CYP Now - Unlocking the Facts: Young People Referred to Secure Children’s Homes

There are 22 secure children’s homes across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Young people can be placed in a secure children’s home via the criminal justice system. They may also be placed in a secure home due to concerns they pose a serious risk to others or cannot be kept safe in the community. If a place is not found, young people are placed in alternative accommodation sourced and provided by their local authority, which can include less-secure residential children’s homes, foster care and unregulated placements.

Overall, 15.7 per cent of the sample were referred for a secure children’s home placement because they were seen as a danger to others. Picture: Phil Adams

Report PDF: Unlocking the Facts: Young People Referred to Secure Children’s Homes
Authors: Annie Williams, Sophie Wood, Nell Warner, Aimee Cummings, Helen Hodges, Asmaa El-Banna, Shahd Daher
Published by: What Works for Children’s Social Care, December 2020

SUMMARY

Researchers from Cardiff University’s Cascade School of Social Sciences and the What Works Centre for Children’s Social Care analysed Department for Education data on all 527 young people from England referred to secure accommodation for welfare reasons between 1 October 2016 and 31 March 2018. About half – 49.7 per cent – were young women while 50.3 per cent were young men. Ages ranged from 10 to 17 with most aged between 14 and 16.

On receiving a secure order, 319 young people were placed in a secure children’s home and 208 in alternative accommodation. Nearly half – 48 per cent – of the young people who were not found a place in a secure home were placed in a children’s residential home while nine per cent went to a young offender institution.

Overall, 15.7 per cent of the sample were referred for a secure children’s home placement because they were seen as a danger to others. A larger proportion – 39.8 per cent – were referred as they were perceived to be a danger to themselves while 44.4 per cent were referred due to a risk of going missing.

A greater proportion of young people placed in alternative accommodation were seen as a danger to others compared with those placed in secure children’s homes – 23.1 per cent compared with 11 per cent. Those placed in alternative accommodation were more likely to display challenging behaviours, offending behaviours, and sexually harmful behaviours. In contrast, two thirds – 62.7 per cent – of young people placed in secure children’s homes were victims of sexual exploitation compared with less than half – 44.7 per cent – of those placed in alternative accommodation.

An analysis of 33 random case files indicated finding a placement tended to involve three applications on average for those placed in a secure home and six unsuccessful attempts for those subsequently placed in alternative accommodation. The odds of being refused increased with age. Having a history of challenging behaviour reduced the odds of being placed in a secure children’s home by two thirds. Young women were more than twice as likely to be placed in a secure home.

The most common placement immediately after time in a secure children’s home or alternative accommodation was a children’s home. This was more likely for those leaving a secure children’s home at 41.2 per cent compared with those leaving alternative accommodation at 14.8 per cent. Children moving from alternative accommodation were more likely to go on to be placed in a young offender institution or prison at 22.2 per cent compared with 6.3 per cent moving on from secure children’s homes. Some 36.5 per cent of those placed in alternative accommodation were re-referred to secure accommodation in the following year compared with 30.1 per cent of those in secure children’s homes.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

The fact two out of every five young people who receive a secure order for welfare reasons cannot be found a place in a secure children’s home is deeply concerning, say the researchers. The number of applications required before a secure children’s home place is provided, and the fact many children initially rejected and placed in alternative accommodation are later given a secure children’s home place, indicates the current placement process and supply of placements is inadequate and should be reviewed, they conclude.

FURTHER READING