Following the previous inspection of HMYOI Wetherby, additional emphasis was placed on resettlement work. This has resulted in improved outcomes for children and young people in our care. HM Inspectorate’s latest report notes that children and 18-year-olds received good support from resettlement practitioners (RPs) and the social workers who worked with them, and Home Detention Curfew (HDC), transitions, parole and early release processes were managed well.

The Head of Resettlement at HMYOI Wetherby will lead improvement in the quality and consistency of risk-assessment work by RPs, by undertaking the following actions:

• senior leaders and first line managers will highlight any knowledge gaps, to share good practice and identify learning for a training needs analysis
• developing and delivering an appropriate catalogue of training in relation to young people over the age of 18 who are transitioning to the adult estate, as well as Prisoner Offender Management training, for all RPs
• improving RP knowledge and understanding of the intervention catalogue, through awareness sessions, delivered quarterly by treatment managers; and
• ensuring resettlement targets are shared with all children via their in-room launchpads, so that they are aware of their objectives, and that objectives are recorded on electronic case notes.

A review of security risk assessment processes commenced following the alleged escape from HMP Wandsworth on 06 September 2023. This work continues to be led by the Governor, supported by colleagues from the Directorate of Security. This will include a longer-term review of the Local Security Strategy to ensure that guidance is up to date and fit for purpose.

The Prison Group Director has increased the frequency of his visits to HMP Wandsworth to maintain senior manager oversight, and to review progress against current security action plans that have been produced following investigations into the escape.

Immediate action was taken after the alleged escape from HMP Wandsworth to review the processes for workplace risk assessments for prisoners at HMP Wandsworth. A workplace allocation action plan was produced and remains in place, to ensure senior manager oversight and monitoring of processes to allocate prisoners to work activities at Wandsworth.

The National Risk Register (NRR) is the public-facing version of the National Security Risk Assessment (NSRA), a classified assessment of the national security risks facing the UK. The NRR is published by the Cabinet Office.

Every risk in the NRR is owned and assessed by lead government departments working with a wide range of partners to coordinate, enact and test plans. The NRR is informed by the expertise of government departments, academia, private sector and the wider scientific community via a scientifically rigorous process.

We are not mandating individual risk assessments for employees before they return to the office but are encouraging managers and staff to have a conversation about risks and potential mitigations and support that can be put in place using the COVID-19 Individual Risk Indicator toolkit. This is linked to the latest guidance on those whose immune system means they are at higher risk of infection. We do not centrally monitor the number of discussions and have no plans to collect this data.

Bain Capital carried out its own due diligence with respect to the sale. The Department was fully informed and supportive of the sale following its own corporate due diligence process on the purchaser.