Prison
Cat YOI
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
Werrington
IMB Annual Report 2023 · Published 28 February 2024
HMYOI Werrington's report ending August 2023 highlights mixed progress. While self-harm and prisoner-on-prisoner assaults decreased, overall violence remained unstable, and serious incidents at height were a significant concern. The Board praised healthcare and resettlement efforts, but educational provision continued to be inadequate, exacerbated by a long-closed library and limited curriculum for higher qualifications. Inadequate time out of room, particularly at weekends, and staffing shortages in social care were also key issues, alongside concerns about the safe co-location of young adults and under-18s.
Positive Findings
The Board noted improvements in Conflict Resolution and Reducing Reoffending, and management demonstrated care for young people's wellbeing. Physical and mental health needs were met, and the resettlement process was impressive, with practitioners actively working towards positive discharges. There was a welcome reduction in self-harm incidents (to 36) and ACCT plans (to 58), alongside a significant drop in young person-on-young person assaults (to 121 from 158). The provision of in-room showers, telephones, furniture, and laptops enhanced humane treatment, and the chaplaincy department provided excellent pastoral care. The complaints process was well-utilised, indicating young people's confidence, and property distribution improved. Education saw a return to full-time provision, with 247 qualifications achieved, including a 92% pass rate in Functional English. The Board commended the prison's emphasis on maintaining family contact and the effective family-engagement manager.
Key Concerns
Safety
Due to the number of serious incidents at height (IAH), which include young people on the netting, climbing over bars or on the roof, concerns were escalated to the Youth Custody Service (YCS) Executive Director in June 2023.
Safety
There was a slight reduction in the total number of violent incidents, but it remains unstable.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Repeated
Time out of room has improved slightly but is still inadequate, especially at the weekends.
Healthcare
Confidential conversations are often impossible because young people cannot be unlocked and cannot be accommodated in a separate room where they can talk freely.
Education/Purposeful Activity
Educational provision is still inadequate due to curriculum and facilities’ limitations, restricted regime, violence and “keep aparts” (boys who are not allowed to mix in case they fight).
Education/Purposeful Activity
The main library was closed for more than the reporting year, with a very limited service provided on the wings.
Safety
Is it safe to keep together a third of the establishment’s population who are over 18 years old with two-thirds who are under 18?
Staffing
Why was there no adequate social work cover for the maternity leave of a social worker and the sick leave of the senior social worker?
Safety
What more can be done to enhance safety to ensure the reduction of young people making protective weapons?
Staffing
Repeated
How can young people develop more positive relationships with the staff they see most of?
Board Commentary
Staffing
The Board expressed concern over lack of continuity due to staffing issues in reception and induction. Social care suffered from poor staffing, impacting oversight of child-protection paperwork for vulnerable young people, and the number of trained negotiators reduced. Class cancellations were frequent due to unavailability of prison or education staff, and some teaching staff reported feeling insecure due to a lack of close support and insufficient body-worn cameras or radios.
Healthcare
Healthcare provision, encompassing physical, dental, and mental health, was generally good and commended. The physical healthcare department was proactive in preventative care. However, a significant concern was the frequent inability of mental healthcare staff to have confidential face-to-face interactions with young people, often due to security restrictions. The social care department experienced severe staffing shortages, impacting safeguarding oversight for vulnerable young people.
Regime & Daily Life
Time out of room, particularly at weekends and evenings, remained inadequate, despite slight improvements, raising concerns about fair and humane treatment. The regime changed multiple times during the year, with inconsistent communication to young people causing confusion and frustration. While in-room showers improved privacy, they inadvertently reduced overall time out of room. Educational provision was constrained by a restricted regime, 'keep aparts,' and route movements, significantly reducing learning time, especially for separated young people.
Applications to the IMB
Prisoners can apply to their IMB about any aspect of their treatment. This table shows application counts by category.
| Category | Current | Previous | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation, including laundry, clothing, ablutions | 9 | 0 | |
| Canteen, facility list, catalogues | 1 | 0 | |
| Discipline, including adjudications, incentives schemes, sanctions | 7 | 3 | |
| Equality | 0 | 5 | |
| Finance, including pay, private monies, spends | 1 | 0 | |
| Food and kitchens | 0 | 0 | |
| Health, including physical, mental, social care | 1 | 0 | |
| Letters, visits, telephones, public protection restrictions | 2 | 2 | — |
| Miscellaneous | 15 | 3 | |
| Property during transfer or in another facility | 0 | 1 | |
| Property within this establishment | 2 | 3 | |
| Purposeful activity, including education, work, training, library, regime, time out of cell | 8 | 4 | |
| Sentence management, including HDC, ROTL, parole, release dates, re-categorisation | 0 | 0 | |
| Staff-prisoner concerns, including bullying | 12 | 9 | |
| Total number of applications | 58 | 30 | |
| Transfers | 0 | 0 |
Recommendations (11)
Other: 4
HMPPS: 2
Governor / Director: 5
2 repeated
Recommendation 1
Is it safe to keep together a third of the establishment’s population who are over 18 years old with two-thirds who are under 18?
Other
(minister)
Safety
Recommendation 2
Why was there no adequate social work cover for the maternity leave of a social worker and the sick leave of the senior social worker?
Other
(local_authority)
Staffing
Recommendation 3
With the increase in the cost of living, why hasn’t the “Looked After Children” (a young person who was in the care of their local authority before custody) allowance been increased?
Other
(local_authority)
Resettlement
Recommendation 4
Why has it taken so long to find a librarian to manage the long-closed library?
Other
(local_authority)
Education
Recommendation 5
Why is there no nationally agreed, simple, annual data set available to assist in monitoring educational provision?
HMPPS
Education
Recommendation 6
Why is there such limited provision for supporting young people working towards GCSEs and other, higher qualifications within the education contract?
HMPPS
Education
Recommendation 7
Is there confidence that People Plus can meet the learning and curriculum needs of young people, including those who are above 18 years old?
Governor / Director
Education
Recommendation 8
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
How can young people’s hours out of room be returned to the previous healthy pre-pandemic levels so there is an increase in purposeful activity?
Governor / Director
Regime
Response
It would improve.
Recommendation 9
What more can be done to enhance safety to ensure the reduction of young people making protective weapons?
Governor / Director
Safety
Recommendation 10
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
How can young people develop more positive relationships with the staff they see most of?
Governor / Director
Staffing
Response
It would improve.
Recommendation 11
How can the progress of a placement on the WADE unit of a young person who is not on Rule 49 be evaluated when no data can be found?
Governor / Director
Regime