Inspectors praise efforts to tackle violence at YOI

The Prisons Inspectorate said it was impressed by the progress at Cookham Wood YOI, which holds 15- to 18-year-old boys, since the establishment's last inspection in May 2015, but some safeguarding concerns remain.

Inspectors said safeguarding and child protection arrangements at the YOI were well developed and the care offered to boys at risk of self-harm was good.

Staff were also praised for being knowledgeable, caring and working patiently with some boys whose behaviour was very difficult.

Meanwhile, access to time out of cell was deemed to be better than at the last inspection, although more than a quarter of boys were found to be locked up during the working day.

There was also sufficient vocational training and education for all boys to have some access daily, and the quality of the teaching was good.

However, inspectors did highlight that levels of violence - some of it serious and including assaults on staff - is a serious concern.

"We recognised some significant and innovative work to try to improve matters," the report states.

"This included a new behaviour management strategy, some robust procedural security arrangements and the development of the new B1 unit, a facility intended to support progression amongst some hard-to-reach boys.

"Much of this work, however, was still to fully embed and prove its effectiveness.

Inspectors were also concerned that the "huge" catchment area for the YOI contributed to the often late arrival of boys on their initial transfer, undermining the early risk assessment and settling-in processes.

Meanwhile, work to promote family ties remained "weak", despite visits provision improving.

Peter Clarke, chief inspector of prisons described the report as "very positive" overall.

"Difficulties, risks and weaknesses were being attended to in effective and often creative and innovative ways right across the prison, and it was clear to us that even more improvement was very achievable quite quickly," he said.

"The prison was led with confidence; the management team seemed cohesive and attentive and an evident strength was the quite impressive culture that was developing among the staff as they grew in both experience and confidence."

Michael Spurr, chief executive of the National Offender Management Service, said: "I am pleased that the chief inspector has acknowledged that Cookham Wood continues to improve, which is to the credit of the governor and his team.

"There remains more to do, particularly on safety, but work is under way to address this, including the introduction of a new behaviour management strategy and a new unit dedicated to supporting the most challenging offenders.

"The professionalism and commitment of the staff is a real strength and the strong foundations that are now in place will allow the prison to address the recommendations in this report and drive further improvements over the coming months."