Cookham Wood

The Board recommends that there should be close scrutiny of the decisions taken in this restructure and re-roling of a YOI to determine lessons learned and how those lessons are being disseminated.

The YCS carried out an internal review following the closure of Cookham Wood as a youth establishment and its transition to an adult prison. Whilst the small sample of people interviewed to inform this was a key limitation of the review, it found that the movement of children was completed swiftly and with care, drawing on previous experiences, such as the closure of Rainsbrook Secure Training Centre and the Ashfield YOI judicial review. Positive practice included person-centred multi-disciplinary meetings to ensure that placement decisions were based on individual needs. It was also led by staff with extensive knowledge and prior experience of similar transitions. Some important lessons were learnt for the event of a similar exercise in the future, which resonate with some of your observations. They include keeping staff informed of progress throughout to make sure they feel valued and supported and the need for longer preparation time to work through the complexities of redeploying Youth Justice Worker Specialist qualified staff to the adult estate.

Will the Minister examine the costs incurred by the YCS and the wider HMPPS in this project (not least the penalties incurred in terminating contracts early, such as will have been the case with Novus, the education provider)?

In relation to the financial impact of the re-role, including the early termination of contracts, I want to assure you that these costs were carefully considered during both the planning and implementation stages. The education contract with Novus could no longer be delivered once the site’s population changed and a negotiated settlement was made that enabled us to meet our legal obligations appropriately.

Will the Minister evaluate the potential for a better way of working in the English YOI estate?

The YCS acknowledges that this experience has demonstrated the challenges as to how planning decisions are made for the Children and Young People’s Secure Estate. Youth custody facilities are by their nature bespoke and specialist environments, often existing in highly regulated sectors, and as such, take time to establish. This can often drive up costs in commissioning but consideration will be given going forward to procurement strategies for youth custodial services and how greater flexibility can be secured.
The re-role of Cookham Wood has given me cause to reflect on how we deliver custody for children in our care. I recognise that the redeployment of Youth Justice Worker Specialists brought particular challenges as there were no direct equivalents to their roles in the adult estate. This inevitably led to delays, but I am pleased to say that there is now a clear and agreed process in place for managing such redeployments, staying in line with policy frameworks and legal grounds. I will continue to work with the Youth Custody Service, NHS England and education providers to deliver on the national roadmap for effective practice, improving performance in public sector YOIs. Each site now operates under a local plan focused on achieving clear outcomes in areas such as safety, behaviour and education.

How has the closure of Cookham Wood improved the outcomes for those boys moved to other YOIs and, crucially, how has the decision to reduce the youth estate by one impacted the outcomes for all boys in the youth estate?

While we cannot say for certain that outcomes improved for every boy moved from HMYOI Cookham Wood, as outlined in the Ministerial response, each placement was made with careful consideration of the child’s best interests taking a person-centred approach in all cases. Each move was guided by a multi-disciplinary process and supported by highly qualified professionals who worked to preserve resettlement plans and maintain continuity of education. However, we recognise that there would have been some negative impacts of the moves with some boys being placed further from home and the need for some to adjust to different education provision or additional keep-apart restrictions depending on the new site. The decision to close Cookham Wood reduced capacity across the youth estate, particularly in the South East, which has evidently placed additional pressure on other sites. Please be assured that the YCS continues to monitor these impacts closely and is working to ensure that all children continue to receive safe and stable placements with meaningful access to education and regime.

Men now held in Cookham Wood should be offered an appropriate regime, supportive of their preparation for release.

Since Cookham Wood became an adult establishment, significant efforts have been made to provide a full and purposeful regime for the men now held there. The current provision includes a range of educational access such as English, Maths, Art, IT and Catering, a well-used library service and a range of work placements, including roles in the kitchens, cleaning, decorating and gardening. Gym sessions are regularly available, and proposals are in place to offer accredited fitness qualifications. The focus on resettlement support, including fortnightly keyworker sessions, access to Prison Offender Managers and practical assistance with identification and banking is also available. The continued support for family contact, facilitated by PACT with frequent visits and family days are particularly encouraging. In-cell telephony and Launchpad laptops are helping to maintain vital links and support learning and preparation for release.