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Secure Training Centres: Children

Answer

An "eligible child" is a young person aged 16-18 who has been looked after for the prescribed period (13 weeks) and is then eligible for services under the Children (Leaving Care) Act and who remains looked after by the local authority. A "relevant child" is a young person aged 16-18 who has been looked after for the prescribed period (13 weeks) and is then eligible for services under the Children (Leaving Care) Act and who is no longer looked after by the local authority.A "former relevant child" is a young person aged 18+ (i.e. legally adult) who was either an "eligible" or a "relevant child" or both who as a result will remain entitled to continuing leaving care support from their responsible local authority until age 21 or longer if continuing in an agreed programme of education or training.Information on the number of children placed in secure units and in young offenders institutions or prisons who were (a) looked after, (b) eligible, can be found in the statistical first release titled "Children looked after in England (including adoption and care leavers) year ending 31 March 2009."http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000878/index.shtml"Table A3 shows the number of children looked after at 31 March 2005 to 2009, aged up to 17 years (inclusive), who were placed in secure units and in young offenders institutions or prisons. This table can be found in the excel link titled (England Summary tables, included within PDF file).Information on the number of (c) relevant and (d) former relevant children who are in secure training centres, secure children's homes, young offender institutions or in custody is not collected by the Department. Information on the numbers in custody with (i) an indeterminate sentence for public protection, (ii) an extended sentence and (iii) life sentence is also not collected by the Department.Information on the number of former care leavers who were in custody around the time of their 19th birthday, who had previously been looked after aged 16, can also be found in the statistical first release titled "Children looked after in England (including adoption and care leavers) year ending 31 March 2009."http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000878/index.shtml"Table G1 shows the number of former care leavers who were in custody around the time of their 19th birthday. This table can be found in the excel link titled (England Summary tables, included within PDF file).

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

508 c1583-4W; 323506

Session

2009-10

Subjects

Children Secure training centres

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk