Feltham IMB 2024-25 annual report
The recently published annual report of the Independent Monitoring Board (‘IMB’) on HMP/YOI Feltham (for the 2024-2025 year) has shed light on the concerningly long periods of time that children at the institution are spending locked inside their rooms with limited access to education.
Details
Time in rooms
The report’s sections on ‘Feltham A’, the establishment which houses children, highlights multiple concerns regarding the treatment of these children, with a focus on the very reduced time out of room provided to children. Entire units of children receive less than two hours out of their rooms on some days, with other children receiving four-five hours maximum.
There are multiple factors contributing to this problem. Firstly, staff absences (often due to training are sickness) remain a persistent issue, and children are left in their rooms whenever staff are not present. Secondly, incidents of violence exacerbate the problem, particularly when they occur during educational activities. The report notes incidents where the entire education block was closed for more than a week due to fights (meaning zero hours of education were delivered). Thirdly, education classes and activities are routinely cancelled, whilst those activities which are planned are often designed to be accessible to only a small number of the children, leaving the majority confined inside.
The result is that children are spending excessively long periods locked inside their rooms. For the IMB, the primary concern is the limiting effect that these long periods will have on opportunities for rehabilitation.
Other concerns in the report
The routine cancellations of education classes (noted above) form part of a wider, endemic problem with the quality of education received by children in Feltham A. Delivered hours of education are consistently falling below the Youth Custody Service’s (YCS) recommended minimum of 15 hours per child, per week.
Due to significant shortages in resettlement staff, another problem is that release plans are finalised very close to release dates. This results in distress and anxiety for the children unsure where they will be living. This also raises a reoffending concern.
Positives
The report notes that the officers treat the children well, and that the enhanced support unit for children with complex mental health needs is highly staffed with trained and committed officials.
Commentary
This report highlights the continued disconnect between Child First principles and the reality of children’s experiences in custody. Extended time locked in rooms, limited education, and poor resettlement planning raise serious concerns about whether custody can meet children’s needs or support positive change.
For practitioners, this strengthens the case to robustly challenge the use of custody - particularly on remand - and to actively scrutinise conditions where children are detained, raising concerns where standards are not met. It also reinforces the importance of early, coordinated planning for education, accommodation and support on release.
Ultimately, the findings underline the need to reduce reliance on custody and prioritise community-based, child-centred approaches that better support children and improve outcomes.