Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 25
25
Accepted
Meanwhile, HMPPS intends to keep the Keppel Unit—a specialist unit for girls at HMYOI Weatherby—for...
Conclusion
Meanwhile, HMPPS intends to keep the Keppel Unit—a specialist unit for girls at HMYOI Weatherby—for up to 24 months, but it has not yet formally evaluated it.91 It said that it only plans to evaluate it at the end of the 24-month period. It acknowledged that it will be challenging to evaluate this provision with such a small cohort, so it intends to work with NHS partners on devising a suitable evaluation approach.92 87 Q68; C&AG’s Report, para 3.5 88 Q81; MacAlister, J. The independent review of children’s social care, May 2022 89 Q68 90 Q81 91 Q92–Q94 92 Q94–Q95 Secure training centres and secure schools 17
Government Response Summary
The government will conduct an internal review of the Keppel Unit and develop an evaluation strategy for secure schools, informing future plans and delivery for a potential second secure school.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
6.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: June 2023 6.2 An internal review of the Keppel Unit has been conducted based on HM Inspectorate of Prisons inspection of the Keppel Unit (March to August 2022). The review seeks to consider the model of care for the Keppel Unit and how this meets the needs of the children on the unit as well as the wider YCS estate. The review has included a needs analysis across the YCS and specifically in Keppel. The final report will be submitted to the YCS in August 2022. The findings of the Keppel review will inform the ongoing operation of the unit and its future in the context of the needs of the wider population and current and future provision. 6.3 An evaluation team is currently being recruited to develop an evaluation strategy for secure schools which will consider the potential approaches to monitoring and evaluation. This will include a process evaluation of the implementation and delivery of the secure school, as well as determining options for assessing the impact of the school on key outcome measures such as reducing reoffending. This evaluation strategy will be in place at least six months before opening. Other outcomes assessed will include safety in custody and the indicators that contribute to reduced reoffending, for example, progress in education, intervention delivery and the quality of staff-student relationships. 6.4 The initial findings of these assessments will be used to inform delivery plans for the potential second secure school.