Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 19 February 2024 to Question 13379, what steps he is taking to reduce the amount safeguarding referrals issued within the Youth Secure Estate for people aged 18 or over.

When a safeguarding case is opened, the detail of the case may not be known. We conduct a thorough investigation of every case to understand the details, and the severity of the concern, and ensure that any necessary actions are taken to protect the children in our custody.

Not all referrals result in further action, and an increase in safeguarding cases need not always be a matter of concern. An increased number of cases may represent increased confidence on the part of staff in reporting concerns, or may indicate that children feel safe to disclose information to staff. Referrals may include the disclosure of concerns relating to a period prior to the child’s or young person’s entering custody. It is by conducting a thorough investigation that we can understand the nature of each case and identify any trends that need to be addressed.

We would not seek to discourage staff from making safeguarding referrals: in fact, we would encourage them to do so. The safeguarding policy in place in YCS, and the accompanying processes, are designed to keep children and young people safe, and it is therefore vital that these policies and processes are followed at all times. All policies applicable to children and young people under 18 also apply to 18-year-olds who remain within the Youth Estate.