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Jan 263 min read

Young People in Secure Estates

Updated: Jan 31


One of SONAR’s core objectives is to improve the sharing of information between key stakeholders, enabling seamless care and support. This is highly relevant to the provision of care for young people residing in secure care, given that young people in secure estates may show complex; demanding needs and be confronted with substantial challenges. Multi-modal support mechanisms are crucial for young people in secure care to ensure adequate accessibility for integration back into society with a clear pathway address to address recidivism.


The population of Young People in custody

Young people in custody will be detained in one of three secure estates:


  • Secure Training Centres (STCs), young people aged twelve to seventeen.

  • Young Offender Institutions (YOIs), young people aged fifteen to twenty-one.

  • Secure Children’s Homes (SCHs), young people aged ten to seventeen.


The HM Prison and Probation Service and Youth Custody Service releases monthly statistics on the population in STCs and YOIs and SCHs (United Kingdom), with the latest data recording 418 in November 2023.


In line with this monthly report, the HM Inspectorate of Prisons report (January 2023) demonstrations that the number of young people held in STCs and YOIs has swiftly declined, with research indicating this drop in numbers is linked to the success of local diversion schemes and the pandemic.


Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEN/D)

The department for Education and Ministry of Justice published information in March 2023, revealing that 80% of young people that had been cautioned or received a sentence for any offence, had recordings of SEN/D prior.


A custodial stay for a young person will present new challenges. It will also, however enable the appropriate multidisciplinary team to gain an understanding of potential SEN/D needs and/or requirements which may not have been identified within a mainstream educational institution.


The Children and Families Act 2014 ensures that special educational provision for a detained young person are adhered to, the duties are as follows:


  • Education, Health, and Care Plan (EHC plan) is kept when a young person enters custody.

  • Consider the request for a EHC needs assessment, if it is bought to attention that the young person has or may have SEN.

  • Arrange Special Educational Needs (SEN) Provision for a young person with a EHC plan.

  • Cooperate with a multidisciplinary team and other relevant providers of youth custodial institutions, Youth Offending Teams (YOTs), SEN Teams, Clinical Commissioning Groups and/or the NHS.


Healthcare Support

Young people have access to the appropriate services and support they may need to meet their health and wellbeing needs, this includes physical health, mental health, substance use, speech, and communication needs.


The primary health care provision in secure estates is deemed to be ‘excellent’ by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, as a result of the multiple vulnerabilities within this group of young people.


Conclusion

The goal of the SONAR team is to make a difference for every population in the justice system.  However, we are acutely aware of the importance to maintain a child centred and trauma informed approach within a young person’s provision and continue to strive to enhance systems to support services in their mission to reduce young people being held in secure or custodial environments.


A final thought is recidivism and supporting community reintegration, both key SONAR objectives. We hope to achieve this through a patient-focused app. For young people, this would support the individual and their support network to attend healthcare, educational, statutory supervision, and legal appointments with the aim to maximise engagement with service providers and ultimately enhance the young person’s reintegration outcomes.

 

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