CYP Now - Government ‘has no plan or ambition’ for children’s secure estate

Youth justice campaigners have accused ministers of having “no clear central plan or ambition for the children’s secure estate”.

Children in the youth secure estate are being 'let down' by government, campaigners say. Picture: Adobe Stock

This lack of focus of policy around the estate, combined with a predicted rise in the number of children in custody, has raised fears among campaigners that “conditions and outcomes” for young people in secure settings “will go from bad to worse”.

The criticism has emerged in a policy briefing from the Alliance for Youth Justice (AYJ), a coalition of more than 75 charities and campaign groups.

Concerns around worsening safety of children in secure settings are a chief concern, warns the AYJ. It points to recent safeguarding scandals in secure training centres (STCs), including Oakhill and Rainsbrook.

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