Asked by: Paul Davies (Labour - Colne Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to develop a coordinated strategy for managing the health and wellbeing of children in custodial settings during future pandemics.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Youth Custody Service (part of HMPPS) works with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), the Department for Education, and NHS England’s Health & Justice Children's Team to ensure a co-ordinated strategy for managing the health and wellbeing of children in custodial settings, and to ensure appropriate resources and guidance are developed to support the children and young people secure estate (CYPSE) in responding to any new or emerging threats, including a future pandemic.
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the UKHSA with the support of the Youth Custody Service and other partners, commissioned a review into how to improve guidance and resources for secure children's settings on preventing and responding to infectious disease threats. Following this review, UKHSA has worked with partners on a co-ordinated strategy to ensure that these recommendations inform continuing work on preventing, preparing for and responding to infectious disease threats, and on pandemic preparedness in the CYPSE.
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Youth Custody Services – the final report of the Youth Custody Service’s COVID-19 Research and Evaluation Programme, published in October 2022 – is an extensive piece of research across the secure estate, which captured and assessed the experience of dealing with the threat of COVID-19. The results have not only informed recovery planning, but also became part of the wider plan to prepare for any future pandemic. Establishments and providers have been given greater flexibility in learning from this report to enable them to meet the individual needs of children, by enabling holistic and tailored service delivery, that is evidence-based.
Asked by: Paul Davies (Labour - Colne Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of issuing guidance to prisons on supporting children in custody in different pandemic scenarios.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Youth Custody Service (part of HMPPS) works with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), the Department for Education, and NHS England’s Health & Justice Children's Team to ensure a co-ordinated strategy for managing the health and wellbeing of children in custodial settings, and to ensure appropriate resources and guidance are developed to support the children and young people secure estate (CYPSE) in responding to any new or emerging threats, including a future pandemic.
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the UKHSA with the support of the Youth Custody Service and other partners, commissioned a review into how to improve guidance and resources for secure children's settings on preventing and responding to infectious disease threats. Following this review, UKHSA has worked with partners on a co-ordinated strategy to ensure that these recommendations inform continuing work on preventing, preparing for and responding to infectious disease threats, and on pandemic preparedness in the CYPSE.
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Youth Custody Services – the final report of the Youth Custody Service’s COVID-19 Research and Evaluation Programme, published in October 2022 – is an extensive piece of research across the secure estate, which captured and assessed the experience of dealing with the threat of COVID-19. The results have not only informed recovery planning, but also became part of the wider plan to prepare for any future pandemic. Establishments and providers have been given greater flexibility in learning from this report to enable them to meet the individual needs of children, by enabling holistic and tailored service delivery, that is evidence-based.
Asked by: Paul Davies (Labour - Colne Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to increase the quality of education in young offender institutions.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Learning services are reviewed annually, following completion of a needs analysis that evaluates the success, progress, and achievement of each course, taking account of the interests of children, their prior attainment, and their changing needs. The Youth Custody Service (YCS) will continue to work with contractors to drive progress.
We recognise the recruitment challenges that education providers face, and that more can be done to make new teachers aware of the vocational attractions of working in custody. The YCS has recruited a dedicated Head of Learning & Enrichment at national level, and Heads of Education, Skills, and Work locally, to drive up standards. It has also worked with Ofsted and provided training to Governors, Deputy Governors, and other key staff to help them lead improvements in delivery.
The YCS is working with education providers to ensure effective behavioural management strategies are in place and that teachers have the confidence to challenge poor behaviour effectively. We are using our Framework for Integrated Care, a multi-disciplinary approach, to deliver this more widely.
The Head of Learning and Skills chairs regular leadership forums with education providers and managers from Young Offender Institutions (YOIs) on a quarterly basis: these are collaborative planning meetings. All quality assurance carried out by YCS for the delivery of education takes a multi-disciplinary approach. In addition, inter-dependencies are regularly discussed at governance boards to ensure there is a joint approach.
The YCS prioritises access to education for children in young offender institutions (YOIs), as this is a key factor in reducing the risk of re-offending. The YCS has national oversight of every child and young person in separation, including the length of time they have been separated for and their access to regime. The YCS’s non-association policy has helped ensure children and young people receive as full a regime as possible, as safely as possible. All YOIs have a small team of dedicated conflict resolution practitioners whose primary role is to help repair harm caused by conflict and reduce the number of non-associations.
