The YJB will be commissioning 191 beds in secure children’s homes in England and Wales under new contracts.
Following the outcome of the joint YJB and Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) secure children’s homes recommissioning exercise, the YJB has modelled the number of beds required in secure children’s homes and will be commissioning 191 beds in England and Wales under new contracts starting on 1 July 2009.
New contracts will be awarded to the following homes to ensure provision is available in all parts of the country:
- Aldine House Secure Children’s Centre, Sheffield
- Aycliffe Secure Services, County Durham
- Barton Moss Secure Care Centre, Manchester
- Clayfields House Secure Unit, Nottingham
- East Moor Secure Children’s Home, West Yorkshire
- Lincolnshire Secure Unit, Lincolnshire
- Red Bank Community Home, Merseyside
- Swanwick Lodge, Southampton
- Vinney Green Secure Unit, South Gloucestershire.
The YJB will offer to commission a similar number of beds as at present in the nine establishments named above. There are also four secure children’s homes in England currently contracted with YJB who will not be offered a new contract. We will work with DCSF and those units to agree transition arrangements which support the sustainable provision of welfare beds, while the YJB moves to its contracted total of 191 beds by March 2010. The YJB currently commissions 219 beds in this sector.
The four secure children’s homes which will be offered transition support are:
- Kyloe House Secure Children’s Home, Northumberland
- Sutton Place Safe Centre, Hull
- Orchard Lodge Secure Unit, London
- Atkinson Unit, Exeter.
Secure children’s homes have a distinct and long-term role in providing secure accommodation for younger children and young people with particular needs. The number of beds required in this sector is based on an analysis of the population of secure children’s homes and secure training centres over the last three years, taking into account the geographical spread of homes across England. Because there is only one secure children’s home in Wales, Hillside, it has not been included in the recommissioning process and the renewal of their contract is being dealt with separately.
The commissioning follows the completion of a retendering process among secure children’s homes in England. Tenders were assessed on both quality and financial criteria. The competition for new contracts was run alongside DCSF’s competition for capital grants. DCSF intend to build on their previous capital investment by investing up to a further £50 million in the sector over the next four years to significantly improve the accommodation and facilities available. The bulk of that sum will be made available over 2009/10 and 2010/11. Further funding thereafter will be subject to the next spending review.
While the results of the recommissioning exercise will guarantee sufficient provision of appropriate secure accommodation for young people, the YJB remains committed to reducing the numbers of young people in custody in England and Wales. It continues to invest in alternatives to custody, including Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Programmes and Intensive Fostering.
Click to read a background note for more information [28Kb PDF; opens in new window].