Asked by: Janet Daby (Labour - Lewisham East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average number of hours inmates spent out of their cell was on (a) weekdays and (b) weekend days in each young offender institution in April 2024.
Answered by Edward Argar - Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The information requested regarding average time-out-of-room spent by children and young people in young offender institutions during April 2024 is shown in the table below.
| Cookham Wood | Feltham | Parc | Werrington | Wetherby |
Weekdays | 4:16 | 4:28 | 8:20 | 4:40 | 5:05 |
Weekends | 4:19 | 3:51 | 6:28 | 3:30 | 3:40 |
We know the importance of ensuring that time in custody is purposeful and 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.
The Youth Custody Service is reviewing regime models and staff deployment to maximise time-out-of-room, creating as open a regime as can safely be managed, as well as providing education and enrichment for those who cannot safely be in a classroom setting. Additionally, work done to reduce conflict and manage behaviour, to increase the size of groups who are mixing in the regime, has increased time-out-of-room.
Asked by: Janet Daby (Labour - Lewisham East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average number of hours spent out of their cell by inmates was on (a) weekdays and (b) weekend days in each young offender institution in March 2024.
Answered by Edward Argar - Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The information requested regarding average time-out-of-room spent by children and young people in young offender institutions during March 2024 is shown in the table below.
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We know the importance of ensuring that time in custody is purposeful and 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.
The Youth Custody Service is reviewing regime models and staff deployment to maximise time out of room, creating as open a regime as it is safe to do so, as well as providing education and enrichment for those who cannot safely be in a classroom setting. Additionally, work done to reduce conflict and manage behaviour, to increase the size of groups who are mixing in the regime, has increased time out of room.
Asked by: Janet Daby (Labour - Lewisham East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average number of hours spent out of their cell by inmates was on (a) weekdays and (b) weekend days in each young offender institution in February 2024.
Answered by Edward Argar - Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The information requested regarding average time-out-of-room spent by children and young people in young offender institutions during February 2024 is shown in the table below.
| Cookham Wood | Feltham | Parc | Werrington | Wetherby |
Weekdays | 3:24 | 5:02 | 8:30 | 4:06 | 6:25 |
Weekends | 2:01 | 3:49 | 5:47 | 3:10 | 4:33 |
The average time spent out-of-room each day by children and young people at Oakhill Secure Training Centre in February 2024 was 13 hours. As information about Oakhill Secure Training Centre is collated on a different basis from information about young offender institutions, it is not possible to provide the requested breakdown between weekdays and weekends.
We know the importance of ensuring that time in custody is purposeful and 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.
The Youth Custody Service is reviewing regime models and staff deployment to maximise time out of room, creating as open a regime as it is safe to do so, as well as providing education and enrichment for those who cannot safely be in a classroom setting. Additionally, work done to reduce conflict and manage behaviour, to increase the size of groups who are mixing in the regime, has increased time out of room.
Asked by: Janet Daby (Labour - Lewisham East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many keep apart instructions were issued in HM YOI (a) Cookham Wood, (b) Feltham, (c) Parc, (d) Werrington and (e) Wetherby in each of the last 12 months.
Answered by Edward Argar - Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
Because of the way in which the data are compiled, it is not possible to provide the information in the form requested.
Non-association alerts are used as a means of improving the safeguarding of children and young people in young offender institutions in the public sector youth estate. Such alerts should only be issued after appropriate consideration, and where there is an identified need. Where an alert has been issued, the child or young person is able to mix with other children and young people in their residential units and in education.
A “snapshot” taken on 25 March 2024 shows the following numbers and percentages of children and young people at each young offender institution in the public sector youth estate who were assessed as needing to be kept apart from one or more other children or young people in the establishment owing to safeguarding concerns. The decisions are often made at the request of the child or young person who is the subject of the non-association alert.
HMYOI Cookham Wood:
46 of 58 children (79.3 per cent)
HMYOI Feltham A:
68 of 82 children (82.9 per cent)
HMYOI Werrington:
57 of 68 children (83.8 per cent)
HMYOI Wetherby:
106 of 149 children (71.1 per cent)
These figures are taken from operational oversight data.
HMYOI Parc, which is operated under contract, is not included in these arrangements.
The YOI population has decreased significantly – from 1,998 in the year to 31 March 2010 to 332 in the year to 31 March 2023. The cohort we now have in the YOI sector of the youth estate – overwhelmingly young men – present many complex issues, however 70 per cent were sentenced to custody for a violent offence. Our staff work hard to diffuse conflict and reduce violence, both between prisoners and against members of staff.
Asked by: Janet Daby (Labour - Lewisham East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average number of hours spent out of their cell by inmates was on (a) weekdays and (b) weekend days in each young offender institution in January 2024.
Answered by Edward Argar - Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The information requested, stated in hours and minutes, is set out in the table below. These are average times-out-of-room in young offender institutions. They do not include any refusals to engage with offered activities. The figures below were calculated during January 2024.
| Cookham Wood | Feltham | Parc | Werrington | Wetherby |
Weekdays | 3:37 | 5:05 | 8:34 | 4:15 | 6:08 |
Weekends | 2:28 | 3:46 | 7:43 | 3:03 | 4:45 |
We recognise 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. The Youth Custody Service continues to review regime models and staff deployment to maximise time-out-of-room, with a focus on recruitment and retention to support this delivery.
