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<p>The assessment of the comprehensiveness of maturity assessments in pre-sentence
reports (PSRs) is captured within National Internal Audits and through the application
of the Quality Development Tool (QDT) at a local level.</p><p>As a result of an internal
audit on court reports in 2018, work was undertaken by Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation
Service (HMPPS) to develop staff knowledge and skills in this area, which led to the
development of a briefing video and Maturity Assessments Guidance for court officers.
HMPPS are currently undertaking a further internal audit on the quality of reports
undertaken during the pandemic and are due to report their findings later this month.
In addition to the National Internal Audit, regional teams utilise the QDT to oversee
the quality of PSRs and to support staff development.</p><p>The Sentencing White Paper
published in September 2020 contained a commitment to improving the quality and delivery
of advice to courts, including through a PSR pilot. One element of this pilot targets
fast delivery reports at specific cohorts including young adults (from 18 to 25 years
of age) to take account of the more complex needs that this cohort of service users
generally has. As part of this pilot, we are providing refresher training on maturity
assessments for court probation staff to ensure staff are able to capture the complexity
of needs of this cohort of service users.</p><p>There also a number of measures in
place to support the type of individualised practice that benefits this cohort. An
evidence-informed screening tool is available across prisons and probation to assess
young adults who are still maturing neurologically, and a resource pack is also available
to help staff work with those identified as needing more support.</p>
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