Asked by: Paul Davies (Labour - Colne Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of (a) lack of access to education and (b) prolonged cell confinement on the (i) rehabilitation and (ii) future prospects of children in young offender institutions.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Learning services are reviewed annually, following completion of a needs analysis that evaluates the success, progress, and achievement of each course, taking account of the interests of children, their prior attainment, and their changing needs. The Youth Custody Service (YCS) will continue to work with contractors to drive progress.
We recognise the recruitment challenges that education providers face, and that more can be done to make new teachers aware of the vocational attractions of working in custody. The YCS has recruited a dedicated Head of Learning & Enrichment at national level, and Heads of Education, Skills, and Work locally, to drive up standards. It has also worked with Ofsted and provided training to Governors, Deputy Governors, and other key staff to help them lead improvements in delivery.
The YCS is working with education providers to ensure effective behavioural management strategies are in place and that teachers have the confidence to challenge poor behaviour effectively. We are using our Framework for Integrated Care, a multi-disciplinary approach, to deliver this more widely.
The Head of Learning and Skills chairs regular leadership forums with education providers and managers from Young Offender Institutions (YOIs) on a quarterly basis: these are collaborative planning meetings. All quality assurance carried out by YCS for the delivery of education takes a multi-disciplinary approach. In addition, inter-dependencies are regularly discussed at governance boards to ensure there is a joint approach.
The YCS prioritises access to education for children in young offender institutions (YOIs), as this is a key factor in reducing the risk of re-offending. The YCS has national oversight of every child and young person in separation, including the length of time they have been separated for and their access to regime. The YCS’s non-association policy has helped ensure children and young people receive as full a regime as possible, as safely as possible. All YOIs have a small team of dedicated conflict resolution practitioners whose primary role is to help repair harm caused by conflict and reduce the number of non-associations.
Asked by: Paul Davies (Labour - Colne Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of (a) staff shortages and (b) inadequate training on the educational experiences of children in young offender institutions.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Learning services are reviewed annually, following completion of a needs analysis that evaluates the success, progress, and achievement of each course, taking account of the interests of children, their prior attainment, and their changing needs. The Youth Custody Service (YCS) will continue to work with contractors to drive progress.
We recognise the recruitment challenges that education providers face, and that more can be done to make new teachers aware of the vocational attractions of working in custody. The YCS has recruited a dedicated Head of Learning & Enrichment at national level, and Heads of Education, Skills, and Work locally, to drive up standards. It has also worked with Ofsted and provided training to Governors, Deputy Governors, and other key staff to help them lead improvements in delivery.
The YCS is working with education providers to ensure effective behavioural management strategies are in place and that teachers have the confidence to challenge poor behaviour effectively. We are using our Framework for Integrated Care, a multi-disciplinary approach, to deliver this more widely.
The Head of Learning and Skills chairs regular leadership forums with education providers and managers from Young Offender Institutions (YOIs) on a quarterly basis: these are collaborative planning meetings. All quality assurance carried out by YCS for the delivery of education takes a multi-disciplinary approach. In addition, inter-dependencies are regularly discussed at governance boards to ensure there is a joint approach.
The YCS prioritises access to education for children in young offender institutions (YOIs), as this is a key factor in reducing the risk of re-offending. The YCS has national oversight of every child and young person in separation, including the length of time they have been separated for and their access to regime. The YCS’s non-association policy has helped ensure children and young people receive as full a regime as possible, as safely as possible. All YOIs have a small team of dedicated conflict resolution practitioners whose primary role is to help repair harm caused by conflict and reduce the number of non-associations.
Asked by: Paul Davies (Labour - Colne Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to improve collaboration between education providers and young offender institutions.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Learning services are reviewed annually, following completion of a needs analysis that evaluates the success, progress, and achievement of each course, taking account of the interests of children, their prior attainment, and their changing needs. The Youth Custody Service (YCS) will continue to work with contractors to drive progress.
We recognise the recruitment challenges that education providers face, and that more can be done to make new teachers aware of the vocational attractions of working in custody. The YCS has recruited a dedicated Head of Learning & Enrichment at national level, and Heads of Education, Skills, and Work locally, to drive up standards. It has also worked with Ofsted and provided training to Governors, Deputy Governors, and other key staff to help them lead improvements in delivery.
The YCS is working with education providers to ensure effective behavioural management strategies are in place and that teachers have the confidence to challenge poor behaviour effectively. We are using our Framework for Integrated Care, a multi-disciplinary approach, to deliver this more widely.
