Analysis of government figures by the opposition suggests that in 2021, more than 48 per cent of beds in SCHs procured by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) were empty, costing around £14.1m.
Latest youth justice figures, published by the MoJ and the Youth Justice Board, reveal that the average monthly population of SCHs decreased by 65 per cent over the last 10 years.
In the year to March 2021, the use of such settings fell by 23 per cent compared with the previous year.
The government describes SCHs as a safe, locked environment for children who “could not be placed safely elsewhere”.
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