St. Charles Youth Treatment Centre (Hansard, 29 June 1995)

§ Mr. Bowis

The St. Charles youth treatment centre at Brentwood, Essex has made an important and valued contribution to the treatment and care of some of the most disturbed and difficult young people with which the child care system has had to deal and has been influential in the lives of many young people.

I am, however, no longer satisfied that the centre can continue in the future to provide properly for the best interests of the young people accommodated there or for those of the staff or for the security of the local community. The centre was designed and built in the 1960s and the buildings no longer meet accepted standards. There have also been problems of management and control which have proved difficult to resolve. In consequence, the centre has been operating far below its nominal capacity and currently accommodates only six young people. I therefore intend to close the centre, subject to consultation with the staff and their representatives on the implications of the closure for them. No decision has yet been taken on the future use of the site.

When the centre was set up in 1971, there were no similar facilities to deal with the most difficult and disturbed young people. Since then, however, local authorities have developed their own secure accommodation and have become skilled and experienced in dealing with many young people needing secure care. The Department of Health already has in place a major building and refurbishment programme to strengthen still further the range and geographical spread of local authority secure accommodation. Working with local authorities, the Department of Health is funding a strategy in excess of £40 million to put in place high-quality facilities which are safe for the young people and for the public.

The other youth treatment centre at Glenthorne in Birmingham will continue. It is being expanded to an overall capacity of 40 secure places within its present building stock and planning permissions.