Official Statistics

Safety in the Children and Young People Secure Estate: Update to March 2023

Published 27 July 2023

Applies to England and Wales

Main Points

457 assault incidents Jan to Mar 2023, of which 31 were serious 339 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 348.6 in the 3 months January to March 2023, a decrease of 12% compared to the same period last year. The number of unique children and young people involved in incidents as assailants or fighters increased by 7% in the 3 months January to March 2023 compared to the same period last year, from 317 to 339.

209 assault incidents on staff Jan to Mar 2023, of which 17 were serious

The annualised rate of assault incidents on staff per 100 children and young people per year was 159.4 in the 3 months January to March 2023, a decrease of 25% compared to the same period last year.

251 self-harm incidents Jan to Mar 2023 83 different children and young people self-harmed Jan to Mar 2023

The annualised rate of self-harm incidents per 100 children and young people per year was 191.5 in the 3 months January to March 2023, a decrease of 39% compared to the same period last year. The number of unique children and young people self-harming increased by 2% in the 3 months January to March 2023 compared to the same period last year, from 81 to 83.

999 use of force incidents Jan to Mar 2023 381 different children and young people involved in use of force incidents Jan to Mar 2023

The annualised rate of use of force incidents per 100 children and young people per year was 762.0 in the 3 months January to March 2023, a decrease of 13% compared to the same period last year. The number of unique children and young people involved in use of force incidents increased by 1% in the 3 months January to March 2023 compared to the same period last year, from 376 to 381.

91 separations in Secure Children’s Homes Jan to Mar 2023 29 different children and young people separated in Secure Children’s Homes Jan to Mar 2023

The annualised rate of separations in Secure Children’s Homes per 100 children and young people per year was 550.7 in the 3 months January to March 2023, a decrease of 63% compared to the same period last year. The number of unique children and young people being separated in Secure Children’s Homes decreased by 58% in the 3 months January to March 2023 compared to the same period last year, from 69 to 29.

73 separations in the Secure Training Centre Jan to Mar 2023 35 different children and young people separated in the Secure Training Centre Jan to Mar 2023

The annualised rate of separations in the Secure Training Centre per 100 children and young people per year was 560.5 in the 3 months January to March 2023, a decrease of 26% compared to the same period last year. The number of unique children and young people being separated in the Secure Training Centre increased by 46% in the 3 months January to March 2023 compared to the same period last year, from 24 to 35.

273 separations in Young Offender Institutions Jan to Mar 2023 195 different children and young people separated in Young Offender Institutions Jan to Mar 2023

The annualised rate of separations in Young Offender Institutions per 100 children and young people per year was 268.8 in the 3 months January to March 2023. A comparison with the same period last year is not available. The number of unique children and young people being separated in Young Offender Institutions was 195 in the 3 months January to March 2023. A comparison with the same period last year is not available.

No deaths reported in the year to Mar 2023

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 (CYPSE) Bulletin publishes statistics across all CYPSE sectors for the following periods:

• Assaults and self-harm incidents and deaths from April 2014 to March 2023

• Separations across Secure Children’s Homes (SCHs) and the Secure Training Centre (STC) from April 2014 to March 2023

• Use of force incidents from April 2020 to March 2023

• Separations in Young Offender Institutions (YOIs) from April 2022 to March 2023

Assault and self-harm incidents and deaths are refreshed quarterly, with use of force incidents and separations in all sectors being refreshed annually in July.

Where the presented statistics cover the period of the Covid-19 pandemic, it must be considered and accounted for when comparing time periods.

1. Statistician’s Comment

This is the first iteration of the enhanced “Safety of Children and Young People in the Youth Secure Estate” bulletin, which increases the breadth of statistics published. The bulletin now includes use of force and separations across all sectors of the CYPSE annually, this is in addition to assaults and self-harm incidents and deaths statistics that have been published quarterly since April 2021.

The CYPSE is built up of distinct sectors; Young Offender Institutions, a Secure Training Centre and Secure Children’s Homes. Each sector is operated under different models which are governed by different rules. Caution should be taken when comparing sectors to each other. More information can be found in the accompanying guide to the bulletin.

These statistics present data up until March 2023 across each sector of the CYPSE. Throughout these statistics, the latest reporting quarter is annualised and compared to the same annualised period from the previous year.

Given the CYPSE’s small population size, individual children and young people (CYP) can significantly impact statistics. This is particularly apparent within Secure Children’s Homes where site populations are the lowest within the CYPSE, however it can also be seen across the larger sites. Girls have been placed at Wetherby YOI since July 2021, and Oakhill STC since November 2022, and the impact of these placements can often be seen clearly within these statistics.

It is shown that there has been an overall decrease in the rate of incidents per 100 CYP per year across assaults, self-harm and uses of force in the CYPSE, and for separations within both SCHs and The STC when comparing the 3 months January to March 2023 to the same period from last year.

