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8.3.13 Placement Procedure for Remands to Secure Facilities

SCOPE OF THIS CHAPTER

This chapter is intended as an ‘aide memoir’ for officers involved in Remand management tasks. For the detailed procedure and practice guidance, see Bail and Remand Management Procedure.

RELATED PROTOCOL

YJB Protocol Court Ordered Secure Remands


Contents

  1. Seeking a Local Authority Secure Unit
  2. Placement in a Secure Training Centre (STC)
  3. Remands to Prison Service Establishments (non-vulnerable 15+16 year olds, 17 year olds)
  4. Re-remands


1. Seeking a Local Authority Secure Unit

1.1 Contact the Youth Justice Board as soon as possible. Fax or send by secure email the secure facilities booking form and vulnerability information from the Asset form if appropriate (NB write the young person’s name at the top of this part of the Asset form in case the papers get separated at the other end).  If it is the court officer that is undertaking the enquiries the booking form should contain the mobile number in use, assuming this has a message facility.
1.2

Contact Numbers are
1.3 The YJB will check availability and give advice, issuing an authorisation code.
1.4 The remand officer will liaise with the unit and arrange the placement. Any difficulties should be referred back to the YJB.  The YJB should also be informed when the young person is accepted in a placement, they will issue a placement authorisation form, when the remand has been made – in order to confirm the take up or otherwise of the bed.
1.5 The remand/court needs to inform the court of the custodial facility in which the young person is to be placed so this information can be included in the warrant of commitment.
1.6 Where a Court Ordered Secure Remand is made the YOS duty worker will arrange appropriate transport from the court to the secure placement in consultation with either the allocated social worker, if there is one, or the relevant Children and Families manager. Authorisation for the transport must be obtained from the relevant Children and Families manager before it is booked. Confirmation of the arrangements will be e-mailed to the duty manager and copied to the Operational Manager in the YOS. The details of the relevant Children and Families manager should be provided to the escort service for invoicing purposes.
1.7

The escort service should be furnished with the following paperwork to convey with the young person to the receiving unit:

  • Any Asset Assessment available
  • Warrant of Commitment
  • Placement Authorisation form from the YJB
  • Any recent reports which may be of benefit to the receiving unit
  • Post custody report form sections 1-3, 8-9.
1.8 The forms should also be sent by secure email or fax to the YJB Placement Team. If the transport leaves without the documentation it should be faxed or sent by secure email to the receiving unit.


2. Placement in a Secure Training Centre (STC)

2.1 If a place is not available in a Local Authority Secure Unit and the remand officer believes that the criteria for an STC placement are met (see Remands – The Legislative Basis Procedure) s/he may ask the YJB whether an STC placement is possible. For the placement to be considered, a completed Asset form must be provided.
2.2 There is no provision within the STC contract to enable receipt from special courts working on Saturday and Sunday.
2.3 If approval is given the YJB Placement Team Manager will act as the liaison point between the remand officer and the STC and will forward the documentation to the STC Director.
2.4 Once a placement has been agreed, an authorisation form will be completed by the remand officer, faxed or secure emailed to the Placement Team who will sign it off and forward it to the STC Monitor and Director. A copy will be sent back to the YOS.
2.5 A Placement Authorisation Form will be sent to the Court, YOS and STC.
2.6 Unlike placements in a local authority secure unit, once the placement in an STC has been authorised, an escort to the STC will be arranged by the YJB Placement Team.
2.7

The escort service should be furnished with the following paperwork to convey with the young person to the receiving unit:

  • Any Asset Assessment available
  • Warrant of Commitment (without which the unit will not accept the young person)
  • Placement Authorisation form from the YJB
  • Any recent reports which may be of benefit to the receiving unit
  • Post custody report form sections 1-3, 8-9.

It is essential that if this information is not sent with the escort it be faxed or sent by secure email to the receiving unit.
2.8 Different STC’s have different paperwork requirements. Rainsbrook is requesting the appropriate Looked After Children documentation specified by the Children Act.


3. Remands to Prison Service Establishments (non-vulnerable 15+16 year olds, 17 year olds)

3.1 Notify the YJB by fax or secure email with the placement form, they in turn will issue a Placement Authorisation Form. The young person should not usually leave court without this authorisation being given.
3.2 The young person must be interviewed following a remand into custody, before they leave court to assess whether there is an enhanced risk of suicide or self-harm. Sections 1-3 and 8-9 of a Post Court Report Form (PCR) must be completed as fully as possible and it is important to provide as much evidence as is available when completing the form.
3.3 There should be no gaps on any of the documents sent to the unit. Where information is not known the comment on the form should reflect this. Where references are made to the content of other documents these should be specific e.g. ‘yes - see section 4.2 on PSR dated 13.3.01’ or ‘no - see section 5c on Asset dated 2.4.01’. The PCR should also be signed and dated by the officer completing it.
3.4 Where the young person is not known to the YOS and there have been difficulties in completing the PCR fully, the remand officer should contact the receiving unit and advise the reception office of the situation thereby highlighting the need for a more detailed interview of the young person upon their arrival at the unit and possibly additional risk management precautions to be taken. Record the name of any officer spoken to.
3.5 The PCR and any other relevant documents, e.g. Pre-Sentence Report, Asset/Bail Asset should be sent in a sealed envelope with the young person to the custodial unit. When handing the paperwork to the custodian the name should be noted and they should sign and date the back of the office copy of the PCR to confirm that they have taken possession of it. The YOI should subsequently be contacted to confirm receipt.
3.6 If the young person has been transported before the remand officer has had the opportunity to collect all the relevant paperwork the material should be faxed to the reception centre. A verification slip should be printed from the fax machine and clipped to the office copy of the PCR with a note of which documents were sent.
3.7 Where there is an enhanced risk of self-harm, suicide or harm to others the court officer should inform the secure escort service. The secure facility should be telephoned immediately and the name of the officer spoken to recorded on the case file. The written details must also be faxed and verification printed as noted above.
3.8 When a remand has been made, the YJB should be notified in order to confirm the take up or otherwise of the bed.


4. Re-remands

4.1 Each time a young person is re-remanded into custody or a secure unit a new placement form must be sent to the Youth Justice Board and a new Placement Authorisation Form will be issued.

End