The Right Honourable the Secretary of State

HMP/YOI ASKHAM GRANGE

ANNUAL REPORT

1 JULY 2013 – 30 JUNE 2014

1

The Right Honourable the Secretary of State

For the Ministry of Justice

Sir

I have the honour to submit the:

ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE INDEPENDENT MONITORING BOARD

HMP/YOI ASKHAM GRANGE

FOR THE PERIOD 1st July 2013to 30th June 2014

Members of the Board

Mr S C Beyer - Chairman

Mr C Golightly

Ms J Guilfoyle

Mr J Woolhouse

Ms E WatsonAppointed May 2014

Ms N GoochResigned January 2014

Dr A J WilsonResigned February 2014

Mr M Barrie Resigned 18-03-2014

STATUTORY ROLE OF THE IMB

The prison Act of 1952 and the Immigration and Asylum Act of 1999 require every prison and IRC to be monitored by an Independent Board appointed by the Home Secretary from members of the community in which the prison or centre is situated.

The Board is specifically charged to:

1. Satisfy itself as to the humane and just treatment of those held in custody within its prison and the range and adequacy of the programmes preparing them for release.
2. Inform promptly the Secretary of State, or any other official to whom he has delegated authority as it judges appropriate, any concerns it has.
3. Report annually to the Secretary of State on how well the prison has met the standards and requirements placed on it and what impact these have on those in custody.

To enable the Board to carry out these duties effectively its members have right of access to every prisoner and every part of the prison and also the prison records.

Table of Contents

page

1. Brief Description of the Prison and its Functions 4
2. Executive Summary5
3. Key Issues

1. The Care and Treatment of Offenders6
2. Healthcare6
3. Security and Safer Custody7
4. Diversity 8
5. Learning and Skills 9
6. Pathways and Resettlement10
7. Enterprise11
8. The Family Team11
9. Catering and Kitchens12
10. Health and Safety12

1. Statistics13

1. Conclusion15

1. Brief description of the Prison and its Functions

1.1.HMP/YOI Askham Grange is one of two women’s open prisons in England and Wales, situated in the rural village of Askham Richard just South ofYork. It provides resettlement and through the gate support to women coming towards the end of longer sentences

1.2.The baseline CNA of 150, an in-use CNA of 126 and an operational capacity of 128

1.3.The population, all convicted, ranges in age from Young Offenders to residents of mature years. They predominantly live in dormitory accommodation but those on Stage Two resettlement and lifer prisoners have priority for single rooms and are placed on a waiting list as appropriate to ensure fairness of allocation.

1.4.Askham Grange is an open prison in which the overriding ethos is for resettlement and preparation of the residents for their return to the community via its Interventions and Pathways regime which encompasses all aspects of the needs of the residents. It has provision for up to ten mothers with their babies, enabling them to maintain full time care of their child up to 18months, whilst in prison, and it is complemented by a nursery. A family team works with them and all other mothers in Askham to prepare for life on release.

The regime is focussed on reducing the re-offending rate by developing a wide range of skills to enhance their opportunities on release. All departments contribute to this in their separate ways.

