Official Statistics

YCS Annex Guide: 2024-25

Published 31 July 2025

Applies to England and Wales

1. Introduction

The ‘YCS Annex’ statistics publication sets out the outcomes from the YCS Performance Tool (YPT) for the performance year 2024/25 (1st April 2024 to 31st March 2025). The following sites are included; Young Offender Institutes (YOI) – Feltham A, Werrington, Wetherby and Parc Young Person’s Unit and Secure Training Centre (STC) – Oakhill.

The Key Areas covered are:

• Links to other related publications
• Performance indicator information
• Rationale and Methodology
• Data Quality Statement
• Further information

2. Related Publications

Safety in the Children and Young People Secure Estate: This Safety in the Children and Young People Secure Estate (CYPSE) Bulletin publishes statistics across all CYPSE sectors for assaults, self-harm, separation, use of force and deaths in England and Wales from April 2014 to March 2025.

The latest and earlier editions  of the Safety in the Children and Young People Secure Estate statistics bulletin can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/youth-justice-statistics and earlier editions.

Youth Justice Statistics: This publication provides an overview of the flow of children aged 10-17 years through the justice system in England and Wales. It covers non-custodial as well as custodial episodes and includes information on safety incidents in the Children and Young People Secure Estate. The latest release can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/youth-justice-statistics

Youth Custody Report: This monthly report provides information on the youth custody population and operational capacity in England and Wales.

Youth Justice Statistics and the Youth Custody Report can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/youth-justice-statistics#youth-secure-estate-statistics-

3. Performance Indicator Information

Safety

Assaults	Assaults are reported as a rate per 100 children and young people (CYP). An assault is defined as unwanted physical contact between two or more individuals.
Assaults on Staff	Assaults on staff are reported as a rate per 100 CYP. An assault is defined as unwanted physical contact between two or more individuals.
Self-Harm	Self-harm incidents reported as a rate per 100 CYP. Self-harm is defined as any act where a prisoner deliberately harms or injures themselves.
Rate of Escapes	A CYP escapes from an establishment or an HMPPS escort if they unlawfully gain their liberty.
Racial Disparity - Use of Force	This is a racial disparity indicator using a Relative Rate Index (RRI) to statistically highlight disparity between children and young people from white and ethnic minority backgrounds in use of force incidents.
Racial Disparity – Separation	This is a racial disparity indicator using a Relative Rate Index (RRI) to statistically highlight disparity between children and young people from white and ethnic minority backgrounds in separation incidents.

Staff

Staff Resignation	Rate of Band 3-5 Prison Officer/ Youth Justice Worker/ Front-Line staff resignations. Some resignations are expected, but too high a rate is cause for concern.
Staff Sickness	Rate of staff sickness. Some sickness is expected, but too high a rate is cause for concern.

Education

OFSTED / ESTYN Outcome for Education, Skills and Work	Inspection outcome judgements
Education Hours Delivered Against Planned	Average hours delivered against planned

Resettlement

Suitable Accommodation on Release	The number of children and young people released with suitable accommodation prior to release as a proportion of eligible releases from custody.
Accommodation Organised Prior to Release	The number of children and young people with accommodation arranged within designated timeframes prior to release as a proportion of eligible releases from custody.
Education, Training, Employment Organised Prior to Release	The number of children and young people released with education/training/employment organised for release as a proportion of eligible releases from custody.
Rate of Successful ROTL Episodes	The number of successful Release on Temporary Licence (ROTL) episodes as proportion of those who participated.

Voice of the Child

Youth Council Meetings Arranged	The number of monthly youth council meetings arranged.
Youth Council Meetings Attended	The number of monthly youth council meetings attended, with the expectation that these will be held by a member of the site’s senior management team.

4. YCS Performance Tool Rationale and Methodology

The 2024/25 YCS Performance Tool (YPT) is the second iteration following the first publication of the YPT in 2023/24. Previously, the performance of the Young Offender Institutions was reported through the annual Prison Performance publication, Young Offender Institutions were removed in 2021/22 to allow for a more focused tool to be created that better aligns to the YCS’ processes and priorities. The YPT only covers the YOI and Secure Training Centre sectors of the Children and Young People Secure Estate.      

