AYJ Response: Youth Custody Service Policy Framework on ‘Safeguarding and child protection in the Youth Custody Service’
The AYJ has responded to a consultation on a new Policy Framework and supporting guidance on safeguarding and child protection for secure settings in the Youth Custody Service (YCS).
The response sets out that the draft policy framework is significantly flawed as:
Safeguarding in youth custody is about more than just the Youth Custody Service
The framework needs to be prepared in the context of ‘Working Together’
It needs to acknowledge, explicitly:
the policies and commitments contained in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child
the over-representation of Black and racially minoritised children in custody, as well as groups of children with particular vulnerabilities
a significant element of risk to children in custody is occasioned by the behaviour of some of the adults who are charged with their care
the voice of children in custody should prompt a significant element of the content of the framework
There is a growing official literature on safeguarding failures in custody, but the draft does not appear to represent a consistent response to this
The operation of Restraint in custody needs to be covered in the draft policy framework
This submission was prepared for the AYJ by its member, the Prison Reform Trust, with additional content provided by AYJ members.