2. / Executive Summary
HMP/YOI Askham Grange has yet again retained its High Performance Status with a re-offending rate below 6%, it meets or exceeds all criteria set for prisons, PRS Level 4, good MQPL/SQL, low ROTL failures/abscond rates, also approximately 10% under the PCA; the model operating cost for an establishment of this type. The HMIP report shows Askham Grange achieving the highest score for all criteria set by the Inspectors; Safety 4,Respect 4, Purposeful Activity 4 and Resettlement 4. It is one of only three prisons in England and Walesto do so.
The Board expected the uncertainty caused by the threat of closure to impact on staff and residents this has not been the case and the management and staff have continued to provide the best possible support to the women in the prison. This has been demonstrated by the glowing report by HMIP andmakes the decision to close the prison even more bewildering. The Board has yet to be convinced that the “Pod” strategy will provide effective resettlement regimes that have to same low reoffending rates as achieved at Askham
2.1.1 / Short term prisoners being sent to Askham with, in some cases, only days or weeks to serve make the resettlement work of the prison more difficult without a real benefit to the prisoner. There also appears to be an increase in women being sent to Askham at very short notice and this does not help the resettlement regime.
2.1.2 / Conferencing, CoffeeRepublicand the secretarial and fulfilment service all provide an excellent level of training and in house work experience whilst largely covering costs.
The Board fears that all this progress and the wealth of experience will be lost with the closure of the prison
2.1.3 / The Chaplaincy Team has made considerable progress over the reporting period, providing an easily accessible service to residents of all faiths
2.1.4 / The Board continues to visit the prison twice a week for monitoring, often more frequently and matters of housekeeping have generally been rapidlyresolved by staff at the appropriate level.
2.1.5 / Despite the recent turmoil Askham Grange is still an establishment in which residents generally feel safe and think that their wellbeing is looked after. It provides an excellent opportunity to reduce re-offending and to prepare residents for successful and rewarding life after release, a remarkable achievement against the background of uncertainty and closure. This is due to the good work of the staff and we list the various departments who have contributed in the relevant part of the report.
3.1 / Healthcare
Two major changes have affected the section: the first was the decision in October 2013 toclose the prison and the continuing uncertainty this has caused, particularly for staffing. Thesecond was the changeover of service providers. In spite of these changes the service has continued to receive positive feedback and to be well regarded by users. The team are now anxious about the future and the capacity to continue to deliver services at the same level.
Spectrum took over delivery of Healthcare in April 2014. The changeover was relatively smooth and the section has continued to provide a similar level of service to that in the community. Spectrum has provided a supportive presence every week. There were some IT issues initially regarding access to patient held records (SystmOne) but by July this had largely been resolved.
Staffing has been a more intractable issue. Following the announcement of the closure
of the prison in October 2013, the Healthcare section has faced a challenging period in terms of personnel. A newly recruited member of staff almost immediately gave notice in order to take up more secure employment. Further recruitment has proved difficult because of the uncertainty about the closure date and fixed term contracts only being offered until Dec 2014.
Current provision is only 5 days a week therefore there is a reliance on agency staffing /New Hall staff to cover the shortfall when medication is required on a Sat/Sun. There is also pressure on regular staff to provide a longer term solution at weekends.
3.1.2 Residents’ feedback on healthcare services (doctors, nurses, dentists and opticians)
Exit questionnaires are given to all residents on release and these are collated every quarter. Compliments are noted on the exit questionnaire collation.
Percentage of residents who ranked their experiences average, good or excellent:
Period:
July-Sept ‘13* / Oct-Dec ‘13* / Jan-Mar ‘14** / April-June ‘14***
Level of access / 94 / 98 / 96 / 87
Level of care received / 96 / 95 / 91 / 90
Attitude/Professionalism / 92 / 95 / 87 / 90
* Based on 29 questionnaires completed
** Based on 23 questionnaires completed.
***Based on 32 questionnaires completed.
The above figures are extremely positive. Individual compliments particularly highlight the service provided by the doctors & nurses.
User forums have not taken place for some time, as various times and dates were tried, all with no residents attending.
There was some initial confusion about the Complaints procedure after the changeover. This has now been clarified with residents. The form is specific to the Spectrum organisation and copies are now available other than in the Health Care Centre and are returned directly to Spectrum.
3.1.3 Missed healthcare appointments
Figures are as follows:
Period / Number/total appointments / Percentage % / Period / Number/total appointments / Percentage %
July ‘13 / 11/495 / 2 / January ‘14 / 19/475 / 4
August ‘13 / 15/575 / 3 / February ‘14 / 15/484 / 3
September ‘13 / 11/531 / 2 / March ‘14 / 8/423 / 2
October ‘13 / 16/528 / 3 / April ‘14 / 12/475 / 3
November ‘13 / 20/469 / 4 / May ‘14 / 18/443 / 4
December ‘13 / 9/444 / 2 / June ‘14 / 21/443 / 5
A letter is sent after each missed appointment, after 3 missed, residents are placed on report. Staff have continued to evaluate the effectiveness of the procedure.
3.1.4 Transfer of residents with medication
There has been some improvement in the transfer of residents from other establishments with the correct medication. However, there continues to be the occasional lapse, and a lack of consistency in communication about new arrivals and access to their medical records.
3.1.5 Miscellaneous
In November 2013 after a meeting with The Link Tutor of York University it was decided regrettably that Askham Grange would no longer be a placement for student nurses. This decision was based on change to the structure of nurse training and the proposed closure of Askham Grange.
3.2 / Security and Safer Custody
3.2.1 / Security
The Intelligence system at Askham Grange comprises Operational Intelligence and Strategic Intelligence and both form a vital part of the overall process.
Much of this work concentrates on drug misuse, bullying and alcohol abuse. Security meetings are held regularly to review the overall picture as well as individual concerns.
To an extent the women are self-policing providing information to officers when they think a resident’s activity will impact on the prison population. This is also demonstrated by the lack of vandalism to buildings and facilities in the prison.
