Foreword Foreword HM Inspectorate of Prisons, as part of our regular inspection process at secure training centres (STCs) and young offender institutions (YOIs) conducts surveys of the children who are detained in those establishments. These surveys contribute to the evidence upon which we judge the treatment and conditions experienced by those being held in custody. They are particularly valuable, not only in providing data about the perceptions at the time of the inspection, but also in giving indications of trends. This is why we consider it essential that we maintain the tempo of our inspection activity in STCs and YOIs. The alignment of questions asked in STCs and YOIs means that for the first time we are able to compare in detail the perceptions of children held in different sectors. The findings show children held in YOIs are more negative about their treatment across a wide range of indicators, including treatment by staff, time out of cell and access to everyday essentials. This unequivocally shows the need for sustained reform in this sector which holds more than three-quarters of all the children detained in England and Wales. The population held in children’s institutions has remained relatively stable over the year. This stability masks the continued, and in some cases, increasing overrepresentation of different groups in custody. More than half of children responding to our survey identified as being from a black and minority ethnic background and almost one in 10 said they were from a Gypsy, Romany or Traveller community. In addition, 52% told us that they had been in the care of a local authority at some point prior to entering custody. As in previous years the most pressing issues are the increasing levels of bullying and violence across all types of institution. Forty-eight per cent of children reported having experienced victimisation by other children in their current establishment. The rising levels of violence have led to increasing use of restraint and separation. Nearly two-thirds of children reported being subject to restraint and 59% reported having been kept locked up and stopped from mixing with other children as a punishment. Inspection findings throughout the year have consistently highlighted these issues. Inspectors continue to see too few incentives for children who behave well and chronic inconsistencies in the application of rewards and sanctions, particularly in STCs. Only 41% of children reported that someone was helping them to prepare for release. This supports the findings of our thematic inspection of resettlement provision in YOIs, completed this year. Inspectors tracked the cases of 50 children in detail and found accommodation was regularly arranged far too close to the point of release and only 11 had any sort of activity arranged on release. I do not underestimate the challenge facing those responsible for holding children in custody. However, there is a growing body of evidence that shows the pressing need for children’s custody to receive consistent, focused and indeed innovative attention from policy-makers and senior practitioners to ensure that all children are held in safe, decent conditions where their needs are properly recognised and met. Peter Clarke CVO OBE QPM HM Chief Inspector of Prisons Children in Custody 2018–19 February 2020 9