inspection

Report that provides a high level overview of the findings of the second programme of joint inspections of child protection services carried out across all 32 council areas in Scotland between August 2009 and March 2012.

These findings, taken in context and set against the findings of the first programme, highlight progress made across Scotland since Ministers first asked for scrutiny dedicated to improving outcomes for children in need of protection.

Inspection programme in response to the serious abuse and appalling standards of care at Winterbourne View, which was a private hospital for people with learning disabilities. Of the 150 inspections carried out, 145 reports were used for this analysis.

In March 2010, Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland (CJI) published a report into the treatment of people with mental health problems in the criminal justice system, starting with the police, moving through the prosecution to the courts and ending up with prisons and probation.

The report – while noting some excellent practice – documented a range of deficiencies with current arrangements and highlighted the enormous challenges the treatment of people with mental health issues presented to the criminal justice agencies.

Report of the Chief Inspectors of Her Majesty’s Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI) and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) into the treatment of young victims and witnesses in the criminal justice system (CJS). It has been undertaken as part of the criminal justice Chief Inspectors’ joint inspection programme for 2010-11.

The purpose of the inquiry was to investigate whether there were any particular weak points in the regulatory regime of care for older people and whether safeguards were sufficiently robust.

In the wake of high profile events in the care sector such as the collapse of Southern Cross Healthcare Group and closure of the Elsie Inglis Nursing Home following the death of a resident, the Committee considered that it was timely to consider the regulatory system for social care in Scotland and conduct some post-legislative scrutiny in this area.

Inspection of the Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA), which was agreed by the Criminal Justice Chief Inspectors Group and formed part of the Joint Inspection Business Plan 2011-2013. It was led by HM Inspectorate of Probation, supported by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary. Its purpose was to assess the effectiveness of MAPPA in reducing the potential risk of harm to others presented by identified offenders in the community through joint working and the exchange of relevant information.

The focus of the thematic review was on those aspects of casework which are unique to youth offenders or are particularly problematic.

These included:
• the quality of youth offender charging decisions including pre-court disposals
• the application of the ‘grave crime’ provisions and other related provisions under S51 Crime and Disorder Act 1998 as amended
• the quality of remand applications in respect of youth offenders
• the role of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in preventing offending.

Thematic reports and research from the HM Inspectorate of Prisons for England and Wales.

The increase in the female prison population between 1997 and 2000 caused such concern that it triggered a review of the existing initiatives for working with women. The subsequent report signalled the introduction of the Women’s Offending Reduction Programme which aimed to link strategic initiatives across government departments to address women’s offending and pursue alternatives to custody. This thematic inspection report was conducted by HMI Probation, HMCPSI and HMI Prisons.

A summary overview of the results of 100 unannounced inspections of acute NHS hospitals in England between March and June 2011, looking at standards of dignity and nutrition on wards caring for elderly people.