Young offenders 'locked up miles from home'

Ofsted inspectors said there was limited availability of appropriate placements, leading to young people being deprived of support and missing out on key services in areas such as drugs and alcohol misuse, education, training and housing.

Young people and their families also described not knowing where they were being taken once they left court and not finding out until they had arrived, causing "considerable distress".

Unless these problems were tackled systematically, the rates of reoffending and re-referral among young people are unlikely to fall, the report found.

John Goldup, Ofsted's director of social care, said: "Young people moving through the secure estate need support which is well co-ordinated, continuous and as close to home as possible if they are to successfully reintegrate into the community.

"While a wide range of factors may lead to offending behaviour, it is clear that young people's chances of avoiding re-offending are damaged if they lose contact with their families, with professionals who are trying to work with them, and with the education and training opportunities they will need on discharge."

The report found one young person was visited by his parents just once in four months after being placed in a unit more than 200 miles away from his home.