The 2024/25 YPT and has been revised with several indicators having been removed, such as those relating to Custody Support Plans (CuSP), Guided Reflective Practice (GRP), and Enhanced Support Services (ESS), with delivery being monitored through the ‘Roadmap to Effective Practice’ rather than standalone performance measures. These are still closely monitored through governance, assurance and performance data. CuSP, GRP and ESS align to the bespoke approach that has been developed through the Roadmap to Effective Practise which have been developed with site leads accounting for cohort and strategy of the site for the next three years.

The YPT indicators are currently used to assess Young Offender Institutes and the Secure Training Centre performance, but not the Secure Children Home sector which is managed through the contractual relationship between the YCS and Homes’ Local Authorities. The Secure School is also not included as this is managed by a specific framework for oversight.

Indicators of performance are reviewed annually, with new indicators and targets being considered to account for priorities and changing expectations.

The 2024/25 YPT is structured against the following five priority areas:

• Safety
• Staffing
• Education
• Resettlement
• Voice of the Child

The YPT indicators assess performance across each YOI and STC through two phases.

Phase one: Data-driven assessment, assurance and audit activity. Each assurance and audit activity contribution is structured and provides a rating which impacts the outcome of the indicator.

Phase two: Application of context. Due to the complexity of the cohort and the impact of a small number of children and young people, context can be applied to overturn indicator outcomes. Context is applied following data analysis, audits, HMPPS and YCS assurance activity and via external inspection outcomes.

Targets

Targets for sites are developed across the indicators; targets for safety, and staffing are set at a site level, considering the site’s previous performance, and targets across resettlement, education and voice of the child are set the same for all sites regardless of their previous performance.

5. Data Quality Statement

5.1 Relevance

These statistics are generally used by:

• Government
• Academia
• Media
• Charity sector
• General public

Additionally, these statistics play an important role in helping to ensure the Ministry of Justice’s accountability to the public. To ensure these statistics meet the needs of users, users are encouraged to provide comments and feedback on existing outputs including content, breadth, frequency and methodology.

5.2 Accuracy and Reliability

These statistics are from Management Information from case management systems and involve manual data entry. Management Information refers to information that is not collected specifically for statistics or research. This data is collected by the Ministry of Justice for uses such as registration and record-keeping.

Although due care has been taken when processing and analysing the returns, as with any large administrative data source, the possibility of errors cannot be eliminated. While the figures shows have been checked as far as practicable, they should be regarded as approximate and not necessarily accurate to the last whole number shown in the tables.

Over time, minor changes are made to recording practices to improve the accuracy of these statistics.

In accordance with Principle 2 of the Code of Practice for Statistics, the Ministry of Justice is required to publish transparent guidance on its policy for revisions.

The 3 reasons specified for statistics needing to be revised are changes in sources of administrative systems or methodology changes, receipt of subsequent information, and errors in statistical systems and processes. Each of these points, and its specific relevance to this publication, are addressed below:

- Changes in sources of administrative systems or methodology This guidance document will clearly state where there have been revisions to data due to changes in methodology or administrative systems. In addition, statistics affected within the publication will be appropriately footnoted.

- Receipt of subsequent information The nature of any administrative system is that data may be received late. Revision mid-year will only be made where it has been deemed that the late data has a major influence on the statistics. All other minor revisions will be published in the next scheduled update.

- Errors in statistical systems and processes Occasionally errors can occur in statistical processes, however procedures are constantly reviewed to minimise this risk. Should a significant error be found, the publication on the website will be updated and an errata slip published documenting the revision.

6. Further information

6.1 Glossary of Terms

Assaults: Unwanted physical contact between two or more individuals, excluding Use of Force or anything of a purely verbal or threatening nature.

The degree of force used is immaterial (e.g. spitting, pushing or striking) and physical contact can be by any part of the body or bodily fluid, or by the use of any weapon or missile.  To be considered an assault incident it is not necessary for there to be injury of any kind. 

Assault Incident: An incident including at least one interaction which meets the definition of assault. It may not always be clear where the boundary of one incident ends and another starts. How incidents that occur closely together in time or area are counted is a matter of judgement for staff at the scene.

Average Population:The average number of children and young people accommodated within the Children and Young People Secure Estate at the end of each day including those temporarily absent from the establishment but still under the care of the establishment. Children and young people on welfare placements in SCHs are not included in the population count.

