Prison
Cat YOI
Key Concerns Identified
Positive Findings
Cookham Wood
IMB Annual Report 2022 · Published 1 February 2023
This report highlights a period of significant challenges and some positive developments at HMYOI Cookham Wood. While improvements were noted in aspects of healthcare and staff dedication, major concerns persist regarding the inhumane regime, severe staffing shortages, and prolonged periods of isolation for boys. The IMB raises critical questions to the Minister, Youth Custody Service, and Governor regarding these systemic issues, emphasizing the impact on the safety, welfare, and progression of young people in custody.
Positive Findings
The Board commends the reduction in operational capacity, which led to a better staff-to-boy ratio. Staff on Cedar block were praised for creating a safe environment and their innovative regime. The resettlement team was commended for their work in preparing 18+ boys for transfer. The temporary Governor and his management team received applause for their efforts to improve standards and working conditions. Kitchen staff demonstrated exceptional performance despite equipment challenges. Healthcare services were found to be well-led, well-resourced, and the new integrated healthcare service shows promising initiatives and enthusiasm. Primary care nurses provide highly professional and accessible services, and the substance misuse team's preventative work is exemplary. The quality of teaching is generally good, and boys enjoy vocational training with opportunities for employment on release.
Key Concerns
Overcrowding
Repeated
The unacceptably high percentage of the population who are on remand will continue to be a problem until Crown Courts are able to reduce the backlog caused by the pandemic. When will the government tackle the inhumanely long periods that boys are currently being held in prison on remand?
Staffing
Leadership churn with a risk to leadership continuity, with both the Governor and Deputy Governor positions being covered by internal temporary promotions to Governor and deputy governor after the Governor transferred in July 2022.
Resettlement/Release
Repeated
Delay in the transfer of 18+ boys with long sentences to adult establishments, causing frustration and posing a risk to Cookham Wood by holding adults alongside vulnerable children.
Estate/Conditions
The delays in the timely delivery of capital projects and poor state of general repairs and maintenance by Gov Facility Services Limited (GFSL) are a disgrace, with projects regularly over-running, being poorly monitored, shoddily delivered, and some running unfinished for well over a year.
Staffing
Inadequate staffing levels mean that boys in Cookham Wood experienced nothing close to full-time provision, with the daily regime regularly suspended due to staff shortages.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Repeated
The limited out of cell hours (particularly at weekends) that boys have been allowed throughout the 12-month reporting period is considered by the IMB to be inhumane, especially for those held separated for up to 23 hours per day.
Equality/Diversity
Over the past year, Cookham Wood has failed to provide boys of faith with access to regular weekly corporate worship due to officer shortages and difficulties with movements.
Safety
Some boys in Cookham Wood have stated that they carry improvised weapons because they do not feel safe, a concern also highlighted by HMIP inspections on high levels of violence.
Safety
Repeated
Cell occupation ID labels are commonly tampered with, a concern previously raised by the coroner following a death in custody, and a programme of replacement tamper-proof labels is yet to be completed.
Estate/Conditions
Repeated
HM Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) found the worst living conditions at Cookham Wood, with communal areas and cells being grubby, and extensive and offensive graffiti in cells, communal areas and exercise yards.
Mental Health
Repeated
The refurbished Phoenix unit, designed to provide enhanced support to vulnerable boys, has been significantly under-used due to limited staff, denying accessibility for boys in desperate need of additional support despite long delays and significant expenditure on its completion.
Mental Health
It has been challenging to arrange for boys needing in-patient mental health care to be moved to an appropriate setting, with officers and medical practitioners expressing major concern for their welfare.
Education/Purposeful Activity
Repeated
Boys in Cookham Wood have been denied their right to full-time education, with staffing issues preventing the provision from matching that available out in the community, and significantly fewer hours for separated learners.
Board Commentary
Staffing
Staffing levels have been a persistent challenge, leading to the regular suspension of the daily regime and limited provision of full-time education. A serious incident in April contributed to low staff numbers and impacted morale. The Phoenix unit, designed for vulnerable boys, remains significantly under-used due to staff shortages. Many officers are restricted to basic tasks like unlocking and locking, with little time for purposeful activity or building strong relationships. Insufficient staff also hinders movements for religious services and limits access to mental health appointments due to escort delays. There is a long-standing shortage of physical education instructors, and the resettlement team is also understaffed due to vacancies and leave.
