Asked by: Janet Daby (Labour - Lewisham East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 19 February 2024 to Question 13379 on Secure Training Centres and Young Offender Institutions: Safety, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the trend in the number of safeguarding referrals issued within the youth secure estate for people aged 18 or over.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
To support the system-wide response to the adult prison capacity challenges, in November 2022, Ministers decided that the youth estate should continue to hold young adults until before their 19th birthday. This was a temporary change, and it is anticipated that we will be able to end this by January 2025. We have committed to a thorough review of how the interim policy arrangements are operating in practice, to be completed by the summer 2024.
The interim policy of retaining more young people who reach the age of 18 in the youth estate was introduced in November 2022. The increase in safeguarding referrals for this age group reflects their greater numbers in the estate.
Asked by: Janet Daby (Labour - Lewisham East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 19 February 2024 to Question 13379, what steps he is taking to reduce the amount safeguarding referrals issued within the Youth Secure Estate for people aged 18 or over.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
When a safeguarding case is opened, the detail of the case may not be known. We conduct a thorough investigation of every case to understand the details, and the severity of the concern, and ensure that any necessary actions are taken to protect the children in our custody.
Not all referrals result in further action, and an increase in safeguarding cases need not always be a matter of concern. An increased number of cases may represent increased confidence on the part of staff in reporting concerns, or may indicate that children feel safe to disclose information to staff. Referrals may include the disclosure of concerns relating to a period prior to the child’s or young person’s entering custody. It is by conducting a thorough investigation that we can understand the nature of each case and identify any trends that need to be addressed.
We would not seek to discourage staff from making safeguarding referrals: in fact, we would encourage them to do so. The safeguarding policy in place in YCS, and the accompanying processes, are designed to keep children and young people safe, and it is therefore vital that these policies and processes are followed at all times. All policies applicable to children and young people under 18 also apply to 18-year-olds who remain within the Youth Estate.
Asked by: Janet Daby (Labour - Lewisham East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 19 February 2024 to Question 13383, what steps he is taking to reduce the amount young people aged 18 or over in the youth secure estate who are separated from their peers for more than seven days.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Separation is used where there is a clear risk of harm, in order to prevent harm to the child or young person separated, or to others. Separation can be critical to reduce the risk of harm, but should be a last resort when managing behaviour.
In accordance with recommendations made by H M Inspectorate of Prisons, the Youth Custody Service (YCS) has developed and implemented a new policy framework on use of separation in the youth estate. This was published in April 2022, together with a new system for gathering data and managing instances of separation. It applies to all children and young people in the Youth Estate, including 18-year-olds. A review of the first 12 months’ delivery is in progress.
The YCS has taken a range of actions to improve use of separation in the youth estate, including providing additional resources to ensure effective management and to improve national and local oversight. It is working hard to improve regime and time-out-of-room for all children.
Asked by: Janet Daby (Labour - Lewisham East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will publish data on reoffending by individuals under the age of 18 for the year ending March 2023; and if he will provide a breakdown of those figures by (a) age and (b) offence type.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Details of the reoffending rates for juveniles, by age and index offence committed, for the year ending March 2022 (the latest for which data is currently available) are attached.
Proven reoffending is measured over a one-year follow-up period, after release from custody or receiving a non-custodial disposal. A proven reoffence is an offence that leads to a new court conviction, caution, reprimand, or warning in the one-year follow-up or within a further six-month waiting period to allow the offence to be proven in court. The most recently available annual data is therefore April 2021 – March 2022.
The overall juvenile proven reoffending rate has fallen from 40.4% in 2011/12 to 32.2% in 2021/22.
Reducing youth reoffending remains a key priority. That’s why we are piloting more intensive community alternatives to custody for children, which can be more effective in reducing reoffending. At the same time, the Government is working to improve outcomes and reduce reoffending rates for the small number of children sentenced to custody. For this reason, we are trialling secure schools as an alternative to Young Offender Institutions (YOIs) and Secure Training Centres (STCs). Secure schools will be “schools with security” rather than “prisons with education” and will have education, healthcare and purposeful activity at their heart.
Asked by: Janet Daby (Labour - Lewisham East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 14 February 2024 to Question 13404 on Prison Officers: Youth Custody, what his planned timetable is for completing the development of the bespoke training for staff working with girls in Young Offender Institution and Secure Training Centre sectors.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Youth Custody Service (YCS) recognises that staff need additional training and support to work effectively with girls in custody. YCS Psychology Services conducted a staff training and development needs analysis which identified various gaps and made associated recommendations. As a result, a programme of additional training for working with girls in custody has been developed which incorporates various modules to meet the identified learning gaps.
