Staff at an ‘unsafe’ youth jail have been left in hospital following a surge in attacks, a damning report has disclosed.
Employees have suffered serious assaults at the hands of young inmates aged 12 to 18 at the G4S-run detention centre.
In one incident in March, an officer suffered horrendous injuries after being attacked by detainees on a football pitch.
Staff at an ‘unsafe’ youth jail have been left in hospital following a surge in attacks, a damning report has disclosed. Children were carrying improvised weapons because they do not feel safe at privately-run Oakhill Secure Training Centre near Milton Keynes, said the watchdog
Managers also failed to assess whether a threat to kill a female member of staff by a boy convicted of murder was credible. He had increasingly intimidated female staff, including spitting in their drinks.
Children were carrying improvised weapons because they do not feel safe at privately-run Oakhill Secure Training Centre near Milton Keynes, said the watchdog.
Inspectors rated the establishment, which holds up to 80 young males who have been sentenced or remanded in custody, ‘inadequate’.
They said: ‘There is no evidence that staff can adequately care and control this volume of young people.’
It was visited by Ofsted, HM Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) for two weeks in September.
Inspectors found an increase in the number of assaults and fights since they last visited in January. Between March and August 2017, there were 330 assaults on staff and detainees, compared with 200 in the previous reporting period between July and December 2016.
The report said: ‘Assaults against centre staff, including some who are newly recruited, have increased.
‘Some of these assaults have been extremely serious and have resulted in hospitalisation. This is likely to impact on the confidence of staff in their interactions with young people.’
Some managers described the centre as unsafe to inspectors. The report added: ‘One manager said that young people are carrying improvised weapons because they do not feel safe.
Employees have suffered serious assaults at the hands of young inmates aged 12 to 18 at the G4S-run detention centre. In one incident in March, an officer suffered horrendous injuries after being attacked by detainees on a football pitch
‘This inhibits some staff from intervening because of the fear of a weapon, and this in turn reinforces the view of young people that staff cannot protect them, thereby continuing the cycle.’
Many incidents of swearing, intimidation and vandalism are not being challenged by staff, the report said.
Inspectors found that young people had decorated their bedroom walls with inappropriate illustrations relating to violence.
It said: ‘There is considerable graffiti in the communal areas and the bedrooms, some of which is gang-related. There is no evidence of this being challenged or addressed by staff.
‘Too many staff do not model an adequate standard of care or respect for the centre, so it is unsurprising that the young people follow suit.’
Inspectors rated the establishment, which holds up to 80 young males who have been sentenced or remanded in custody, ‘inadequate’. They said: ‘There is no evidence that staff can adequately care and control this volume of young people.’
Inspectors made a string of recommendations to help improve the centre, including adding more CCTV cameras in areas detainees said they felt unsafe such as stairwells.
G4S has previously tried to sell its multi-million-pound operating contract for Oakhill, but has unable to find a buyer.
Earlier this month, Youth Justice Minister Philip Lee told the Commons’ Justice Select Committee that he was satisfied G4S was performing at a level with which he was satisfied.
G4S said it was ‘taking a number of urgent actions’ to address matters raised in the report.
Lisette Saunders, the new interim director at Oakhill, said: ‘We take these findings very seriously. In the report, Ofsted recognised that senior managers at Oakhill know what is required to bring the centre up to acceptable standards.
‘This year the team at Oakhill has made a number of changes, restructuring the workforce to provide better support for young people and frontline staff and greater management oversight and accountability.’
A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: ‘This report is completely unacceptable and we have taken urgent action to address the concerns raised by Ofsted. We are robustly monitoring performance against the contract and are clear that all options remain on the table.’