Campaigners question suitability of firm in charge of youth custody unit
Joe Lepper
Wednesday, October 28, 2015
Concerns have been raised over the suitability of a company that runs US jails to manage a controversial youth custody unit in England.
MTCnovo, a partnership between US correctional facility provider MTC, criminal justice charities and UK-based firm Amey, was awarded a five-year contract to take over the running of Rainsbrook Secure Training Centre (STC) in September.
But children’s rights campaign group Article 39 is concerned that MTCnovo has no experience in running a STC.
Carolyne Willow, director of Article 39, said the group is particularly concerned by an “opaque” response from government justice minister Lord Faulks to a parliamentary question on the firm’s suitability.
Labour peer Lord Beecham asked what assessment the government had made of MTCnovo’s experience in running “residential establishments that care for vulnerable children” or whether the firm had breached any human rights or equality laws in the UK or abroad.
In response, Lord Faulks said MTC and their main partner Amey were subject to "robust and rigorous assessment at the pre-qualification stage of the competition".
"This included a thorough examination of health and safety, equalities, human rights and discrimination policies, and a requirement to demonstrate their experience of managing children and young people," he said.
"There were no findings of a breach in human rights or equality legislation."
Willow said: “With Rainsbrook STC having such a dreadful child protection record, it is imperative that ministers are transparent about whether MTCnovo has the expertise and ethos required to look after vulnerable children.
“Moving the contract from G4S to another provider should have been, first and foremost, about ensuring the protection and wellbeing of children, many of whom are held great distances from home.
“Lord Faulks's opaque statement is unacceptable given the background of widespread physical abuse in this institution."
The appointment of MTCnovo to run Rainsbrook followed a damning inspection report from Ofsted in May that found safeguarding at the Northamptonshire STC to be "inadequate". Provider G4S was subsequently unsuccessful in its bid to win a new contract to run the establishment.
May’s highly critical Ofsted report into G4S’s management of Rainsbrook found “serious incidents of gross misconduct by staff” including drug use and racist abuse of young people.
Other shareholders of MTCnovo include A Band of Brothers, a charity that works with 18- to 25-year-old male offenders, and restorative justice charity Thames Valley Partnership.
MTCnovo has been contacted for comment.
