Jump to 35 Recommendations

Independent Investigation into Concerns about Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre

Immigration Detention
Published 11 Jan 2016
Commissioned By Serco
Subject Serco
Investigator Verita

Independent investigation commissioned by Serco into concerns about the treatment of detainees at Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre, conducted by Kate Lampard and Ed Marsden of Verita.

Report PDF Source
Acceptance Status
No Response Published 35
Total Recommendations 35
About this data

Acceptance Status tracks whether the responsible body accepted or responded to each recommendation.

These are independent investigations into detention conditions, including immigration removal centres and prisons.

Recommendations (35)

R1 Serco, Home Office
No Response Published
Recommendation
Serco should monitor the numbers of time-served foreign national offenders detained at Yarl’s Wood, and the impact their presence has on the good order of the centre and the safety and security of others. Serco should consult regularly with the … Read more
R10 Managers
No Response Published
Recommendation
Managers undertaking the current review of staffing should rectify the problems with management capacity.
R11 Managers
No Response Published
Recommendation
Managers should undertake an audit and assessment of the roles that only female staff should undertake and how many female staff are required at Yarl’s Wood to answer the needs of residents. Managers should develop a staffing plan, based on … Read more
R12 Managers
No Response Published
Recommendation
Managers undertaking the current staffing review should in particular consider and address weaknesses in the night staffing arrangements.
R13 Managers
No Response Published
Recommendation
Managers should review policy and procedure in relation to entering residents’ rooms and interviews with and checks on residents, particularly at night, to ensure that interviews and checks are as thorough as necessary and carried out in a consistently by … Read more
R14 Managers
No Response Published
Recommendation
Managers should review staff handover arrangements as a matter of urgency.
R15 Managers
No Response Published
Recommendation
Managers should closely monitor standards of cleaning throughout the centre.
R16 Managers, Home Office
No Response Published
Recommendation
Managers should continue to look for opportunities to improve the physical environment at Yarl’s Wood and make it less prison-like. In particular they should discuss with the Home office whether they can give residents access to more open space and … Read more
R17 Serco
No Response Published
Recommendation
Serco should routinely redecorate parts of the centre showing wear and tear.
R18 Managers
No Response Published
Recommendation
Managers should ensure that menus:  offer adequate appetising fresh fruit and vegetables and encourage the consumption of five portions of fruit and vegetables a day; and  offer a better-balanced choice of foods at lunchtimes.
R19 Serco
No Response Published
Recommendation
Leftovers that would otherwise go to waste should be offered to residents.
R2 Serco, Home Office
No Response Published
Recommendation
Serco should continue to press the Home Office to improve the quality and timeliness of information-sharing about time-served foreign national offenders transferred to Yarl’s Wood.
R20 Serco
No Response Published
Recommendation
Serco should consider how residents might be given greater opportunities to cater for themselves, including by expanding the cultural kitchen facilities, the choice of foods in the shop and providing facilities for residents to store and cook food and make … Read more
R21 Serco, Home Office
No Response Published
Recommendation
Serco should work with the Home Office to ensure that the current DSO on food and fluid refusal is appropriately amended to make it explicit that residents who prefer to cater for themselves can do so without automatically being subject to ACDT.
R22 Serco
No Response Published
Recommendation
Serco should review the activities, education and training programmes available to residents to ensure they allow them adequately to occupy their time and provide meaningful activity, education and training, even for the most able residents.
R23 Managers at Yarl’s Wood, local safeguarding adults board
No Response Published
Recommendation
Managers at Yarl’s Wood, in consultation with the local safeguarding adults board, should devise appropriate adult safeguarding policy and practice, including staff training.
R24 Managers at Yarl’s Wood, local authority safeguarding team, safeguarding adults board
No Response Published
Recommendation
Managers at Yarl’s Wood should actively engage with the local authority safeguarding team and the safeguarding adults board and ensure establish appropriate and ongoing information sharing to secure the safeguarding of residents.
