Official Statistics

Safety in the Children and Young People Secure Estate: Update to March 2022

Published 28 July 2022

Applies to England and Wales

Main Points

473 assault incidents Jan to Mar 2022, of which 33 were serious 317 different children and young people involved as assailants or fighters

The annualised rate of assault incidents per 100 children and young people per year was 394 in the 3 months January to March 2022, a decrease of 9% compared to the same period last year. The number of individual children and young people involved in incidents as assailants or fighters decreased 27% in the 3 months January to March 2022 compared to the same period last year, from 432 to 317.

254 assault incidents on staff Jan to Mar 2022, of which 26 were serious

The annualised rate of assault incidents on staff per 100 children and young people per year was 212 in the 3 months January to March 2022, a decrease of 9% compared to the same period last year.

378 self-harm incidents Jan to Mar 2022 81 different children and young people self-harmed Jan to Mar 2022

The annualised rate of self-harm incidents per 100 children and young people per year was 315 in the 3 months January to March 2022, an increase of 53% compared to the same period last year. The number of individual children and young people self-harming decreased 16% in the 3 months January to March 2022 compared to the same period last year, from 97 to 81.

No deaths reported in the year to 31 Mar 2022

The last death in the Children and Young People Secure Estate was in June 2019

The Safety in the Children and Young People Secure Estate Bulletin reports assault and self-harm incidents and deaths from April 2014 to 31st March 2022. The information covers the period of the Covid-19 pandemic, which must be considered and accounted for in every aspect of the information presented and when comparing time periods.

1. Statistician’s Comment

These statistics present data up until 31 March 2022 on incidents of assault, self-harm and death across each sector of the Children and Young People Secure Estate (CYPSE).

From the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic the Youth Custody Service has adapted to official guidance on the prevention of the spread of infection, which inevitably impacted activity delivery in sites from March 2020. The impact of COVID-19 should be considered when reviewing all aspects of these statistics.

Throughout these statistics the latest reporting quarter is annualised and compared to the same annualised period in the previous year.

The CYPSE has seen an overall decrease in the rate of assaults when compared to the quarter ending March 2021. When looking at individual sectors, there have been increases across Youth Offender Institutions (YOI) and Secure Training Centres (STC), and a decrease in Secure Children’s Homes. The STC continues to have the highest rate of incidents of assaults when compared to the other sectors.

The STC’s rate of assault was 1,303 per 100 CYP per year for the 3 months to 31 March 2022 (January to March), this is an increase of 17% in comparison to the same period the previous year. Youth Offender Institutions (YOI) hold the majority of the children and young people in the CYPSE, and had the lowest rate of assault incidents in the 3 months to 31 March 2022 at 314 per 100 CYP per year, which was a 9% increase in comparison to the same period last year. Secure Children’s Homes (SCH) population includes the younger and often most complex children and young people within the CYPSE and for the 3 months to 31 March 2022 the rate of assault incidents was 353 per 100 CYP per year, which amounts to a 35% decrease in comparison to the same period last year.

It is shown that the following groups have a higher rate of involvement in assaults, as an assailant or fighter; girls, 15-year olds, black ethnic groups, and children with Christian religious beliefs which is unchanged since the last publication.

There has been an increase in the rate of self-harm in comparison to the same period in the previous year across most sectors, with Secure Children’s Homes being the only sector to show a decline. Despite this increase in overall rate of self-harm, the number of individuals self-harming has decreased to 81 in the 3 months to 31 March 2022 from 97 in the same period last year.

The rate of self-harm differs across the sectors and is typically influenced by a few individuals self-harming multiple times. The highest rate, and the largest increase, for the 3 months to 31 March 2022 was recorded at STCs at 1,159 per 100 CYP per year, this is a 150% increase in comparison to the previous year. The SCHs saw a rate of self-harm incidents of 259 per 100 CYP per year for the 3 months to 31 March 2022, with a decrease of 54% in comparison to the same period in 2021. In YOIs the rate of self-harm was 244 per 100 CYP per year for the 3 months to 31 March 2022, up 126%. Whilst YOIs showed an increase of self-harm when compared to the same period in the previous year, the rate of self-harm is substantially lower than in the STC. The increase in the self-harm rate within YOIs should be taken in context of girls now being placed there. The rate of self-harm among girls was 3,000 incidents per 100 per year, compared to 200 per 100 boys per year.

