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Feeling unsafe inevitable for many children in youth custody, as poor standards persist

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HM Inspectorate of Prisons’ latest review of survey responses from children in custody has found that standards across the youth estate remain generally poor, with violence continuing to blight children’s lives, too many spending long periods locked in their cells and inadequate education provision. The review analysed evidence gathered from inspections, survey findings and interviews with children living in four young offender institutions (YOIs) in England and Wales and one secure training centre (Oakhill STC) between April 2025 and March 2026. It found that, despite some isolated improvements, outcomes remained unacceptable in most establishments.

Children at every establishment apart from Parc YOI and Oakhill STC continued to spend far too much time behind their doors, with boys at Feltham and Werrington unlocked for less than four hours a day on average. Education provision was inadequate at every YOI apart from Parc, and across the estate, 16% of children said they were not participating in any education, work or offending behaviour interventions.

Violence remained a regular feature of daily life. Thirty-nine per cent of children said they had felt unsafe at some point during their time in custody and 14% said they felt unsafe at the time of the survey. Children described an unpredictable environment in which fights, group assaults and the carrying of weapons were common. Many said staff did not do enough to keep them safe and only 26% said they would report bullying or victimisation by other young people.

Weak relationships were undermining trust and engagement between staff and children. Only 51% of children said they felt cared for by most staff and one in three reported having no member of staff they could turn to for help with a problem. Inconsistent behaviour management hampered efforts to improve safety, with children often describing rules as unclear, unfairly applied and poorly explained.

While some establishments had made progress, this was often fragile. At Werrington, leaders had reduced the use of weapons and improved safety arrangements, while Wetherby had introduced new work and vocational opportunities which enabled some children to spend more time out of their cells. Parc remained a notable exception across the youth estate, achieving good outcomes in all four healthy prison tests, providing good-quality education and maintaining strong relationships between staff and children. This was in direct contrast to Oakhill, where fundamental weaknesses in leadership, safeguarding and health care at the STC forced the Chief Inspectors of HMI Prisons, Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission to issue an Urgent Notification to the Secretary of State for Justice.

Although there have been some signs of progress at individual establishments, standards across the youth estate remain woeful. Children continue to be exposed to high levels of violence, spend too much time locked in their cells and are frequently unable to access the education and support they need to turn their lives around.

The number of children in custody has never been lower and these establishments are comparatively well resourced, yet the Youth Custody Service has failed to make the meaningful improvements that children urgently need. This is even more concerning given the numbers in YOIs are likely to rise as 18-year-olds are held in youth custody for longer to ease pressure on the adult prison estate.

Parc continues to demonstrate what can be achieved when children have positive relationships with staff, and are given clear boundaries, high-quality education and consistent care. The Youth Custody Service should learn from the success of Parc and use it as a benchmark for improving standards across the rest of the estate.
Charlie Taylor, Chief Inspector of Prisons

Notes to editors

  1. The Children in custody 2025–26 report, published on 22 September 2026, can be found on the HM Inspectorate of Prisons website at: www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmiprisons/inspections/
  2. HM Inspectorate of Prisons is an independent inspectorate, inspecting places of detention to report on conditions and treatment and promote positive outcomes for those detained and the public.
  3. Since 2001, HM Inspectorate of Prisons has published a Children in custody report, providing an analysis of 12–18-year-olds’ perceptions of their experiences in secure training centres and young offender institutions across England and Wales.
  4. The 2025–26 report draws on surveys of children and staff, inspection findings from Feltham, Parc, Werrington and Wetherby YOIs, and Oakhill STC, along with published statistics. Eighty-six per cent of children offered a questionnaire completed one.
  5. Earlier in 2026, HM Inspectorate of Prisons published Children on short-term remand, which found many children were held unnecessarily in custody for short periods while suitable community alternatives were arranged. The report is available at: Children on short-term remand – HM Inspectorate of Prisons
  6. An Urgent Notification was issued for Oakhill STC following a joint inspection in July 2025, which identified serious failings in safeguarding, leadership and health care. Read the Urgent Notification: Oakhill Secure Training Centre Urgent Notification – HM Inspectorate of Prisons
  7. Please email media@hmiprisons.gov.uk if you would like more information.