Reflecting our commitment to integrated care set out in the YCS and NHS England Framework for Integrated Care (‘SECURE STAIRS’), delivery of the programme is cross-departmental and involves a number of agencies. Implementation has commenced, and the programme will remain in place to ensure the continuous upskilling of new staff. The training needs analysis will be continuously reviewed and updated as this programme proceeds, to ensure any emerging needs are addressed.
Asked by: Janet Daby (Labour - Lewisham East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he is taking steps to improve outcomes for young offenders with Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder in (a) education, (b) safety, (c) care and (d) purposeful activity in the youth secure estate.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
NHS England is continually improving the processes in place for children and young people in custody including those with Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. When they first enter custody, the CHAT assessment tool is used to ensure all health concerns are noted and observed, so that clinical professionals can assess the child or young person’s underlying condition and provide any necessary support.
We know the importance of ensuring that time in custody is purposeful, and we are committed to ensuring that children and young people have the necessary and appropriate access to education, skills, and work provision, with a consistent daily programme of activities. We are also committed to providing education and enrichment for those for whom a classroom setting is not appropriate.
Priority is given to ensuring that children and young people in custody are safe. Conflict resolution practitioners work with children and young people to resolve conflict between individuals and groups, and to help them engage in opportunities available in our care.
Asked by: Janet Daby (Labour - Lewisham East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment has he made of the adequacy of education provision for young offenders with Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder on the secure youth estate.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
NHS England is continually improving the processes in place for children and young people in custody including those with Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. When they first enter custody, the CHAT assessment tool is used to ensure all health concerns are noted and observed, so that clinical professionals can assess the child or young person’s underlying condition and provide any necessary support.
We know the importance of ensuring that time in custody is purposeful, and we are committed to ensuring that children and young people have the necessary and appropriate access to education, skills, and work provision, with a consistent daily programme of activities. We are also committed to providing education and enrichment for those for whom a classroom setting is not appropriate.
Priority is given to ensuring that children and young people in custody are safe. Conflict resolution practitioners work with children and young people to resolve conflict between individuals and groups, and to help them engage in opportunities available in our care.
Asked by: Janet Daby (Labour - Lewisham East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether prison officers working in the youth secure estate receive training on the needs of young offenders with Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Prison officers working in the Youth Secure Estate are required to complete an in-depth training scheme prior to entering any secure settings. NHS England delivers training to all new entrants, which covers the Framework for Integrated Care (‘SECURE STAIRS’). This equips staff to provide developmentally-attuned, psychologically-informed care including for those with Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, centred around comprehensive assessments of young people’s needs, to ensure that all needs are identified.
Asked by: Janet Daby (Labour - Lewisham East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average cost to the public purse is of a person aged 18 or over being placed in the children’s secure estate.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
I refer the honourable Member to the answer I gave to Question 8178 on 11 January 2024: Written questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament.
There is no difference in the average cost to public purse if an 18-year-old remains within the youth secure estate upon reaching the age of 18. Newly-sentenced or remanded 18-year-olds are placed into adult establishments.
Asked by: Janet Daby (Labour - Lewisham East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many safeguarding referrals have been made from each (a) young offender institution and (b) secure training centre for people aged 18 or over in each of the last five years.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The data requested are set out in the following tables:
Young Offender Institutions
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
Cookham Wood | 8 | * | 25 | 22 |
Feltham A | 10 | 10 | 12 | 28 |
Parc YPU | 0 | 0 | * | 15 |
Werrington | * | 7 | * | 29 |
Wetherby | 14 | 36 | 32 | 61 |
Secure Training Centres
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
Oakhill | 8 | * | 0 | 9 |
Rainsbrook | 13 | 9 | - | - |
Notes
1. The symbol * is used for suppressed values of 5 or fewer, to prevent disclosure in accordance with data protection principles. Zero figures are not suppressed.
2. Rainsbrook Secure Training Centre closed in December 2021.
3. Please note that the above is classed as internal management information.
4. Following Urgent Notification at Oakhill Secure Training Centre in October 2021, safeguarding data recording processes were reviewed and central collation of this data was ceased for the period of October - December 2021. Safeguarding processes were maintained locally for the period and following revision, central data collation recommenced in January 2022.
When a safeguarding case is opened, the detail of the case may not be known. We conduct a thorough investigation of every case to understand the details and the severity of the concern and ensure that any necessary actions are taken to protect the children in our custody. It is not the case that an increase in safeguarding cases should always be a matter of concern: this would be dependent on the nature of the case. An increased number of cases may represent increased confidence on the part of staff in reporting concerns or may indicate that children feel safe to disclose information to staff. It is by conducting a thorough investigation that we can understand the nature of each case and identify any trends that need to be addressed.