Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 13 December 2023 to Question 5303 on Wetherby Young Offender Institution: Females, what steps he is taking to reduce the number of girls who are accommodated in all-male young offender institutions.
Females within the Youth Estate can be placed at Oakhill Secure Training Centre and seven out of the eight available Secure Children’s Homes, as well as HMYOI Wetherby. Females will also be placed at the new Oasis Restore Secure School that is set to open in Spring 2024. Whilst all of these sites accommodate both males and females, they are contained within their own units and only mix with each other in supervised education and social settings.
The Youth Custody Service is considering future provision for all children via an internal assessment of the role and purpose of each sector to ensure sufficient capacity and suitable environments. This will inform the longer-term, strategic direction of provision for children in the YCS.