Recommendation 28: Revise Prison Service safeguarding guidance
From Sexual Abuse of Children in Custodial Institutions: 2009-2017 Investigation Report, published 28 February 2019.
Recommendation
The Chair and Panel note that Prison Service Instruction (PSI) 08/2012, which sets out the mandatory actions for YOIs and STCs for 'maintaining a safe and secure environment', has expired. The Chair and Panel recommend that the Ministry of Justice revises and publishes this PSI to provide clear guidance on how custodial institutions must respond to allegations of child sexual abuse. This should include a requirement for all allegations to be referred to a child protection professional who is independent of the institution. The Chair and Panel also recommend that all institutions, including those which are privately run, publish their safeguarding local procedures in full as well as regular reports about their use, to aid scrutiny and increase transparency.
In brief (written by this site)
The recommendation asks for expired Prison Service safeguarding guidance to be revised and published. In an account archived in October 2022, the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse recorded that the Ministry of Justice stated in May 2022 that early work had started on producing the Care and Management of Young People framework to replace Prison Service Instruction (PSI) 08/2012 (The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, Oct 2022). The department also confirmed that the Youth Custody Service was drafting "Keeping Children Safe in Secure Settings" guidance (The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, Oct 2022). The account did not mention independent referrals of abuse allegations or requirements for institutions to publish safeguarding procedures and regular reports (The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, Oct 2022).
Sources
AI-generated summary of the record on this page, checked by a second model and automatic checks, 19 Oct 2026. The record below is the sources' own words.
Government response
No government response to this recommendation is on the record yet.
Delivery
No statement on delivery from Ministry of Justice has been found in the sources searched (last checked 2 October 2026). This is separate from the response above.
What other bodies have found
In their own words. These do not change the delivery statement above.
Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (20 October 2022)
On 23 July 2019, the Ministry of Justice stated that work to update PSI 08/2012 would commence in 2019. In advance of this, the Youth Custody Service published a policy framework that replaces some aspects of PSI 08/2012 relating to behaviour management of children. On 4 May 2022, the Ministry of Justice stated that early work had started on producing the Care and Management of Young People framework that will replace PSI 08/2012. On 23 July 2019, the Ministry of Justice also stated that the Youth Custody Service would work with the Department for Education to produce ‘Keeping Children Safe in Custody’, which would thereafter be updated annually. On 4 May 2022, the Ministry of Justice confirmed that the Youth Custody Service was drafting ‘Keeping Children Safe in Secure Settings’ guidance.
From: Recommendations - Children in Custodial Institutions: 2009-2017 investigation report
Site note: These are the Inquiry's own words, from its recommendations page for the Sexual Abuse of Children in Custodial Institutions investigation report, captured by the Internet Archive on 20 October 2022. They are the Inquiry's account of what the body told it, not the body's own words.
Source
Responsible bodies
Themes and tags
Who has spoken
- Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse
Finding