Wetherby scrutiny visit 2021
Summary
Inspectors visited HMYOI Wetherby and the Keppel unit in January 2021 while COVID-19 restrictions still shaped daily life. The establishment had improved safety and care since the previous visit, and relationships between children and staff were generally positive. However, small family groups and quarantine arrangements limited children’s contact with peers and restricted time out of cell, activity and education. Children arriving on the Keppel unit could be isolated for up to 14 days, and one child had waited 44 days for transfer to a secure mental health bed. The report also found weak quality assurance of care records, inconsistent use of body-worn cameras, sentence planning meetings held without children, and a backlog in monitoring telephone calls. Inspectors called for meaningful contact and activity from arrival, timely mental health transfers, stronger safeguarding oversight, better participation in sentence planning and a fuller weekend regime. The report records this as a scrutiny visit, with no four-part healthy prison rating stated for this visit.