Medway STC downgraded to 'inadequate' in latest Ofsted report
Nina Jacobs
Monday, December 16, 2019
Young people at Medway Secure Training Centre (STC) are being placed at levels of “unacceptable risk” with increased force still being used against them, an Ofsted report shows.
The inspectorate judged the Kent-based facility to be inadequate after it carried out an annual inspection in October.
It said standards had slipped at the centre since its last inspection when it was rated "requires improvement".
“The overall progress and experience of children is inadequate due to serious concerns relating to ineffective strategies to manage serious and significant incidents.
“The quality of practice has declined since the last inspection and not only places children at risk of harm but also gives them an inadequate experience of care and support,” the report concludes.
Risk levels were being raised through incidents such as managers overruling a recommendation from healthcare professionals that a child be treated at hospital following an episode of self-harm, as well as a serious allegation of abuse not being referred to the relevant authorities.
“This places children at unacceptable risk,” the report says.
The inspection revealed the use of force had significantly increased since the last inspection with around 359 incidents in the last six months.
In September alone, around 115 incidents involving force were recorded.
Staff were found to have used techniques during physical restraint incidents that inflicted pain on children seven times since the last inspection.
“However, in some instances, inflicting pain was not used where it would prevent serious harm to others. This practice is unacceptable,” the report states.
Levels of violence remained similar to the previous inspection, with around 106 violent acts committed over the last six months.
Of these, 51 were child-on-child assaults or fights between children, and 55 involved children assaulting staff.
Further criticisms included children being found locked in their rooms in a “restricted regime” outside of normal sleeping hours.
This meant children felt a sense of injustice and were missing out on activities that they might have earned through the centre’s behaviour management strategy.
“Implementing a restricted regime is due to staff shortages and the high number of physical interventions that were taking place over a number of weeks. This has a serious impact on children’s experiences,” the report states.
The centre, scheduled to close in March ahead of plans to create the country’s first secure school, provided accommodation for 29 children at the time of the inspection.
Children’s rights group Article 39 said Medway had not received an acceptable inspection report for five years and called for it to be permanently closed.
Carolyne Willow, the group’s director, said: “There were just 29 children at Medway when inspectors visited but still the prison service fails to provide safe care.
“We understand all children are to be moved out by the end of January, in preparation for making the site the government’s first experimental secure school.
“With an inspection report like this, incoming ministers must surely have the courage to call time on Medway. It must be closed for good.”
Social justice charity Nacro, which provides education services at the centre, said it was pleased the inspection report had singled out its provision to receive a good rating.
Campbell Robb, the charity’s chief executive, said: “As a result of Nacro’s ethos and curriculum, young people have re-engaged with learning and some have had their first experience of a work placement and developed skills that will fundamentally change their lives.”
However, he warned that staff were working in a “broken system” and many children continue to be overlooked.
“Despite the best efforts of staff working in the regime, there are serious failures across the system from significant increases in the use of force to a failure to safeguard children at risk from harm,” he said.
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “Medway holds some of the most challenging young people in the country and our staff work tirelessly to keep them safe - but, given safety is our priority, this is a disappointing report and we need to do more.
“We have acted quickly to introduce a new rapid review process for every use of restraint and the independent review we commissioned into the use of pain-inducing techniques will be published in the new year, alongside the actions we will take as a result.
“Medway will close in the spring so the site can be transformed into the first ever secure school, representing a major step towards our commitment to putting education at the heart of youth custody.”
