Ministers have acted immediately to end the practice of placing
girls in young offender institutions following recommendations
from Susannah Hancock's independent review into the placement and
care of girls in youth custody.
The review published
today highlights the complex mental and physical health
issues these girls often face, with self-harm at a concerning
level.
It comes as recent figures show girls are involved in more than
half the self-harm incidents across the youth estate in England
and Wales, despite accounting for less than two percent of the
children in custody.
The intervention will ensure girls are always placed in settings
more suited to their needs such as Secure Schools or Secure
Children's Homes.
The decision was informed by feedback from hardworking staff and
the vulnerable children in their care. The review found that
despite tireless efforts of staff involved in their care, YOIs
cannot offer the therapeutic, trauma-informed support these girls
need.
Minister for Youth Justice Sir said:
Girls in custody are often victims themselves with complex mental
health and emotional needs.
Ending their placement in YOIs for good is a first step in
drastically improving the support they receive to turn their
lives around.
I am grateful to Susannah Hancock for her recommendations, and we
will set out our response to each one in due course.
Girls have not been placed in HMYOI Wetherby, the only YOI
accepting girls, for several months. This has now been made a
permanent decision.
Susannah Hancock was appointed by the government in November 2024
to conduct an independent review into the placement of girls in
the children and young people's secure estate.
The report acknowledges the scope of the challenge at hand, and
the department will now consider the full range of its
recommendations and develop a long-term action plan in
response.
Susannah Hancock said:
I am pleased that the government has acted swiftly in accepting
the first recommendation in my review and that girls will no
longer be placed in YOIs.
This is an important step forward towards ensuring that all girls
in custody receive appropriate levels of support, care and
therapeutic interventions to address their physical, mental
health and emotional needs.
I look forward to hearing the government's response to the wider
review recommendations and to seeing professionals come together
to help make positive changes for these girls.
Stephanie Roberts-Bibby, Chief Executive of the Youth Justice
Board said:
We welcome the recommendations from Susannah Hancock's
independent review into girls in custody and we are pleased that
the Minister has agreed to the immediate removal of girls in
young offender institutions.
It is our position, informed by the evidence, that girls should
only be placed in secure settings in exceptional circumstances,
and when this happens, they should be held in places that are
designed to meet their needs. Children in the youth justice
system are overwhelmingly boys, and as a result girls' needs and
vulnerabilities can be overlooked, resulting in them encountering
poorer experiences and outcomes.
The Youth Custody Service can place girls in different settings
across the youth custody estate, including secure children's
homes, the new secure school and Oakhill Secure Training Centre.
Girls were previously placed at HMYOI Wetherby following the
closure of Rainsbrook Secure Training Centre, but today's
decision removes this placement option permanently.
