Reassurance after closure of school secure unit gets go-ahead

KEVIN SCHOFIELD

MINISTERS last night insisted that their plans to increase the number of secure places for Scotland’s most troubled young people were still on track, despite Glasgow City Council’s decision to stop running one of the country’s specialist units.

Councillors yesterday agreed to move towards the closure of the secure unit at Kerelaw School in Stevenston, Ayrshire, and rubber-stamped the decision to close the residential part of the school next March.

Both moves followed the publication earlier in the day of a highly-critical joint report by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education (HMI) and the Care Commission.

The Executive announced last year that it was creating an extra 29 places to bring the number of beds in secure units across the country up to 125 by the end of 2007.

Twelve of those spaces had been earmarked for Kerelaw.

But last night Cathy Jamieson, the justice minister, insisted that room could be found at the St Philip’s unit in Airdrie and the Good Shepherd unit in Bishopton to cope with Kerelaw’s impending closure.

She said: "The places are expected to be available during 2006 - one year earlier than would have been the case at Kerelaw.

"Glasgow City Council recognises that they are responsible for running Kerelaw until the council can identify an alternative provider for the transitional period. In the meantime, we look to the council to fully provide for the welfare and education of the young people in their care."

Under the new arrangements, the St Philip’s unit will have 24 places instead of 18 and the Good Shepherd unit will have 18 instead of 12.

At the moment, 24 youngsters are housed in Kerelaw’s secure unit, while 21 are in the residential part of the school.

The HMI and Care Commission inspectors were called in by the council in June after allegations from present and former residents about conditions at Kerelaw, including claims that "inappropriate" restraint procedures were being used against the youngsters there.

A total of 23 members of staff have either been suspended or sent to work elsewhere following the allegations, and police confirmed earlier this week that a 55-year-old man was being reported to the procurator fiscal in connection with allegations made regarding the school.

The joint report said there were some positive features at Kerelaw, but identified no key strengths. It found that many members of staff had only a "rudimentary" knowledge of child protection issues and that recently-appointed teachers had received no training on the safe use of restraint.

The inspectors also found tensions between members of staff at all levels and that the overall atmosphere at the school was "unsatisfactory".

The report also said that Glasgow City Council’s response to previous critical reports had been unsatisfactory, and listed 16 areas where action should be taken to improve performance. Euan Robson, the deputy education minister, said he was disappointed the council had failed to act on past inspections. A specially convened meeting of the council’s policy and resources committee yesterday agreed to a recommendation by officials that the residential part of the school should close.

Charlie Gordon, the leader of the council, said: "The council will work closely with the Care Commission over the next few months as it carries out regular inspections and monitor progress at the school leading up to the closure."

However, the public sector union Unison accused the council of "washing its hands of Kerelaw".

Ronnie Stevenson, the union’s social work convener for Glasgow, said: "All the evidence suggests that we will need more special placements centres, especially secure units to place children who will benefit from that care."