Bid to repair reputation of STC where staff 'degraded' young people
Adam Offord
Friday, July 24, 2015
The private firm that runs a secure training centre where staff were found to have degraded and racially abused young people has called for a reinspection of the establishment in a bid to restore its reputation.
In May, an inspection of Rainsbrook Secure Training Centre in Rugby, which is run by G4S, found that there had been “serious incidents of gross misconduct by staff”, including some who were in positions of leadership.
The inspection report – compiled jointly by Ofsted, the Prisons Inspectorate and the Care Quality Commission in May – found evidence of drug use among prison staff and smuggling of contraband, as well as evidence of degrading treatment and the use of racist comments towards young people held there.
The following month, it emerged that some youth offending teams were refusing to place young people sentenced to custody in Rainsbrook because they were not confident it was safe.
In an attempt to restore Rainsbrook's reputation, G4S has now called for a reinspection of the establishment.
Paul Cook, managing director of children's services at G4S, said the critical report “devastated the confidence of everyone connected to the centre”.
He said that an action plan drawn up following the inspection has been largely implemented.
“We’re working hard to address the concerns of stakeholders, including social workers and youth offending teams across the country,” he said.
“We welcome external scrutiny and since the report was published, we have received many visitors including independent experts, government representatives, and health and social care agencies.
“Overwhelmingly, their response to the centre, the staff and most importantly the young people has been positive.
“I am firmly of the view that given the seriousness of the report, the centre should be reviewed as soon as possible in order to check on our progress.
“This will provide much needed certainty for young people, their parents and our staff.”
G4S has also released a YouTube video, in which staff talk about their work to educate, train and rehabilitate the young people in care.
Cook added: “We continue to work with stakeholders, including the Youth Justice Board and charities like Barnardo’s – who visit twice a week and are part of the centre’s admissions process – to provide young people at Rainsbrook the best rehabilitation, education and training possible.”
G4S said a full report into improvements made at the establishment would be published in the coming days.
