We accept unreservedly the criticisms made by HMCIP following their inspection a year ago and acknowledge that we failed to operate this establishment to the same high standards as our other prisons. However, PCG, working in partnership with HMPS, has delivered real and sustained improvement over the past twelve months.
We have strengthened the senior management team, carried out an extensive recruitment campaign, improved employee terms and conditions, developed the initial staff training programme to make it more relevant to the management of adolescents and provided refresher training for existing staff. We have also revised our processes and procedures to reflect best practice in the juvenile estate and have instigated a more comprehensive auditing process. In addition, the education department has been restructured with more teachers in post and the recruitment of teaching assistants; and the curriculum has been rewritten to better reflect the needs and capabilities of the youngsters in our care. We have also refurbished and re-equipped the living accommodation.
While acknowledging our shortcomings, we believe there are structural factors that contributed to the difficulty in Ashfield reaching the high standards of our other contracts. Since its inception, Ashfield has seen almost constant change of focus and direction. The building was designed for young adults and not juveniles or remand prisoners. The emergence of the Youth Justice Board (YJB) as the contract was being negotiated made anticipating the requirements of the new institution difficult. This was further complicated by the subsequent articulation of the YJB's expectations and the implications of child protection procedures. And, as reported by the NAO, the complex contractual arrangements between the YJB, HMPS and ourselves, combined with the divergence between our contract with the HMPS and the service level agreement between the YJB and HMPS further complicates the situation.
However, the corner has been turned at Ashfield and we are now seeing a pattern of real improvement. The last Improvement Notice was lifted in February 2003 and no more are expected. Ashfield scored 77% and 72% respectively in the recent Standards and Security Audits carried out by HMPS in February 2003. Within those overall scores Ashfield attained 80% for Safer Establishments and 91% for Healthcare. The Prison's Ombudsman, following a visit in April 2003, wrote to Vicky O'Dea, Ashfield's Director "You know that I was pleased by much of what I saw, and the juveniles themselves spoke very well of the establishment and of your staff. Manifestly, the public reputation of Ashfield is significantly at odds with the current reality . . ."