Living conditions at HMYOI Werrington had significantly improved and it was providing more training and education opportunities for the boys it held, said Nick Hardwick, Chief Inspector of Prisons. Today he published the report of an unannounced inspection of the young offender institution near Stoke on Trent.

Werrington can hold up to 160 boys under the age of 18. At the time of this inspection, the population was just over 100. At its previous inspection in September 2013, inspectors found an establishment which had improved but where significant shortcomings still remained. This more recent inspection found that improvements had continued, particularly in the areas of respect and purposeful activity.

Inspectors were pleased to find that:

• the modern reception facilities were extremely good and the first night accommodation was clean and well prepared;
• the induction process was streamlined and more relevant;
• the overall approach towards security was proportionate, staff used de-escalation techniques well and force was used sparingly;
• the level of self-harm had reduced and there had been no serious incidents;
• the close working relationship between the prison and the local authority helped to maintain effective safeguarding and child protection arrangements;
• the standard of the residential accommodation had improved significantly – cells were clean and successful efforts had been made to reduce graffiti;
• relationships between staff and children were consistently good and staff were interested in and had good knowledge of the boys they were responsible for;
• the education provision had improved, fewer classes were cancelled, punctuality was good and levels of attendance were up;
• the quality of teaching was significantly better and the level of achievement by children had increased dramatically and was now very high;
• work to support children with resettling back into the community continued to be good;
• and follow-up work to track the progress of children after release was a promising initiative.

However, inspectors were concerned to find that:

• although the number of assaults had reduced slightly, the overall level of violence remained high and many children reported feeling unsafe;
• work on diversity was weak and a more strategic approach, along with better consultation, was required;
• and too many boys were locked up during the core day and although the amount of time boys could spend in the fresh air had increased, it was still less than other establishments.

Nick Hardwick said:

“Werrington is a well run establishment and we were mostly encouraged by what we found. Notably, changes since the last inspection have resulted in significant improvements in living conditions and the opportunities boys are offered in education and training. These are important advances and it is essential that this progress is consolidated and sustained. Nevertheless, levels of violence are still too high and many boys told us they felt unsafe. Werrington benefits overall from being a small institution where the quality of relationships is good. It is important that this is capitalised on and that staff work with the children to find better ways of maintaining a safe environment.”

Michael Spurr, Chief Executive Officer of the National Offender Management Service, said:

“I am pleased that the Chief Inspector has highlighted the improvements made at Werrington. The Governor and his staff deserve real credit for their hard work to create a culture of continuous improvement.

“Significant progress has been made in a number of areas, in particular raising the educational attainment of a very challenging population through high quality learning and training opportunities.

“I am confident that they will continue to build on their achievements as they address the remaining challenges.”

Notes to Editors:

1. Read the report.
2. HM Inspectorate of Prisons is an independent inspectorate, inspecting places of detention to report on conditions and treatment, and promote positive outcomes for those detained and the public.
3. HMYOI Werrington holds boys aged 15 to 18, both sentenced and on remand.
4. This unannounced inspection was carried out from 1-12 September 2014.
5. Please contact Jane Parsons at HMI Prisons on 020 3681 2775 or 07880 787452 if you would like more information or to request an interview.