Although Security maintains a low profile it nevertheless keeps well on top of the situation whilst allowing a relaxed overall atmosphere to be maintained.
3.2.2 / Safer Custody
Residents in general feel very safe within the prison and this has been confirmed in the recent HMIP survey of the residents. A robust anti-bullying policy is in place and investigations are thorough and outcomes followed through.This allows any problems to be diagnosed early and action is taken if needed.
3.2.3 / ACCTS
The prison continues to actively support and monitor women on ACCTS rather than return them to closed conditions.
3.3 / Diversity – Equal Opportunities, Disability and Foreign Nationals.
3.3.1 / Askham Grange demonstrates a clear and coordinated approach to eliminating discrimination, promoting equitable outcomes and fostering good relations, and ensures that no prisoner is unfairly disadvantaged.
3.3.2 / The Board is satisfied that there has been no serious evidence of discrimination or similar inappropriate behaviour, on grounds of race, sexual orientation, gender
(inc. reassignment), marital and civil partner status, religion or belief, disability or age, in HMP Askham Grange during the course of the year.
3.3.3 / The Board remains satisfied that there are no issues affecting the Black and Minority Ethnic (BME), population.This is evidenced by the harmonious manner in which residents of all cultures live together.
3.3.4 / The logistics and layout of the building present difficulties for residents with disabilities as with most accommodation and the education provision are located on the first and second floors. Nevertheless, staff make every effort to ensure that residents with permanent or temporary disabilities, and mothers with prams/pushchairs are housed in ground floor rooms.
3.4 / Learning and Skills
The Learning & Skills Department, under the dedicated leadership of the OLASS Manager, provides a wide range of accredited courses which includes: Maths, English, IT, Business Administration, Customer Services and Hair and Nail Technology. The atmosphere in the department replicates that of a college with opportunities for real work experience.
The department also runs a course in Professional Cookery; residents prepare food for conferences, the coffee shop and some for the prison. Learners on this Pathway can also study Food Hygiene, Hospitality, Cleaning Food premises and Barista for working in the coffee shop.
Almost all residents attend courses so that they gain qualifications in line with their specific, career aspirations. The women see their time in custody as an excellent opportunity to improve their future prospects and turn their lives around. There is a good attendance rate and learners have an impressive, overall success rate of 96%.
Every new resident attends the Prison Induction, the Introduction to Training and Employment Service (iTES). This involves assessing a resident’s competence in maths, English and IT. The resident’s previous qualifications, work experience and her personal and transferable skills are also taken into account. In addition to considering the individual’s ambition for future employment, the department assesses their learning style (visual, auditory or kinaesthetic). Residents also meet with the National Careers Service who creates a Client Action Plan. Following this a pen picture is created and entered onto their Offender Management plan and a bespoke programme of educational courses and work is drawn up for each resident. Each resident also has an Individual Learning Plan (ILP); this is regularly reviewed to monitor progress.
All residents are expected to attend the Customer service course before they apply for Stage 1 and are eligible to go out to Community work (they must do a minimum of 1 day a week for 12 weeks) and to attend the Employability Skills course prior to gaining Stage 2 and going out to paid work which they can do for a maximum of one year before release. The Customer Service course offers residents experience in teamwork and customer facing skills; the Employability Skills course offers residents job application and interview skills. The residents are also given assistance with writing a CV, a letter of disclosure and a covering letter to send with job applications.
The department also runs a course on Self Employment (SFEDI). Professional Cookery, Cleaning, Hairdressing and Nails Technology are popular choices for self-employment; 17 residents set up their own businesses last year. It is a particularly good option for mothers who want to fit in work around young families or more mature residents who want part-time work. A resident in her 50s who had no qualifications and had never worked before gained a cleaning qualification and IT skills. She was really enthusiastic about setting up her own cleaning business on release. While the department encourages the women to take responsibility for themselves, it also encourages peer mentoring within the group. In addition to encouraging each individual to achieve, they are encouraged to take time to support each other and share their skills.
The Department has good links with local colleges. One learner is studying on an Environmental Management course at AskhamBryanCollege. Also three women have recently taken the Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector (PTTLS) course at YorkCollege. Twenty eight (over 20% of the prison) women are studying OU, Stonebridge, NationalExtensionCollege and BradfordCollege distance learning courses.
Residents also have an opportunity to take part in drama, singing and art evening classes provided by staff and students from YorkSt JohnsUniversity. They have put on two performances of their thoughts and songs, one predominantly for residents and the other for family members as well. Both performances were very moving and have encouraged new members to join the groups. There is also a partnership with Clean Break and they run drama work shops and put on performances at Askham.
Residents are involved in keeping the prison buildings clean, preparing residents’ meals, working in the library and the garden centre. Therefore the work of the Learning and Skills Department impacts on all areas of the prison.The OLASS Manager has good links with the Conferencing and the Administration Resource Centre (ARC) and she attends multi-disciplinary meetings with the Health Centre and Equality Departments.
The proposed closure of the prison has had an unavoidable impact on the Learning and Skills Department. It is a tribute to the dedication of the teaching staff that none of them have left to find employment elsewhere.
The number of women being transferred to the prison has fallen during the year. Consequently, the curriculum is under review to ensure there are enough women to run the prison as well as attending classes. However, staff remain focused on ensuring that residents have all their pathways addressed before they leave Askham so they have the best possible opportunity, for themselves and their families, to lead a law-abiding and worthwhile life on release.