Skip to content

All content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0, except where otherwise stated.

To view this licence, visit:
https://nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3

or write to:
Information Policy Team,
The National Archives,
Kew,
London TW9 4DU

or email: psi@nationalarchives.gov.uk.

This publication is available at:
https://hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk.

© Crown copyright

Safety and progression of children in young offender institutions is compromised by limited engagement with staff

Published:

Children in young offender institutions (YOIs) have little opportunity to build vital relationships with staff that will help them address their offending, according to a new report by HM Inspectorate of Prisons.

The thematic review reveals that the failure to foster positive relationships affects the ability to run safe establishments in which children can engage with education, health care and offending behaviour programmes, as well to defuse conflict and violence.

Children and staff at the three YOIs visited as part of the review – Parc, Werrington and Wetherby – wanted the same things: consistency and enough time to get to know each other properly. Yet many aspects of daily life thwarted this interaction. Children were often locked up for long periods of time, staff were frequently moved to different units and there were few spaces for children to talk privately to staff. Rather than dining together children ate largely alone in their cells, and a lack of informal interaction opportunities meant officers only talked to them as they were being escorted around the establishment. Most children said they were unable to have a meaningful weekly conversation with a member of staff they knew.

Children valued officers who were responsive and reliable, but frequent staff changes meant their everyday requests were often dealt inconsistently. At Werrington and Wetherby in particular, this created a sense of frustration and meant boys did not always trust staff to deal with bigger issues such as bullying and violence. In contrast to the public sector YOIs, the picture at Parc was much better. Children were out of their cells for much longer every day, the rules were well established, and relationships were stronger.

Most officers had received training on the joined-up Framework for Integrated Care or had some understanding of it. However, the approach had been poorly implemented and many officers said they were not able, or had too little time, to access information that would help them understand the needs of each child. Despite working in very challenging environments, many frontline operational staff did not receive the support that those in other professions take for granted, including regular supervision from their manager.

This report sets out in stark terms the failure by the Youth Custody Service to create environments in which children in YOIs can form positive, appropriate relationships with authoritative, well-trained and well-supported staff. In 2018 my predecessor reported that children who had these relationships with staff were likely to be motivated to engage with behaviour management schemes. Seven years on behaviour management is an increasing challenge but chronic inconsistency and a failure to embed the framework for integrated care are corroding the relationships needed for this progress.
Chief Inspector of Prisons, Charlie Taylor

Notes to editors

  1. A copy of this report, published on 10 June 2025, 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. Data collection began on 2 September 2024 and was carried out in three YOI establishments holding children in both England and Wales: Werrington, Wetherby and Parc. There were two key elements at each site: a case file analysis and on-site fieldwork. In addition to data collected for the specific purpose of this review we have also made use of HMI Prisons’ surveys of children. Further information about these surveys can be found on the HMI Prisons website at: Detainee survey – HM Inspectorate of Prisons
  4. The following activities were conducted at each of the three sites: individual interviews with children, individual interviews with officers and members of staff, group discussions with officers and custodial managers.
  5. Please email media@hmiprisons.gov.uk if you would like more information.