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SP47

Audit of LCC Child and Youth Justice Service

Southport Inquiry · The Southport Inquiry Report: Phase 1 · Issued 13 April 2026 · Addressed to: Welsh Government, Youth Justice Board for England and Wales, Lancashire County Council

Government responseMinistry of Justice: Accepted (Jul 2026)

DeliveryLancashire County Council says in progress (Jul 2026)

Recommendation, verbatim from the inquiry

●Inquiry recommendation

Lancashire County Council, in consultation with the Youth Justice Board, should arrange for a comprehensive and independent audit to be undertaken of the Lancashire County Council Child and Youth Justice Service to report by 13 October 2026. This should include assurance that the service is holding young offenders to sufficient standards and boundaries in referral orders, and that interventions are focussed and appropriate.

Southport Inquiry, The Southport Inquiry Report: Phase 1 · 13 Apr 2026 Source PDF →

Published evidence summary

AI-generated evidence summary

Lancashire County Council stated in July 2026 that its child and youth justice service was progressing implementation of the inquiry's recommendations (Lancashire County Council, Jul 2026). It had reported in May 2026 that the screening and selection of independent auditors was underway to commission the audit in consultation with the Youth Justice Board (Lancashire County Council, May 2026). The record holds no update since HM Government's response of July 2026 (Home Office response, Jul 2026).

AI-generated summary of the record on this page, checked by a second model and automatic checks, 26 Sep 2026.

Report-level response context

The government's response to Phase 1 (CP 1623, 2 July 2026) agreed with all 67 recommendations in one sentence, and names only 39 of them individually. Where a recommendation is not named, the response shown is the passage the response gives for the group it belongs to (the recommendations for organisations outside central government, or the recommendations to policing bodies), which is not a response to that recommendation alone; the response does not list the members of any group. The 10 recommendations for Phase 2 of the Inquiry to consider show no response: the response introduces them (paragraph 20) but answers none of them. The government accepts the recommendations that are for central government to deliver. Where a recommendation is for an organisation outside central government, the government's agreement is not that organisation's acceptance.

Government response

●Ministry of Justice · Accepted · 2 Jul 2026

Words of: HM Government, Government Response to Phase 1 of the Southport Inquiry (CP 1623), presented to Parliament by the Home Secretary, 2 July 2026

The Ministry of Justice agrees with the Chair that is important that youth justice services can hold young offenders to sufficient standards and boundaries in referral orders, and that interventions are focussed and appropriate. The Ministry of Justice therefore supports the Chair's recommendation 47, calling for an independent audit of the Lancashire County Council Child and Youth Justice Service, and recommendation 66 for the Youth Justice Board to issue written guidance for parents of children who have been found with a knife or offensive weapon.

Extract from: Government Response to Phase 1 of the Southport Inquiry

Delivery

●Lancashire County Council says in progress · 2 Jul 2026

Lancashire CYJS acknowledges its involvement in the Southport Public Inquiry, which examined the service’s previous contact with the child as part of its wider review of interactions with public bodies. The service has reviewed the final report and is progressing implementation of the relevant recommendations, ensuring that learning informs ongoing service development.

From: Child and Youth Justice Plan 2026/27 (Appendix A to Cabinet item 8, Lancashire Child and Youth Justice Service Plan 2026/27)

Earlier statements on delivery (0)

●Lancashire County Council · 19 May 2026

1.1 In consultation with the Youth Justice Board, the council will commission a comprehensive and independent audit of the CYJS. The terms of reference and audit plan will be agreed with the Youth Justice Board to ensure appropriate focus on Referral Order practice, the setting of clear standards and boundaries for children, and the effectiveness and appropriateness of interventions. 1.2 Screening and selection of suitably qualified independent auditors is underway. 1.3 The audit will be informed by ongoing service development activity, including joint work with partners to develop a Serious Violence Toolkit.

From: Southport Public Inquiry Phase One Recommendations Action Plan Overview (Appendix B to Cabinet item 12, Southport Public Inquiry)

How this page is built

The recommendation and the government responses are verbatim from primary documents. Delivery statements and other bodies' findings are shown in their own words, each with its source. The summary is written by this site and labelled as such. The Index does not paraphrase sources or characterise intent; it records what has been published.