The rate of assault incidents per 100 CYP per year has shown a slight increase in YOIs, whilst decreasing in The STC and SCHs. The STC has shown the largest change with a 48% decrease when comparing the 3 months January to March 2023 to the same period from last year.

Self-harm incidents have shown a decrease of 39% in the rate of incidents per 100 CYP per year for the 3 months January to March 2023 when compared to the same period last year, and a substantial decrease of 68% when compared to the previous 3 months October to December 2022.

The rate of use of force incidents per 100 CYP per year saw a slight increase in SCHs, whilst decreasing in YOIs and the STC. The STC had a 45% decrease when comparing the 3 months January to March 2023 to the same period from last year.

The number of separations per 100 CYP per year have decreased in both the STC and SCHs by 26% and 63% respectively when comparing the 3 months January to March 2023 to the same period from last year. For this iteration of the bulletin YOI separation is not comparable to the previous year as statistics are being published starting from April 2022.

No deaths of children and young people have been reported since June 2019. This includes any deaths that may have been COVID-19 related.

2. Assaults: April 2014 to March 2023

Assault incident rate decreased compared to same period last year

In the 3 months January to March 2023, there were 457 assault incidents in the CYPSE involving 339 different Children and Young People (CYP) as assailants or fighters. The annualised rate of assault incidents was 348.6 per 100 CYP per year, a decrease of 12% compared to the same period in 2022 when the rate was 394.2 incidents per 100 CYP per year.

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

In the 3 months January to March 2023, there were 209 incidents in the CYPSE where staff were assaulted. The annualised rate of assault incidents on staff was 159.4 per 100 CYP per year, a decrease of 25% compared to the same period in 2022 when the rate was 211.7 incidents per 100 CYP per year.

Figure 1: Rate of assaults and fights by quarter from April 2014 to March 2018 and assault incidents from April 2019 to March 2023

The definition and counting rules of assaults changed from April 2019 (April 2018 for YOIs) and hence no long-term trends are available and there was no estate-wide figure in 2018/19. Figure 1 illustrates the trends before and after the break.

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 October to December 2019, the assault rate per 100 CYP per year was 466.4. For the most recent quarter, the 3 months January to March 2023, the rate of assault was 348.6 incidents per 100 CYP per year which is a decrease of 12% in comparison to the same period last year, the 3 months January to March 2022.

In the latest 3 months January to March 2023 there were 209 assault incidents on staff at a rate of 159.4 incidents per 100 CYP per year, a 25% decrease compared to the same 3 months last year where the rate was 211.7 incidents per 100 CYP per year.

The rate of serious assaults in the 3 months January to March 2023 was 23.6 incidents per 100 CYP per year, which is a decrease of 14% in comparison to the same period last year where the rate was 27.5 incidents per 100 CYP per year.

During the 3 months January to March 2023 there were 339 unique assailants / fighters compared to 317 over the same period in 2022.

During the 3 months January to March 2023 there were 131 unique CYP victims compared to 110 over the same period in 2022.

Figure 2: Rate of assault incidents per 100 CYP per year from January 2022 to March 2022 and from January 2023 to March 2023

The CYPSE-wide rate of assault incidents decreased during the 3 months January to March 2023, increasing slightly in the YOI sector, and decreasing in both the STC and SCH sectors when compared to the same period last year. The lowest assault rates in the 3 months January to March 2023 were recorded in SCHs.

In the 3 months January to March 2023, the comparative rate of assaults across the sectors were 324.9 incidents per 100 CYP per year in YOIs, a slight increase of 4%; 675.7 incidents per 100 CYP per year in the STC, a decrease of 48%; and 236.0 incidents per 100 CYP per year in SCHs, a decrease of 33% when compared to the same period last year.

The rate of assaults on staff in the 3 months January to March 2023 was highest within the STC at 322.5 incidents per 100 CYP per year, a 67% decrease compared to the same period last year. For SCHs the rate was 121.0 incidents per 100 CYP per year, a 49% decrease compared to the same period last year. In YOIs the rate for the 3 months January to March 2023 was 144.7 incidents per 100 CYP per year, a 10% 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 March 2023 were higher than other groups for girls at 825.7 incidents per 100 CYP per year, for 15 year-olds at 749.2 incidents per 100 CYP and for CYP from a black background at 882.1 incidents per 100 CYP.

The groups with the highest rate of involvement as a victim were boys at 115.2 incidents per 100 CYP per year, 10 to 14 year-olds, at 188.1 incidents per 100 CYP per year, CYP from Asian ethnic groups at 140.2 incidents per 100 CYP per year and for Muslims at 140.1 incidents per 100 CYP per year.

