.

Her Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary Andy Cooke said: “North Yorkshire Police’s senior leaders want to protect children and give them better outcomes, and we found some good examples of the force protecting children in need of help.

“But in too many cases, practice is inconsistent.

"Officers don’t always share information quickly enough with safeguarding partners.

"We also found that supervisors don’t oversee investigations well enough, mainly because they lack the training, skills and experience.

“The force knows it needs to do more to help its officers better understand how to safeguard children.

"We have made a series of recommendations which, if acted on, will help improve outcomes for children in North Yorkshire.”

Lisa Winward, Chief Constable of North Yorkshire Police (file photo) (Image: NYP)

Responding to the report, Lisa Winward, Chief Constable of North Yorkshire Police said it was 'extremely disappointing' that while the Inspectorate found examples of good practice, they also found a lack of consistency across the cases they examined.

She said: “We fully accept the findings of the Inspectorate and I offer my deepest apologies to any child that we have let down or could have protected more effectively.

"We haven’t always got it right and we know that is not good enough for the children of North Yorkshire.

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“We have been working at a pace to address the issues that were identified in the Inspectorate’s report.

"Our plan for improvement in our performance has already been submitted to the Inspectorate.

"We are tracking our plan and will publicly report on our progress."

Chief Constable Winward noted that the Inspectorate found that staff on child cases were committed and dedicated and said: “I can assure all our communities that we absolutely recognise that protecting children is one of the most important things that we do.

"We are working to ensure that we have the right systems and processes in place to support our officers and staff to protect and safeguard every child.”

She added: “I encourage anyone with concerns about a child’s safety to report their concerns to North Yorkshire Police with full confidence that the matter will be dealt with effectively.”

North Yorkshire’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Zoë Metcalfe said: “All children deserve to grow up in a safe environment, cared for and protected from harm. But too many do not, and our police forces have an important role in identifying those who are vulnerable, protecting them and meeting their needs. That is why we need to be candid in acknowledging that what this report has found is unacceptable.

“It is clear that sometimes not enough has been done to ensure that North Yorkshire Police can show that vulnerable children are as protected as they should be in North Yorkshire and York, and all too often the failings come despite the best efforts of those who have a policing role to safeguard them. 

“As a new Commissioner, now responsible for scrutinising the work of the North Yorkshire Police, that is a serious concern. I know that is a view shared by the force’s leadership, and I am sure it will be a concern across the organisation and beyond.

“It is important to note that the report does say there is evidence that improvements were underway in November 2021 when the inspection took place, and I have been assured those have continued at pace, so many of the issues identified are now in the process of being addressed. Measures are in place to ensure there is a robust framework in place to track and review this progress. I and my team will closely monitor and review what happens next.

“I have also met with local authority partners who have offered their full support to North Yorkshire Police in addressing the report’s findings and ensuring that children are kept safe in the city and the county. North Yorkshire Police have also set out their commitment to me to ensure officers and staff are provided with the skills, capability and capacity to do their job well. 

“I think it is important that the findings of this inspection are not seen as a reflection on individual North Yorkshire Police officers and staff and the important roles they undertake every day. Indeed, the Inspectors noted this, saying ‘we found that the officers and staff who manage child abuse investigations are committed and dedicated, while often working in difficult circumstances’.

“However, one issue is one issue too many in child protection where every interaction counts, and every moment matters, so I have asked the Chief Constable to urgently assess what more can be done to address the recommendations made and ensure officers and staff at every level understand their responsibilities.

“We must do better to safeguard those children who are at risk, and I will not rest until we do.”

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