Child or young person/Children and young people: In the context of this bulletin children and young people refer to people between the ages of 10 and 17 held in custody and those aged over 17 who remain within the Children and Young People Secure Estate to complete their sentence. Children and young people on ‘welfare’ placements within SCHs are not included in counts of children and young people for the purposes of this bulletin.

His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS): The agency responsible for prisons and probation and including the Youth Custody Service. Up to 1 April 2017, this agency was known as the National Offender Management Service (NOMS).

Incident reporting System (IRS):  A system first introduced in the late 1980s to record a range of incidents in prisons and YOIs including escapes, absconds, fire, drugs, damage to property, assaults etc.

Ministry of Justice (MoJ): The Ministry with responsibility for HMPPS.

National Offender Management Information System (NOMIS):  The HMPPS prisoner record system used in both public and private sector YOIs.

Secure Training Centre (STC): An accommodation type within the Children and Young People Secure Estate offering secure provision to sentenced or remanded children aged 12 to 17. STCs are available to place those children and young people who are a little older and perhaps more independent and more motivated to attend school or have risk factors which would make a placement in a YOI inappropriate. They provide a secure environment where children and young people can be educated and rehabilitated. STCs are governed by The Secure Training Centre Rules 1998 and inspected by Ofsted, HMIP and the CQC.

Self-harm: Any act by which a child or young person deliberately harms themselves irrespective of the method, intent, or severity of injury.

Staff Assault: Any assault incident where a member of staff is subject to an assault by a child or young person as defined in this guide. An assault incident may be both a child or young person on child or young person assault and a staff assault if more than one category of victim is reported.

Use of Force: Use of force refers to any instance where any level of force is used to manoeuvre or restrain a child or young person, including any action that guides a child or young person away from a harmful situation or intentionally blocks his or her path without necessarily overpowering the individual. Routine interaction between staff and children and young people, such as supportively resting a hand on a shoulder during conversation, should not be considered or recorded as use of force.

Youth Custody Service (YCS): Established in September 2017 as a distinct arm of His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS). YCS has operational responsibility for the Children and Young People Secure Estate, which accommodates all children and young people aged 17 years and under in custody across England and Wales. As of August 2024, children and young people in custody are accommodated in one of four Young Offender Institutions (YOIs), one Secure Training Centre (STC), one Secure School (ORSS) and eight Secure Children’s Homes (SCHs). Within this accommodation are a number of 18+ year-olds who are either completing their sentences within the Children and Young People Secure Estate or remaining in the estate for a short period before transitioning to the adult estate.

Young Offender Institution (YOI): An accommodation type within the Children and Young People Secure Estate that can accommodate young people aged from 15 to 17. A small number of young people aged 18 will remain in an under 18s YOI before either being released or transitioning to the young adult or adult estate. YOIs tend to be larger than SCHs and STCs with lower ratios of staff to young people.

6.2 Future Publications

The YCS regularly reviews the content of publications. Development of new and improved statistical outputs is usually dependent on reallocating existing resources. As part of our continual review and prioritisation, we welcome user feedback on existing outputs including content, breadth, frequency, and methodology.

Please send any comments you have about this publication including suggestions for further developments or reductions in content to  YCSInformationAndPerformance@justice.gov.uk

6.3 Official Statistics Status

Our statistical practice is regulated by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR).

OSR sets the standards of trustworthiness, quality, and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics that all producers of official statistics should adhere to.

You are welcome to contact us directly with any comments about how we meet these standards, by emailing YCSInformationAndPerformance@justice.gov.uk

Alternatively, you can contact OSR by emailing regulation@statistics.gov.uk or via the OSR website.

6.4 Contact

Press enquiries should be directed to the Ministry of Justice press office:
Tel: 020 3334 3536
Email: newsdesk@justice.gov.uk

Other enquiries about these statistics should be directed to:

Katherine Tatlock

Youth Custody Service

HM Prison and Probation Service

1 Ruskin Square

Ruskin Road

Croydon

CR0 2WF

Email: YCSInformationAndPerformance@justice.gov.uk

General enquiries about the statistical work of the Ministry of Justice can be emailed to:
statistics.enquiries@justice.gov.uk

Alternative formats are available on request from:
statistics.enquiries@justice.gov.uk