Feltham

Dedicated national campaign to recruit youth justice workers. Additional funding; staffing levels in London increased 13% in the year ending December 2023; additional support in London through Civil Service detached duty scheme; alumni scheme to recruit returners to the Probation Service.

A Side: the YCS ‘Road Map to Effective Practice’ with integrated care model introduced. Small improvements seen by August 2025 but lost by October 2025.

The YCS does not qualify for additional LA funding to support SEN/EHCP children: ‘We are working with the Department for Education to see how we can support learners with SEN.’ There was an acknowledgement that Feltham A education provision requires improvement. The YCS has developed a new contractual assurance cycle. In October 2023, this recorded shortcomings in outreach. Action to improve outreach forms part of the school development plan and is monitored monthly. The YCS education leads monitored this in January 2024 and confirmed some improvement but that more is required.

A Side: the YCS ‘Road Map to Effective Practice’ with integrated care model introduced. Small improvements seen by August 2025 but lost by October 2025.

A review of current workshop spaces is underway; a new carpentry workshop is being introduced. The recycling workshop moving to a new compound. There is a new initiative for servicing and repairing garden machinery from other prisons. ‘Additional vocational training programmes are being introduced in high demand industries.’ Higher level qualifications are being introduced. All staff are attending regular training to upskill to deliver high quality instruction. ‘A structured process in place to gather information about each learner early in their custody, allowing for a personalised learning plan’. Partnerships with external employers and apprenticeships. Partnerships with charities/not-for-profit organisations to ensure individuals have mentorship and support on release.

Dedicated national campaign to recruit youth justice workers.

Additional funding; staffing levels in London increased 13% in the year ending December 2023; additional support in London through Civil Service detached duty scheme; alumni scheme to recruit returners to the Probation Service.

The Prisoners’ Property Policy Framework was introduced in 2022. Onus is on Governors and Directors to ensure management checks are undertaken to have confidence that prisoners’ property is being handled correctly and with care. HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) to monitor framework and see if improvements can be made.

The Youth Custody Service (YCS) will build relationships with local authorities (LAs) and site safeguarding teams. Working-together guidance being prepared by the YCS and the youth justice board (YJB).

Answer, as above, given by the Minister.

The YCS does not qualify for additional LA funding to support SEN/EHCP children: ‘We are working with the Department for Education to see how we can support learners with SEN.’ There was an acknowledgement that Feltham A education provision requires improvement. The YCS has developed a new contractual assurance cycle. In October 2023, this recorded shortcomings in outreach. Action to improve outreach forms part of the school development plan and is monitored monthly. The YCS education leads monitored this in January 2024 and confirmed some improvement but that more is required.

This lies with the Governor, who commissions courses, informed by a need-analysis in consultation with employers and HMPPS New Futures Network. Review of activities is underway. Additional resource is targeted to cater for the older cohort. ‘The quality and type of workshop provision will be addressed to mitigate the current poor levels of engagement and attendance.’

In the past year, over £100,000 has been spent on short-term roofing repairs. There is a £20 million MoJ capital project for roof replacements on five-and-a-half units on B side (Ibis, Lapwing, Nightingale, Osprey, Raven and Swallow), as well as the legal and social visits areas. Project in design phase; works expected 2024-2025.

Update given verbally to IMB at Board meetings on a continual basis. In cases of unauthorised absence, action has been taken, post-absence, to reduce further occurrences and to tighten up on TOIL (time off in lieu of overtime pay). The increase in violence adds to staff absence.

September 2025: there is a B side new key worker strategy, with an increase in quality and quantity. Changes to A side mean more CUSP sessions are delivered now.

August 2025: 80% of outreach interventions take place, more rooms are available and some are being refurbished.

2025: Wren now open as a substance free living unit and reflects the population of the prison in terms of diversity.

August 2025: This information is now in every daily briefing notice.

The government manifesto committed to halving knife crime over 10 years’ and every person caught possessing a knife referred to YOT to draw up plan to prevent reoffending… We are working up proposals though stakeholder engagement.’ A new offence in the Crime and Policing Bill to increase convictions against exploiters and gangs who use children to commit crimes. MoJ’s programme Turnaround providing funding to YOTs running to March 26 Young Futures Programme to identify young people who could be drawn into crime.

The Mayor has committed £15.6m for London Children and YP Violence and Exploitation Support Service. MOPAC worked with London Prisons Group formulate a violence reduction strategy. At Feltham, this includes peer mentoring, enhanced purposeful activity, specialist support for prisoners, phase 2 now a specialist therapeutic group work programme.

HMP/YOI Feltham implementing EGS-working towards building a new area for staff searches. Local-led project re-allocating local existing resources due for completion July 2025.

YCS has ‘prioritised research to better understand why children create, carry and use weapons’ and if neurodiversity is a factor. Feltham A is being offered support through group safety leads, and the site is developing a ‘weapons strategy’. This will include a consistent response to those young people making, holding and using weapons.

YCS policy is quoted in the response: a proven adjudication on proof of tampering with a laptop leads to 28-day ban on laptop use. A suitability review is conducted before a replacement is given and, if not suitable on review, the person is reassessed but at no longer than 35 days. There are seals on laptops.

This now operational. It was opened in October 2024. It has six beds but has had never more than three or four occupants.

A review of current workshop spaces is underway; a new carpentry workshop is being introduced. The recycling workshop moving to a new compound. There is a new initiative for servicing and repairing garden machinery from other prisons. ‘Additional vocational training programmes are being introduced in high demand industries.’ Higher level qualifications are are being introduced. All staff are attending regular training to upskill to deliver high quality instruction. ‘A structured process in place to gather information about each learner early in their custody, allowing for a personalised learning plan’. Partnerships with external employers and apprenticeships. Partnerships with charities/not-for-profit organisations to ensure individuals have mentorship and support on release.

Emergency lighting changed; dental suites A and B upgraded; knotweed removed; landscaping and pond renewed; control room and gate house refurbished; IBIS and Wren and visitors’ centre have a new roof; Nightingale refurbishment. Future projects: multi-sport court; fire safety; study into upgrading or replacing boilers and roofs; explore feasibility of improving lighting; consider relocating radiators; consider installing anti barricade doors in education.

YCS will be purchasing a new cloud-based system designed for schools.

Currently there is a suite of educational videos available on Feltham’s Launchpad hub and three guidance docs for Open University’. Recognised that Launchpad has limited functionality and is not interactive, nor can it do word processing.

Insufficient progress seen here.

Insufficient progress seen here, although attendance numbers have improved. Increase in red bands. Red bands now deployed on A side to clean.

New standards role created on SLT with senior and very experienced leader.

Servery cleanliness improved but remains variable, with vermin issues in the summer of 2025. Appropriate clothing rarely worn by servery workers.

Measures have been introduced with some success. Officers pick up the food trollies from the kitchen and an audit trail shows amounts of food allocated to wings.

Traka units not commissioned in the 2024-2025 reporting year. There was a soft launch in October 2025 and this is now live, so B side prisoners are collecting their in-possession medication independently.

No protocol but recently staff seem better able to track down property (as above).