It is shown that the following groups have a high rate of self-harm: girls, 15-year olds, White ethnic groups, and children of other religions^{[footnote 1]}, which is also unchanged since the last publication.

No deaths of Children and Young People have been reported since June 2019.

2. Assaults: April 2014 to 31st March 2022

Assault incident rate decreased compared to same period last year

In the 3 months January to March 2022, there were 473 assault incidents in the Children and Young People Secure Estate (CYPSE) involving 317 different children and young people (CYP) as assailants or fighters. The annualised rate of assault incidents was 394 per 100 CYP per year, a decrease of 9% compared to the same period in 2021 when the rate was 432.

Assault incidents on staff rate decreased compared to same period last year

In the 3 months January to March 2022, there were 254 incidents in the CYPSE where staff were assaulted. The annualised rate of assault incidents on staff was 212 per 100 CYP per year, a decrease of 9% compared to the same period in 2021 when the rate was 234 per 100 CYP per year.

Figure 1: Rate of assaults and fights by quarter - April 2014 to March 2018

Figure 2: Rate of assault incidents per 100 CYP per year Apr 2019 to March 2022

The definition and counting rules of assaults changed from April 2019 (April 2018 for Young Offender Institutions (YOI)) and hence no long-term trends are available and there was no estate-wide figure in 2018/19. Figures 1 and 2 illustrate the trends before and after the break respectively.

The rate of assault incidents fell substantially at the outset the Covid-19 pandemic. In the last full quarter prior to the pandemic, the 3 months to 31 December 2019 (October to December), the assault rate per 100 CYP per year was 466. During the 3 months to 30 June 2020 incidents fell to their lowest since the current assaults’ definition was introduced, down to 204 per 100 CYP per year. For the most recent quarter, the 3 months to 31st March 2022, the rate of assaults is 394 per 100 CYP per year which is up from the previous 3 months to 31st December 2021 and a decrease of 9% in comparison to the same period last year, the 3 months to 31st March 2021.

The rate of incidents involving a staff assault also fell during the early months of the pandemic, reaching a low of 139 per 100 CYP per year, but this began to rise in the following quarters to the 3 months ending 30 June 2021. In the latest 3 months to 31st March 2022 there were 254 assault incidents on staff at a rate of 212 per 100 CYP per year, a 9% decrease compared to the same 3 months last year where the rate was 234.

The rate of serious assaults in the 3 months to 31st March 2022 was 28 per 100 CYP per year, which is a decrease of 20% in comparison to the same period last year where the rate was 35.

During the 3 months to 31st March 2022 there were 317 unique assailants / fighters compared to 432 over the same period in 2021. Over the 12 months to 31st March 2022 there were 810 unique CYP involved in an incident as either an assailant or fighter compared to 847 over the 12 months to 31st March 2021.

During the 3 months to 31st March 2022 there were 110 unique CYP victims compared to 113 over the same period in 2021. The number of unique victims among children and young people was 372 in the 12 months to 31st March 2022, up from 362 in the 12 months to 31st March 2021.

Figure 3: Rate of assault incidents per 100 CYP per year - January to March 2021 and January to March 2022

The rate of assault incidents during the 3 months to 31st March 2022 was higher in the YOI and STC sectors, and lower in the SCH sector.

The lowest assault rates in the 3 months to 31st March 2022 were recorded in YOIs. In the 3 months to 31st March 2022, the comparative rate of assaults across the sectors were 314 per 100 CYP per year in YOIs, an increase of 9% compared to the same period last year; 1,303 per 100 CYP per year in STCs, a 17% increase; and 353 per 100 CYP per year in SCHs, reflecting a 35% decrease on the same period last year.

The rate of assaults on staff in the 3 months to 31st March 2022 was highest within STCs at 983 per 100 CYP per year, a 21% increase compared to the same period last year. For SCHs the rate is 237 per 100 CYP per year, a 37% decrease compared to the same period last year. In YOIs the rate for the 3 months to 31st March 2022 is 131 per 100 CYP per year, a 26% increase on the same period last year.

In terms of protected characteristics, the rates of involvement as an assailant or fighter over the 12 months to 31st March 2022 were higher than other groups for girls at 1039 per 100 CYP per year, for 15 year-olds at 914 per 100 CYP; for CYP from a black background at 850 per 100 CYP, and for Christians at 723 per 100 CYP.

The groups with the highest rate of involvement as a victim were boys at 102 per 100 CYP per year, 16 year-olds, at 121 per 100 CYP per year, CYP from black ethnic groups at 121 per 100 CYP per year and for Muslims at 114 per 100 CYP per year.

