Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the HM Chief Inspector of Prisons publication entitled Report on an unannounced inspection of HMYOI Wetherby by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons (20 November – 7 December 2023), published on 5 March 2024, what assessment he has made of the quality of risk assessments completed by resettlement practitioners.

Following the previous inspection of HMYOI Wetherby, additional emphasis was placed on resettlement work. This has resulted in improved outcomes for children and young people in our care. HM Inspectorate’s latest report notes that children and 18-year-olds received good support from resettlement practitioners (RPs) and the social workers who worked with them, and Home Detention Curfew (HDC), transitions, parole and early release processes were managed well.

The Head of Resettlement at HMYOI Wetherby will lead improvement in the quality and consistency of risk-assessment work by RPs, by undertaking the following actions:

• senior leaders and first line managers will highlight any knowledge gaps, to share good practice and identify learning for a training needs analysis
• developing and delivering an appropriate catalogue of training in relation to young people over the age of 18 who are transitioning to the adult estate, as well as Prisoner Offender Management training, for all RPs
• improving RP knowledge and understanding of the intervention catalogue, through awareness sessions, delivered quarterly by treatment managers; and
• ensuring resettlement targets are shared with all children via their in-room launchpads, so that they are aware of their objectives, and that objectives are recorded on electronic case notes.