Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 1
1
Acknowledged
On the basis of a report by the Comptroller and Audit General, we took evidence...
Conclusion
On the basis of a report by the Comptroller and Audit General, we took evidence from the Ministry for Justice (the Ministry) and Her Majesty’s Prison & Probation Service (HMPPS) about current youth custody provision in England and Wales, as well as their strategy for improving the options available for placing children in custody.1
Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges the importance of recording protected characteristic information and describes the Youth Custody Service's D&I workstream.
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Recommendation implemented The Youth Custody Service (YCS) records protected characteristic information to provide a detailed understanding of the children in its care. YCS has a Diversity and Inequality (D&I) workstream focused on priority improvements, monitoring and the development of effective practice. This workstream oversees activity including: • identification and monitoring of disproportionate custodial experiences of Black/Mixed Black Heritage children and measuring improvements of focused initiatives to drive change, • measuring operational practise improvements across Young Offender Institutions (YOIs) through formulation and execution of D&I focused action plans and supporting data analysis, • a focus on girls within the estate through developing effective practise, oversight and improvement activity for the Keppel Unit within HMPYOI Wetherby, and preparing Oakhill Secure Training Centre in readiness to take girls, • launching the Strategic Youth Advisory Board, comprised of individuals from diverse backgrounds aged 17-25 years, who have involvement with YCS and will be part of policy discussions with opportunities to influence decisions, • the launch of a CHAT (Comprehensive Health Assessment Tool) Summary from National Health Service (NHS) Systems that will facilitate the monitoring of children’s health needs (including disabilities) to better inform operational practise, and • recording special educational needs detail, and work to improve the capture and monitoring of that information will start later in 2022-23. YCS works closely with NHS England and NHS Improvement with co-representation across meetings and decision-making fora, and through close consultation on YCS policy.