Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to (a) recruit and (b) retain prison officers and support staff in youth custody settings.

The Youth Custody Service (YCS) has bespoke recruitment material that aligns with our vision of delivering outstanding children’s services in secure settings and further professionalising the workforce. Over 150 new entrant youth justice workers (YJW) in a young adult setting have commenced employment in the YCS so far this year, with a further 70 to start prior to April 2022.

Since introducing the youth justice specialist role, we have provided funding for every prison officer in the youth secure estate to take up a qualification in youth justice. As of August, there were 249 youth justice specialist officers already in post, having completed the qualification. A further 260 staff are signed up or undertaking the learning, with the next cohort due to start in October 2022, with up to 110 more frontline staff participating. We have continuously reviewed this development offer and have recently introduced a new apprenticeship for our newly recruited YJW officers.

We have reviewed staff turnover in public sites in the youth secure estate, focussing on frontline positions from entry grade YJWs to custodial managers, with an emphasis on resignations. Improvements to inductions and support for new entrants is now in place to help ensure a supported, resilient, and effective workforce.