Figure 4: Rate of assailant / fighters by protected characteristic – April 2021 to March 2022

3. Self-Harm: April 2014 to 31st March 2022

Self-harm incidents increasing and up on the same period last year

In the 3 months January to March 2022 there were 378 incidents of self-harm involving 81 different CYP. The annualised rate was 315 incidents per 100 CYP per year, an increase of 53% compared to the same period last year.

Figure 5: Annualised rate of self-harm incidents per 100 children and young people in custody

The rate of self-harm incidents fell significantly during the first 9 months of the Covid-19 pandemic but increased sharply in the quarter April to June 2021, recording 345 per 100 CYP per year, the highest self-harm rate since 2014. The self-harm rate for the 3 months to 31st March 2022 has reduced from this peak at 315 per 100 CYP per year, however, is 53% higher than the rate for the same period last year.

The number of individual CYP self-harming in the latest 3 months was 81, compared to 97 individual CYP who self-harmed in the 3 months ending 31st March 2021. Over the last 12 months ending 31st March 2022, the number of individuals self-harming over the 12 was 255 compared to 249 for previous 12 months. The rate of individuals self-harming per 100 CYP was 49 for the 12 months to 31st March 2022 and 38 for the previous 12 months.

Figure 6: Rate of self-harm incidents per 100 CYP per year - January to March 2021 and January to March 2022

The rate of self-harm at SCHs for the 3 months to 31st March 2022 was 259 incidents per 100 CYP per year, this is a decrease of 54% in comparison to the same period last year. STCs had a rate of self-harm of 1,159 per 100 CYP per year, an increase of 150% in comparison to the same period last year. YOIs rate of self-harm was 244 per 100 CYP per year, an increase of 126% in comparison to the same period last year.

The rate of self-harm incidents can also be influenced by a few individuals self-harming multiple times, so it is important to consider the number of different individuals self-harming as well as the overall count of incidents. The highest rate of unique CYP self-harming over the 3 months to 31st March 2022 was in STCs (28 different self-harmers from an average population of 37^{[footnote 2]}), followed by SCHs (11 different self-harmers from an average population of 74) and then YOIs (42 different self-harmers from an average population of 377^{[footnote 3]}).

Over the 12 months to 31st March 2022, a total of 422 self-harm incidents resulted in an injury requiring some treatment, 28% of the total, and 48 required hospital attendance, representing 3% of the total.

The number of girls in the CYPSE is low (an average of 16 out of a total population of 525 over the 12 months to 31st March 2022), but they do include some of the most vulnerable children and young people. The rate of self-harm among girls was 3,000 incidents per 100 per year, compared to 200 per 100 boys per year. Each of the girls who self-harmed also did so on average 19 times per year.

Within protected characteristic groupings, self-harming was most common over the 12 months to 31st March 2022 among 15 year-olds (749 incidents per 100 CYP per year), white children (391 per 100 CYP per year), and those identified as having an “other” religion (374 per 100 CYP per year) in comparison to others in the group.

Figure 7: Rate of self-harm incidents by protected characteristic – April 2021 to March 2022

4. Deaths: April 2014 to 31st March 2022

No deaths were reported in the Youth Children and Young People Secure Estate in the 12 months to 31st March 2022

Deaths of children and young people are fortunately rare and there were no deaths in the 12 months to 31st March 2022. Since April 2014 there have been three deaths of children and young people within the CYPSE.

• Two at Cookham Wood YOI, in July 2015 and June 2019

• One at Hillside SCH, in February 2017

• All of these deaths were due to natural causes

Further Information

Accompanying files

As well as this bulletin, the following products are published as part of this release:

• A guide providing further information on how the data are collected and processed, as well as an assessment of data quality. The revisions policy, other statistical issues and a glossary of terms used are also covered in the guide.

• A set of summary tables covering both the latest quarter and annual summaries of the data back to 2014/15.

Contact points

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: statistics.enquiries@justice.gov.uk

Next update: 27th October 2022

URL: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/youth-justice-statistics#youth-secure-estate-statistics

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

© Crown copyright. Produced by the Ministry of Justice.

1. Any religious beliefs other than Christian and Muslim ↩

2. Through June and July 2021, children and young people were removed from Rainsbrook STC and no new placements were made ↩

3. From July 2021 girls have been placed in a dedicated unit within Wetherby/Wetherby Keppel ↩