Recommendation 1
The PDA should be closed and not be used as part of the process for family removals.
Source · IMB Annual Report
Gatwick pre-departure accommodation
AI-generated report summary The IMB report for Gatwick Pre-Departure Accommodation for 2023 highlights concerns regarding the detention of four families, all of whose removal attempts failed. The Board questions the fairness and humanity of the process, particularly noting the trauma to children and callous treatment of a pregnant mother. Key recommendations include the closure of the PDA and prohibiting the detention of pregnant women.
Year: 2023
Published: 11 Oct 2024
Type: Prison · Cat IRC (Pre-Departure Accommodation)
Recommendations: 3
Key concerns
Positive findings
Safety statistics
| Indicator | This year | Previous |
|---|---|---|
| ACCT cases opened | 2 | — |
| Use of force | 0 | — |
Positive findings
AI-generated summaryThe physical conditions of the Pre-Departure Accommodation (PDA) are good, and families were treated with empathy and care by Serco and Practice Plus Group (PPG) staff. Staff efforts to soften the environment for children, including wearing casual attire, were noted positively. The PDA is spacious, child-friendly, and offers an outdoor space and kitchen facilities for families to prepare their own meals. The Board also commends the care shown in arranging accommodation and support for Family C's return home after their release.
Key concerns
The Board questions any perceived safeguarding or other value of using the PDA immediately before family removals and has concerns about the fairness and humanity of detaining families with children.
Use of the PDA in the removals process may actually prolong or add to trauma already experienced.
Despite efforts to use professional interpretation, children sometimes find themselves interpreting for their parents with staff, and thereby taking on responsibilities beyond their years, resulting in unfair and unequal treatment for children.
The protracted and iterative nature of the Home Office decision-making process resulted in callous treatment and unnecessary suffering for a pregnant mother and unknown impact on her three young children.
Concerns about the impact of detention on the mental and emotional well-being of all members of the families held in the PDA as part of the family returns process, with particular concerns for the impact on the detained children.
In the Board’s view, the stress and anxiety caused to Family B by their detention seemed without purpose.
The very high proportion of failed removals of families using the PDA does not suggest there are benefits which would outweigh the distress caused by its use.
The Board is usually invited to lessons learned exercises from serious incidents and other significant events at Gatwick IRC, and asked to be included in the review after the failed removal of Family A, but were told by the Home Office that it was to be kept to a small group. It is the Board’s view that if the aim is learning lessons, then all those involved should be included. Particularly those such as the IMB who bring an independent perspective.
Recommendations
Recommendation 2
Pregnant women should not be detained in the PDA or any similar pre-departure accommodation.
Recommendation 3
The Board repeats the recommendation since 2017 for the minister to consider the establishment of an independent system for monitoring the arrest and transfer of families.
Response
This recommendation was not accepted by the minister, on the ground that there is a sufficient amount of ‘independent monitoring already available’.
Other reports for Gatwick pre-departure accommodation
· Self-harm 0
· Concerns