Ethnic variations in admissions to the Children and Young People Secure Estate – A five year retrospective review

Background:The Children and Young People Secure Estate consists of establishments that accommodate young people, either in a welfare capacity, under Section 25 of the Children’s Act 1989 or detention and sentencing by the criminal courts. There is evidence that Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) adults and children are subject to disproportionate admission and detention in secure settings (Corrigall & Bhugra, 2013; Lammy, 2017).Aims:To explore whether similar trends around disproportionality are evidenced for BAME children and young people accommodated for welfare reasons under the Children’s Act 1989.Methods:All admissions to a Secure Children’s Home in the north of England over a five year period were analysed. Admissions were solely for welfare reasons. Data was extracted from Section 25 Referral Forms and analysed exploring ethnicity, rates of admission and length of stay.Results:164 young people were admitted to the Secure Children’s Home over five years. Black young people were 3.9 times more likely to be admitted to the Secure Children’s Home in comparison to their White counterparts. Those identified as Dual/Mixed Heritage were 6.2 times more likely to be admitted compared to children and young people who identified as White. No differences in length of stay were found.Conclusions:This study is one of the first to explore ethnicity and admission rates for children and young people detained for welfare reasons under the Children’s Act 1989 and found significant disproportionately similar to those that have been documented in other secure settings. Implications for practice and care are outlined.