Rainsbrook: MoJ and private firm agree to end contract

Rainsbrook is on the same site at HMP Olney and HMP Rye Hill, near Barby, Northamptonshire

A private company has lost its contract to run a youth detention centre where children were found to have weapons, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said.

The MoJ said MTC's contract to manage Rainsbrook Secure Training Centre in Northamptonshire had been ended by mutual agreement.

It said negotiations started after children were removed from the facility in June over concerns for their safety.

MTC said its priority was to support staff ahead of the closure.

The MoJ said work was under way to determine the future use of the building.

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Prisons minister Victoria Atkins said: "The welfare of the children in custody is our absolute priority which is why we took immediate action to remove them from Rainsbrook in the summer.

"Ending the contract means we can now refocus our resources on supporting these often-vulnerable children lead crime-free lives as adults."

In October, a report by inspectors from Ofsted, HM Inspectorate of Prisons and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) found poor practice was placing staff and children, some as young as 14, at risk of harm.

The report said: "Children said that they have weapons 'just in case'. The volatile culture places children and staff at risk of serious harm."

Inspectors rated the centre "inadequate".

MTC said Covid-19 had a "significant" impact on the operations of the centre and it was "disappointing that Ofsted failed to acknowledge this in their most recent report".

It said there were "wider challenges" associated with the model and structure of secure training centres, which had led it to agree to end the Rainsbrook contract on 31 December.

"Our primary goal now, as the centre closes, is to support our employees and partners," it said.

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