Report: Achieving outcomes and value for money in secure children’s homes

A report examined the operations, outcomes, and value for money of secure children’s homes in England and Wales.

It said that there were 17 SCHs, mostly run by local authorities but with nationwide catchments. Ten homes held young people aged between ten and eighteen who were committed to care on a secure welfare placement, were remanded to custody, or were serving a criminal sentence.

The others solely held young people on a secure welfare placement. The report examined the educational, therapeutic, and support activities of the homes, and the outcomes achieved.

It made a range of recommendations, including that SCHs should be recognised as a national resource requiring central coordination, and that there should be a national strategy to improve the collecting and sharing of information, and to assess ways to centralise resources in order to provide economies of scale.