National Preventive Mechanism Second Annual Report 2010–11 Children in secure accommodation Generally in the UK, children and young people are placed in secure accommodation because they are on remand or serving a sentence, or because their behaviour poses a serious risk to themselves or others. The law varies between jurisdictions in the UK, as does practice, but all secure settings for young people are monitored by members of the NPM. England and Wales In England and Wales, young people under the age of 18 may be placed in secure training centres (STCs) or secure children’s homes. STCs are only used for young people who are on remand or are sentenced, whereas secure children’s homes also accommodate young people whose behaviour poses a serious risk to themselves or others. There are currently four STCs, all of which are located in England, although young people from Wales may be placed in them. There are 16 secure children’s homes in England and one in Wales. Run by the private sector, STCs hold between 50 and 80 young people aged between 12 and 17. Generally, secure children’s homes hold those aged between 10 and 14 and are smaller than STCs, holding between eight and 40 young people. STCs and the secure children’s homes in England are monitored by Ofsted, while health care provided to children in these settings is monitored by CQC. The secure children’s home in Wales is monitored by Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales (CSSIW). 32 In 2010–11, Ofsted inspected the care and educational provision for young people in each of the four STCs. It found that the STCs were performing well: three STCs were judged to be outstanding and the fourth was satisfactory, an improvement on the previous year. Following the tragic deaths of two young people following the use of restraint in STCs, the use of restraint has been the subject of much discussion and criticism. Several restraint holds have been withdrawn from use, and centres have sought to minimise the use of restraint through the development of positive relationships between staff and young people, an increased use of mediation and individual work with young people to resolve issues. Ofsted reported that these approaches have enabled staff to manage challenging behaviour successfully. There has been a downward trend in the use of restraint over the past two years and one centre has recorded large reductions in the use of sanctions and separation. Ofsted reported that three of the centres had outstanding arrangements to protect and safely manage young people. Each centre had close professional relationships with the local authority, including child protection services. Any use of restraint that resulted in an injury to a young person, and all allegations or complaints that might suggest abusive treatment of young people, were routinely discussed with the local authority. Ofsted found that children were positive about their relationships with individual staff members and felt able to complain without fear of repercussion if they had any concerns. Children were well supported in centres through regular access to independent advocates and external child care agencies.