Recommendation FR-8: Registration in Young Offender Institutions
From The Report of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, published 20 October 2022.
Recommendation
The Inquiry recommends (as originally stated in its Sexual Abuse of Children in Custodial Institutions: 2009-2017 Investigation Report, dated February 2019) that the UK government introduces arrangements for the professional registration of staff in roles responsible for the care of children in young offender institutions and secure training centres.
In brief (written by this site)
In January 2026, Jake Richards, Minister answering for the Ministry of Justice, stated that a planned decision on a youth custody registration framework had been deferred to allow a wider safeguarding review panel to report, with an official response to this recommendation now expected in autumn 2026 (Jake Richards, Jan 2026). HM Government had previously committed in April 2025 to assess framework options and announce a decision by March 2026, having accepted the recommendation in principle in May 2023 (Home Office response, May 2023; Home Office, Apr 2025).
AI-generated summary of the record on this page, checked by a second model and automatic checks, 26 Sep 2026. The record below is the sources' own words.
Government response
We accept the need for registration, noting that internal registration is most appropriate for the young offender institution and secure training centre workforce. We are exploring proposals for how it could operate.
Delivery
Ministry of Justice says in progress (21 January 2026)
The Government has been undertaking work to determine the most suitable registration framework for the youth custody estate. A final decision on this had been planned, as set out in the Tackling Child Abuse Progress Update, for March 2026. Since the Progress Update was published in April 2025, I commissioned a wider review of safeguarding in youth custody to be undertaken by a panel, led by the Chief Social Worker for Children and Families. Ensuring the correct safeguards are in place and that staff are properly equipped to be working with children, is all within remit of the panel and it is right we let this conclude. The panel will finalise its recommendations by June 2026. We will respond to its recommendations and this IICSA recommendation in autumn 2026.
Site note: Ministry of Justice written answer of 21 January 2026. Its first paragraph reports on professional registration for staff in youth custody (recommendation 8 of the final report), and its second on recommendation 5; each is recorded on its own recommendation.
UK Government says in progress (9 April 2025)
We also commit to an ongoing programme of work to determine the most suitable registration framework for the youth custody estate. This will involve consulting with key stakeholders and assessing current and future options and costs for implementing a registration framework. As part of this work we will explore the merits of external registration, and announce our decision by March 2026.
From: Tackling child sexual abuse: progress update (accessible version)
The tracker describes this as a long-term recommendation: systemic or cultural, with no single completion point.
Source
Responsible bodies
Themes and tags
Who has spoken
- UK Government
Response, delivery statement - Ministry of Justice
Delivery statement