Written question WQ94337
- Asked by
- Rhys ab OwenIndependent
- To be answered by
- Cabinet Secretary for Education
- Tabled
- Due
- Answered
- Time to answer
- 14 days
Question
What is the Welsh Government's response to the Ofsted report 'A decade of declining quality in Youth Offending Institutions', considering children from Wales are sent to institutions in England and the concerns raised by Estyn in October 2023 of the substantial decline in Parc Young Offender Institute?
Answer
Answered by Minister for Further and Higher Education
The review of education in Young Offender Institutions (YOIs) published on 2 October relates only to YOIs in England. The UK Government has responsibility for criminal justice, including youth justice. We liaise regularly with the Ministry of Justice on youth justice issues, including on the youth custodial estate. The decision on where a child is placed is made by the Youth Custody Service and is a reserved process. Welsh children are placed close to their homes wherever possible but sometimes placed in England. For those Welsh children placed in Parc YOI, the Independent Monitoring Board’s national annual report for 2023 was positive. Estyn’s assessment of education at Parc YOI highlighted the need for improvement but recognised ‘These concerns had been identified and partnership arrangements to support improvements in the quality of education provision were being developed’.