Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to reduce incidences of violence in HM Feltham Young Offenders Institution.

Keeping all children and young people in custody safe is a key priority for the Youth Custody Service. We are taking active steps to address and reduce the levels of violence for all those who live and work within the Youth Estate, including Feltham.

A number of initiatives have recently been implemented to tackle violence and drive performance improvements within the Youth Estate. A holistic style approach to managing behaviour within the youth estate has led to the implementation of Minimising and Managing Physical Restraint (MMPR) in all under-18 Young Offender Institutions (YOI) and Secure Training Centres. In public sector Young Offender Institutions, local psychological teams have been put in place to carry out assessments of young people involved in multiple perpetrator/serious assaults. A new structured approach to the delivery of interventions for young people has been introduced to ensure that interventions delivered are either accredited or formally approved. Restorative justice practises have also been rolled out.

At Feltham specifically, we have around 100 new officers currently in training - with the first officers on the landings in April - helping to get to the root causes of violence and improve safety.

In addition, the first Enhanced Support Unit within the Youth Estate opened at Feltham in November 2017 to support and manage young people who are deemed to have exceptionally complex needs and high-risk behaviours.