Healthcare
Cookham Wood's healthcare services are well-led and resourced, with no regulatory breaches. A new integrated healthcare contract with Central and North West London Foundation Trust began seamlessly, providing primary care, mental health, and substance misuse services. Each landing now has a core support team of healthcare professionals, fostering 'team around the child' support. While there are ambitious plans for transition support and information sharing, their implementation is hindered by a shortage of officers for escorts and day care activities. Mental health staff are well-resourced but face challenges accessing boys due to a lack of private spaces for appointments. Despite progress in enhanced support planning, the Phoenix unit's underuse due to staff shortages means vulnerable boys are missing crucial support. Difficulties arranging transfers for boys needing inpatient mental health care remain a concern.
Regime & Daily Life
Time out of cell has been extremely poor for most boys, especially on weekends, and for separated boys, it has been inhumane, with some confined for up to 23 hours a day. The daily regime has frequently been suspended due to staff shortages, impacting purposeful activity and education. While an overall average of five hours out of cell per day was a struggle for much of the year, there were wide disparities between wings, with some boys receiving less than two hours on many days. By the end of the reporting year, time out of cell was nudging six hours on weekdays and four hours at weekends, which is an improvement but still insufficient. Gym sessions and recreational PE are restricted by a shortage of Physical Education Instructors.
Recommendations (7)
Ministry of Justice: 1
HMPPS: 4
Governor / Director: 2
2 repeated
Recommendation 1
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
The unacceptably high percentage of the population who are on remand will continue to be a problem until Crown Courts are able to reduce the backlog caused by the pandemic. When will the government tackle the inhumanely long periods that boys are currently being held in prison on remand?
Ministry of Justice
Overcrowding
Response
In the Minister’s response to the previous IMB annual report, it was stated NHS England and NHS Improvement had commissioned a clinical review of those children identified as extremely ‘high harm, high risk, high vulnerability’ who often create or contribute to systems failures. The IMB is yet to see any impact of this work. Have any recommendations of this report been actioned? The Minister’s response also referenced a review of custodial remand for children which was published in January 2022. Have any of the issues and steps identified to improve and enhance scrutiny and oversight of the remand process been implemented?
Recommendation 2
Transition of 18+ boys: Is there end-to-end sentence planning and support for these boys? Do they carry their sentence plan with them when they transition to a young adult institution? Or do they have to start afresh? What steps will be taken to arrange transfers to the adult estate for young adults who are aged 18+ and have long sentences and/or complex needs? Is the YCS going to ensure a smooth transition for all boys going into the adult estate?
HMPPS
Resettlement
Recommendation 3
Appointment of a permanent Governor: Is the YCS confident that appointment of a substantive postholder to the role of Governor at Cookham Wood can be made? Will there be adequate plans in place to support a smooth leadership transition when this eventually takes place?
HMPPS
Staffing
Recommendation 4
Performance of Gov Facility Services Limited (GFSL): The delays in the timely delivery of capital projects and poor state of general repairs and maintenance are a disgrace. Projects have regularly over-run, been poorly monitored, and shoddily delivered. The service is effectively inefficient and costly. Boys in Cookham Wood are missing out on the facilities they deserve, and staff are having to accommodate and work around unfinished facilities (see case study 4, page 15). The IMB judges that the YCS is getting very poor value for money from its capital projects in Cookham Wood, some of which have run on unfinished for well over a year. When will this situation be improved? When will project management be implemented that is both fit-for-purpose and impactful?
HMPPS
Estate
Recommendation 5
Appropriate staffing levels: If the boys in Cookham Wood were out in the community, they would be expected to be in full-time education, training or employment. Throughout the whole of the last year, the boys in Cookham Wood experienced nothing close to full-time provision. This has been largely due to poor staffing. When will the service provide adequate staffing levels (even providing detached duty staff) to enable the Governor to deliver the regime that is required?
HMPPS
Staffing
Recommendation 6
Repeated
Prev. unaddressed
Time out of cells: The limited out of cell hours (particularly at weekends) that boys have been allowed throughout the 12-month reporting period is considered by the IMB to be inhumane (see section 6 for statistical analysis). The true picture for most boys (housed in the main residential block) is masked by averages which are calculated across the whole establishment, as the hours out of cell on the Cedar block (which houses 10% or fewer of the total population), are much higher.
Governor / Director
Regime
Recommendation 7
Faith: Over the past year, Cookham Wood has failed to provide boys of faith with access to regular weekly corporate worship. What steps will be taken to ensure an appropriate regime for all boys at Cookham Wood?
Governor / Director
Equality
Other IMB Reports for Cookham Wood
PPO Fatal Incidents
Prisons and Probation Ombudsman fatal incident investigations for this establishment.
Prevention of Future Deaths Reports
Coroner PFD reports issued to this establishment.