3. Self-Harm: April 2014 to March 2023

Self-harm incidents decreased compared to same period last year

In the 3 months January to March 2023 there were 251 incidents of self-harm involving 83 different CYP. The annualised rate was 191.5 incidents per 100 CYP per year, a decrease of 39% compared to the same period last year.

Figure 3: Rate of self-harm incidents per 100 CYP per year from April 2014 to March 2023

The self-harm rate for the 3 months January to March 2023 was 191.5 incidents per 100 CYP per year, a decrease of 39% compared to the same period last year, and a substantial drop of 68% from the peak of 589.7 incidents per 100 CYP per year for the 3 months October to December 2022.

The number of unique children and young people self-harming in the 3 months January to March 2023 was 83, compared to 81 unique children and young people who self-harmed in the 3 months January to March 2022.

Figure 4: Rate of self-harm incidents per 100 CYP per year from January 2022 to March 2022 and from January 2023 to March 2023

The rate of self-harm incidents during the 3 months January to March 2023 decreased overall, with decreases in both the YOI and STC sectors, and an increase in the SCH sector when compared to the same period last year. The lowest self-harm rates in the 3 months January to March 2023 were recorded in YOIs.

In the 3 months January to March 2023, the comparative rates of self-harm across the sectors were 134.9 incidents per 100 CYP per year in YOIs, a decrease of 45%; 491.4 incidents per 100 CYP per year in the STC, a decrease of 58%; and 302.6 incidents per 100 CYP per year in SCHs, an increase of 17% when compared to the same period last year.

The rate of self-harm incidents is influenced by small numbers of 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 January to March 2023 was in the STC (28 different self-harmers from an average population of 52.9), followed by SCHs (13 different self-harmers from an average population of 67.1) and then YOIs (43 different self-harmers from an average population of 412.2).

The number of self-harm incidents that resulted in an injury requiring treatment in the 3 months January to March 2023 was 65, representing 25.9% of self-harm incidents. The number of self-harm incidents that required hospital attendance in the 3 months January to March 2023 was 7, representing 2.8% of incidents.

The number of girls in the CYPSE is low (an average of 12.6 out of a total average population of 502.9 over the 12 months to March 2023). The rate of self-harm among girls was 9,176.7 incidents per 100 CYP per year, compared to 156.0 per 100 boys per year. Each of the girls who self-harmed did so on average 52.4 times per year, with the boys self-harming on average 3.8 times per year.

Within protected characteristic groupings, self-harming was most common over the 12 months to March 2023 among 15-year-olds (745.3 incidents per 100 CYP per year) and white children and young people (699.8 incidents per 100 CYP per year) in comparison to others in the group.

4. Use of Force: April 2020 to March 2023

Use of force incidents decreased compared to same period last year

In the 3 months January to March 2023 there were 999 use of force incidents involving 381 different CYP. The annualised rate was 762.0 incidents per 100 CYP per year, a decrease of 13% compared to the same period last year.

Figure 5: Rate of use of force incidents by reason per 100 CYP per year from April 2020 to March 2023

Force was used on 897 occasions in the 3 months January to March 2023 to prevent harm to a third party and on 202 occasions to prevent harm to the child or young person themselves, representing decreases of 3% and 6% respectively compared to the same period last year. A use of force incident could have more than one reason.

The number of unique children and young people involved in a use of force incident in the 3 months January to March 2023 was 381, compared to 376 unique children and young people involved in a use of force incident in the same period last year.

Figure 6: Rate of use of force incidents per 100 CYP per year from January 2022 to March 2022 and from January 2023 to March 2023

The rate of use of force incidents during the 3 months January to March 2023 decreased overall, with decreases in both the YOI and STC sectors and an increase in the SCH sector when compared to the same period last year. The lowest rate of use of force incidents in the 3 months January to March 2023 was recorded in SCHs.

In the 3 months January to March 2023, the comparative rates of use of force across the sectors were 717.8 incidents per 100 CYP per year in YOIs, a decrease of 9%, 1,266.9 incidents per 100 CYP per year in the STC, a decrease of 45%, and 635.5 incidents per 100 CYP per year in SCHs, an increase of 7% when compared to the same period last year.

Within protected characteristic groupings, use of force was most common over the 12 months to March 2023 among girls (4,353.6 incidents per 100 CYP per year) and black children and young people (1,061.1 incidents per 100 CYP per year) in comparison to others in the group.

Within the YOI and STC sectors only, use of force is governed by the Minimising and Managing Physical Restraint (MMPR) framework. In the 3 months January to March 2023, MMPR techniques up to a medium severity level were applied in 57.6% of MMPR incidents in YOIs and 71.6% of MMPR incidents in the STC.

Use of force involving an MMPR technique designed to induce pain should never be used where a non-painful alternative can safely achieve the same objective and staff must be able to justify their reasons for when they are used. Pain inducing techniques were used in 6 incidents in YOIs during the 3 months January to March 2023, a decrease of 40% when compared to the same period last year, and in less than 5 incidents in the STC.

