Section two Focus on detention issues however, children isolated in their normal rooms in SCHs had their property removed and bathroom facilities locked off. In some instances, isolated children were required to wear non-rip clothes. There was variation in the extent to which isolation in STCs and SCHs affected children’s access to education. In some instances, children were unable to access education for short periods, but in others there were arrangements to ensure as much education as possible within the constraints of the isolation. In one instance, normal education was replaced by poor quality worksheets, which did not provide any meaningful educational input, and in others, children had no face-to-face contact with education staff during periods of isolation. One STC that used a specific room for isolation ensured it was comfortable and well equipped. Interaction with staff was considerable and contact with other children promoted, as far as safety and other concerns would permit. Efforts were made to ensure as much access to education as possible, and children were allowed to return to their usual rooms to sleep at night. Good practice in one YOI A specialist unit in one YOI had taken steps to ensure all children were well integrated and kept occupied during the core day. Excellent case conferencing ensured that even the most withdrawn of boys were encouraged (and expected) to socialise and take part in the busy regime. These efforts were instrumental in the fact that no one had been put in the segregation unit for some months. A very small number of boys had been put in segregation on the main YOI site. Procedures and governance Procedures established under PSO 1700 apply to children in YOIs as they do to adults. These include the requirement for regular visits and assessments by the doctor and health care staff to ensure there is no reason why prisoners should be removed from segregation on physical or mental health grounds. An initial segregation safety screen must be completed within two hours of a child being segregated. The role of the IMB, which should be informed of decisions to segregate and be able to attend case conferences and reviews to make their views known, also applies equally. Although one NPM member noted a general improvement in consistency of decisionmaking, recording and monitoring of the use of separation in STCs and SCHs over the last three years, several concerns still exist. Improvements in the recording of single separation was needed in two out of 10 SCHs, and improvement in monitoring and recording of single separation in three out of four STCs. In one STC, inspectors were not assured that all instances of single separation were recorded, but management oversight of recorded instances was considered adequate. In the YOI in this review, the NPM member considered that segregation was being used as a last resort and all instances reviewed had been appropriately authorised. It was also noted that the YOI had ceased to remove boys from their residential units as a punishment. Whether directed, elected or enforced, all isolation practices need to be subject to governance procedures, oversight and monitoring. In practice, however, incidents of elected separation are less likely to be reported. Where isolation and solitary confinement occurred outside specific 33