R25 Managers, LSCB
No Response Published
Recommendation
In consultation with the LSCB, managers should review and redraft Yarl’s Wood’s child protection and safeguarding policies to ensure that they clearly and consistently identify the extent of staff responsibilities for safeguarding and promoting the wellbeing of children, including children … Read more
R26 Managers, LSCB
No Response Published
Recommendation
In consultation with the LSCB, managers should review the training of staff in relation to safeguarding and child protection to ensure that they are given regular training to help them understand and meet their responsibilities for safeguarding and promoting the … Read more
R27 Managers, LSCB
No Response Published
Recommendation
Managers should agree with the LSCB on arrangements for reporting concerns and on the pattern and frequency of future contact between the LSCB and Yarl’s Wood.
R28 The centre manager, senior Serco managers, NHS commissioners, G4S
No Response Published
Recommendation
The centre manager and senior Serco managers should continue to engage at all levels with NHS commissioners and G4S to ensure that concerns about the healthcare provision at Yarl’s Wood are addressed.
R29 Serco, G4S, NHS England, local mental health care providers
No Response Published
Recommendation
Serco should open discussions with G4S, NHS England and local mental health care providers to consider how best to meet the needs of detainees with severe mental health issues, and ensure that they are assessed and receive care and treatment … Read more
R3 Serco, Home Office
No Response Published
Recommendation
Serco should consider with the Home Office the development of suitability criteria for the detention of time-served foreign national offenders at Yarl’s Wood.
R30 Serco
No Response Published
Recommendation
Pregnant residents should be allowed to eat their meals away from the main dining rooms without having to obtain permission from healthcare staff.
R31 Serco managers
No Response Published
Recommendation
Serco managers should undertake a thorough review of the initial training course and the refresher training programme to ensure that they enable staff to fulfil their roles and responsibilities. The review and any consequent redesign of staff training should ensure … Read more
R32 Serco managers, Home Office
No Response Published
Recommendation
Serco managers should consider with the Home Office the possibility of providing training to give DCOs a better understanding of the rudiments of immigration processes.
R33 The Serco director of media relations
No Response Published
Recommendation
The Serco director of media relations should form and maintain a regular stakeholder group.
R34 Serco, Home Office
No Response Published
Recommendation
Serco should seek to agree with the Home Office a new strategic communications plan for Yarl’s Wood based on the principles of transparency and openness.
R35 Serco, Home Office
No Response Published
Recommendation
Serco should seek Home Office approval for a programme of visits to the centre. Visitors could include officers and politicians from the local council, interested MPs and groups providing services. The purpose of the programme would be to show them … Read more
R4 Serco, Home Office
No Response Published
Recommendation
Serco should consider with the Home Office whether the escort service can take responsibility for ensuring that residents are presented to HOIE for removal. This would include escorting residents from their room in Yarl’s Wood.
R5 Managers at Yarl’s Wood
No Response Published
Recommendation
Managers at Yarl’s Wood should put in place a programme of organisational development work involving all staff, to develop a clearer and better shared understanding of the centre’s mission, role and purpose, and the cultures and arrangements, including staffing arrangements, … Read more
R6 Managers
No Response Published
Recommendation
Managers should review the centre’s policies, its recruitment, training and appraisal arrangements and the regime at the centre to ensure they are consistent with its mission, role and purpose.
R7 Managers
No Response Published
Recommendation
Managers should review the appraisal process and ensure that those who undertake appraisals have the time, training and support they need to appraise staff in a robust and meaningful way.
R8 Managers
No Response Published
Recommendation
Managers should undertake a review of present local policies and arrangements for whistleblowing and reporting matters of concern. They should devise policies and arrangements that are easily understood by staff, command the confidence of staff and encourage and support them … Read more
R9 Managers
No Response Published
Recommendation
Managers undertaking the current staffing review should address the question of how staff can best be given time to engage with residents and meet their emotional as well as practical needs.