5. Separations in Secure Children’s Homes: April 2020 to March 2023

Separations decreased compared to same period last year

In the 3 months January to March 2023 there were 91 separations involving 29 different CYP in SCHs. The annualised rate was 550.7 incidents per 100 CYP per year, a decrease of 63% compared to the same period last year.

Separations in SCHs are operated under different rules to those in the STC and YOIs and so comparisons between the sectors should not be made. The accompanying guide to this bulletin has more information.

Figure 7: Rate of SCH separation incidents by reason per 100 CYP per year from April 2020 to March 2023

The rate of separations in SCHs for the 3 months January to March 2023 was 550.7 incidents per 100 CYP per year, a decrease of 63% compared to the same period last year.

Children and young people were separated in SCHs in the 3 months January to March 2023 on 83 occasions to prevent harm to a third party, representing a decrease of 67% compared to the same period last year, and less than 5 occasions to prevent harm to themselves or for another reason.

The number of unique children and young people separated in SCHs in the 3 months January to March 2023 was 29, compared to 69 unique children and young people separated in the same period last year.

In the 3 months January to March 2023 the average duration per day for a separated child or young person in SCHs was 3 hours and 48 minutes, which represents a decrease of 25% when compared to the same period last year where the average duration per day was 5 hours and 5 minutes.

Within protected characteristic groupings, separations in SCHs were most common over the 12 months to March 2023 among boys (1,134.5 separations per 100 CYP per year), those aged between 10 and 14 years (1,492.0 separations per 100 CYP per year) and white children and young people (1,190.8 separations per 100 CYP per year) in comparison to others in the group.

6. Separations in the Secure Training Centre: April 2020 to March 2023

Separations decreased compared to same period last year

In the 3 months January to March 2023 there were 73 separations involving 35 different CYP in the STC. The annualised rate was 560.5 incidents per 100 CYP per year, a decrease of 26% compared to the same period last year.

Separations in the STC are operated under different rules to those in the SCHs and YOIs and so comparisons between the sectors should not be made. The accompanying guide to this bulletin has more information.

Figure 8: Rate of STC separation incidents by reason per 100 CYP per year from April 2020 to March 2023

The rate of separations in the STC for the 3 months January to March 2023 was 560.5 incidents per 100 CYP per year, a decrease of 26% compared to the same period last year.

Children and young people were separated in the STC in the 3 months January to March 2023 on 72 occasions to prevent harm to a third party, representing an increase of 6% compared to the same period last year, and less than 5 occasions to prevent harm to themselves or for another reason.

The number of unique children and young people separated in the STC in the 3 months January to March 2023 was 35, compared to 24 unique children and young people separated in the same period last year.

In the 3 months January to March 2023 the average duration per day for a separated child or young person in the STC was 51 minutes, which represents a decrease of 13% when compared to the same period last year where the average duration per day was 59 minutes.

Within protected characteristic groupings, separations in the STC were most common over the 12 months to March 2023 among boys (641.2 separations per 100 CYP per year) and for Muslims (896.1 separations per 100 CYP per year) in comparison to others in the group.

7. Separations in Young Offender Institutions: April 2022 to March 2023

No comparison available, statistics are published from April 2022

In the 3 months January to March 2023 there were 273 separations involving 195 different CYP in YOIs. The annualised rate was 268.8 incidents per 100 CYP per year.

Separations in YOIs are operated under different rules to those in the STC and SCHs and so comparisons between the sectors should not be made. The accompanying guide to this bulletin has more information.

The rate of separations in YOIs for the 3 months January to March 2023 was 268.8 incidents per 100 CYP per year.

Children and young people were separated in YOIs in the 3 months January to March 2023 on 148 occasions to prevent harm to a third party, 29 occasions to prevent harm to themselves and 57 occasions for another reason and children and young people chose to separate themselves on 56 occasions.

The number of unique children and young people separated in YOIs in the 3 months January to March 2023 was 195.

In the 3 months January to March 2023, the average duration of a separation in YOIs was 14.8 days.

Within protected characteristic groupings, separations in YOIs were most common over the 12 months to March 2023 among children and young people aged 16 (283.2 separations per 100 CYP per year), black children and young people (346.4 separations per 100 CYP per year) and for Christians (281.3 separations per 100 CYP per year) in comparison to others in the group.

8. Deaths: April 2014 to March 2023

No deaths were reported in the CYPSE in the 12 months ending March 2023

Deaths of children and young people are fortunately rare and there were no deaths in the 12 months ending March 2023. 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 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

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

Next update: 26th October 2023 (assaults, self-harm, deaths)

Next update: 25th July 2024 (assaults, self-harm, separations, use of force, deaths)

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

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