The Head of Learning and Skills chairs regular leadership forums with education providers and managers from Young Offender Institutions (YOIs) on a quarterly basis: these are collaborative planning meetings. All quality assurance carried out by YCS for the delivery of education takes a multi-disciplinary approach. In addition, inter-dependencies are regularly discussed at governance boards to ensure there is a joint approach.
The YCS prioritises access to education for children in young offender institutions (YOIs), as this is a key factor in reducing the risk of re-offending. The YCS has national oversight of every child and young person in separation, including the length of time they have been separated for and their access to regime. The YCS’s non-association policy has helped ensure children and young people receive as full a regime as possible, as safely as possible. All YOIs have a small team of dedicated conflict resolution practitioners whose primary role is to help repair harm caused by conflict and reduce the number of non-associations.
Asked by: Paul Davies (Labour - Colne Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to support prison leavers with severe mental illness.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
We are committed to working with our partners across health and justice to better support prisoners leaving custody.
Our Mental Health Approved Premises Project are piloting a partnership approach to working with people who have mental health challenges. It provides targeted, enhanced mental health support to high-risk prison leavers with the most complex needs, with the aim of building a clear bridge into services in the community. As part of the project, staff can access training to improve their ability to recognise and respond to mental health needs.
We have also recruited over 50 Health and Justice Coordinators and Managers nationwide to improve links between prison and community treatment services, to support continuity of care upon release and NHS England’s RECONNECT service, supports prison leavers with vulnerabilities including mental health needs to engage with the right health services in the community through referrals and peer support.
Asked by: Paul Davies (Labour - Colne Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to provide reading support in prisons; and what programmes her Department funds to provide such support.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
All prisons assess prisoner literacy on entry, and deliver English Functional Skills qualifications via the main Prison Education Framework.
HMPPS also fund 62 additional literacy and reading contracts across 80 prisons via the more locally commissioned Dynamic Purchasing System.
All prisons have a library, and to further support reading the Shannon Trust operates their Turning Pages programme in nearly all prisons in England. This programme teaches prisoners to read and is delivered by prisoner mentors who work with individual learners.
Every prison also has a reading strategy which has been supported by the donation of over 150,000 books to prisons by publishing houses through the ‘Bang-Up-Books’ campaign.
In addition, the Literacy Innovation Fund provided funding to a further 15 prisons for projects delivered by the Shannon Trust, to further boost the reach of their peer mentoring and the National Literacy Trust who deliver workshops to encourage creative writing, reading and book groups.
Asked by: Paul Davies (Labour - Colne Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of prisons have a one-to-one literacy mentoring programme.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
All prisons assess prisoner literacy on entry, and deliver English Functional Skills qualifications via the main Prison Education Framework.
HMPPS also fund 62 additional literacy and reading contracts across 80 prisons via the more locally commissioned Dynamic Purchasing System.
All prisons have a library, and to further support reading the Shannon Trust operates their Turning Pages programme in nearly all prisons in England. This programme teaches prisoners to read and is delivered by prisoner mentors who work with individual learners.
Every prison also has a reading strategy which has been supported by the donation of over 150,000 books to prisons by publishing houses through the ‘Bang-Up-Books’ campaign.
In addition, the Literacy Innovation Fund provided funding to a further 15 prisons for projects delivered by the Shannon Trust, to further boost the reach of their peer mentoring and the National Literacy Trust who deliver workshops to encourage creative writing, reading and book groups.
Asked by: Paul Davies (Labour - Colne Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of prisons have a literacy programme.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
All prisons assess prisoner literacy on entry, and deliver English Functional Skills qualifications via the main Prison Education Framework.
HMPPS also fund 62 additional literacy and reading contracts across 80 prisons via the more locally commissioned Dynamic Purchasing System.
All prisons have a library, and to further support reading the Shannon Trust operates their Turning Pages programme in nearly all prisons in England. This programme teaches prisoners to read and is delivered by prisoner mentors who work with individual learners.
Every prison also has a reading strategy which has been supported by the donation of over 150,000 books to prisons by publishing houses through the ‘Bang-Up-Books’ campaign.
In addition, the Literacy Innovation Fund provided funding to a further 15 prisons for projects delivered by the Shannon Trust, to further boost the reach of their peer mentoring and the National Literacy Trust who deliver workshops to encourage creative writing, reading and book groups.