The Youth Custody Service has commissioned a resource review across the four public sector young offender institutions, which is exploring opportunities to make better use of the staff available in the current operating environment (including the balance between management and frontline supervisory staff). The first review was at Feltham in 2023. A delivery plan following the review will be implemented early this year. We will monitor how this impacts service delivery. Cookham Wood YOI will be the next site subject to review, commencing soon, followed by the remaining public young offender institutions.
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 5 December 2023 to Question 5312 on Young Offender Institutions, if he will publish on a monthly basis the average number of hours spent out of their cell by inmates on (a) weekdays and (b) weekend days in each young offender institution.
Answered by Edward Argar - Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The information currently available is noted on the table below, as stated in hours and minutes. To note, these are average time-out-of-room in young offender institutions and do not account for any refusals to engage with activities, as offered. The figures below were calculated during December 2023.
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We recognise the importance of ensuring that time in custody is purposeful and 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. The Youth Custody Service continues to review regime models and staff deployment to maximise time-out-of-room, with a focus on recruitment and retention to support this delivery.
There are currently no plans for regular publication of statistics on time-out-of-room.
Asked by: Janet Daby (Labour - Lewisham East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average number of hours spent out of their cell by inmates on (a) weekdays and (b) weekend days was in each young offender institution in December 2023.
Answered by Edward Argar - Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The information currently available is noted on the table below, as stated in hours and minutes. To note, these are average time-out-of-room in young offender institutions and do not account for any refusals to engage with activities, as offered. The figures below were calculated during December 2023.
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We recognise the importance of ensuring that time in custody is purposeful and 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. The Youth Custody Service continues to review regime models and staff deployment to maximise time-out-of-room, with a focus on recruitment and retention to support this delivery.
There are currently no plans for regular publication of statistics on time-out-of-room.
Asked by: Janet Daby (Labour - Lewisham East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average number of hours children spent in education was in each (a) young offender institution and (b) secure training centre in each week of November 2023.
Answered by Edward Argar - Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
We know the importance of ensuring that time in custody is purposeful, and 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.
Figures for November 2023 for average hours spend in education are being quality-assured for publication, and are therefore not yet available. Total figures for October, the most recent month for which data have been verified, are provided in the table below:
Establishment | Average no. of hours per week i |
HMYOI Cookham Wood | Not currently available |
HMYOI Feltham | 8.7 |
Parc YOI | 19.0 |
HMYOI Wetherby | 9.6 |
HMYOI Werrington | 13.7 |
Oakhill STCii | 24.2 |
Notes:
1 YOI figures are for classroom-based hours only: vocational training is not included.
1 Average number of educational and vocational training hours per week at Oakhill.
The Youth Custody Service (YCS) is taking a number of measures to improve access to education and training across Young Offender Institutions (YOIs) in the youth secure estate, and at Oakhill Secure Training Centre. We are reviewing regime models and staff deployment to maximise time-out-of-room, balancing openness with the requirement to ensure safety. We are also committed to providing education and enrichment for those for whom a classroom setting is not appropriate, and a central review is being carried out of steps YOIs can take to reduce the number of children and young people who are unable to mix. Conflict resolution practitioners at each site are working with children and young people to resolve conflict between individuals and groups, and to help them engage in opportunities available in our care. There has been notable success in reducing the number of regime groups in YOIs, with increased interactions and more time-out-of-room as a result.
Asked by: Janet Daby (Labour - Lewisham East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average number of hours spent out of their cell by inmates on (a) weekdays and (b) weekend days was in each young offender institution in November 2023.
Answered by Edward Argar - Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The information currently available about time out of room during November 2023 covers the period
1-26 November. It is shown in the table below.
| Cookham Wood | Feltham | Parc | Werrington | Wetherby |
Weekdays | 02:59 | 04:37 | 10:32 | 04:37 | 05:50 |
Weekends | 02:10 | 02:57 | 08:30 | 02:46 | 03:45 |
Overall | 02:44 | 04:06 | 09:55 | 04:03 | 05:12 |
We recognise the importance of ensuring that time in custody is purposeful, and 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 have commissioned a resource review to explore opportunities to make better use of the staff available in the current operating environment (including the balance between management and frontline supervisory staff), whilst continuing to provide education and enrichment for those who cannot be safely accommodated in a classroom setting. It is our expectation that this will lead to an improvement in delivery and a more stable daily timetable for children and young people in our care.
Asked by: Baroness Brown of Silvertown (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to Report on an unannounced inspection of HMYOI Cookham Wood, published on 16 November 2021, what steps he is taking to help ensure that there is improvement in access to sufficient hours of education at HMYOI Cookham Wood; and if he will establish a timescale for such improvement.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Ministry of Justice is currently preparing an action plan which will be published in due course in response to the HMIP inspection report on HMYOI Cookham Wood. The plan will set out steps being taken to address the issues identified including those to reduce violence and providing children with more access to education.