Safeguarding concerns raised in report on detention in short-term holding facilities

HM Chief Inspector of Prisons has published a report following an unannounced inspection of the Home Office’s short-term holding facilities in immigration reporting centres in October last year. Concerningly, right at the outset of the report the Chief Inspector notes that the use and average length of detention in these places is rising.

Findings included that staff at some of the rooms had limited awareness of the Adults at Risk policy, the National Referral Mechanism and vulnerability concerns generally. It is noted at paragraph 2.9 that only six referrals to the National Referral Mechanism had been made in the six months to August 2025, all by Mitie as opposed to the Home Office staff, and all in Belfast. This case study was provided:

In one case we examined, the Detention Gatekeeper correctly identified the failure of the Home Office to make a modern slavery referral in 2023 when the detainee disclosed a traumatic history of sexual abuse and torture. It therefore refused to authorise detention. Despite this, local immigration staff in Croydon detained the woman, and she was served with documents informing her of her imminent removal. She then ran into the holding room toilet where she self-harmed and was found in a state of considerable emotional distress. Gatekeeper staff directed her release that day for consideration of her modern slavery claim, and the Home Office later decided there were conclusive grounds that she was a victim of modern slavery.

The inspection found that there was insufficient provision for women’s privacy to be respected and insufficient oversight of use of force. Quite alarmingly, some of the older style escort vehicles that are used do not have seat belts.

The Chief Inspector reported a fairly unimpressive amount of progress by the Home Office on previous recommendations (unsurprising given what we have seen with e.g. Brook House IRC):

At our last inspections of the holding rooms in reporting centres, we made a combined total of 62 recommendations in nine individual reports published between 2015 and 2019. At this inspection we judged 28 recommendations had been achieved, 12 partially achieved, 21 not achieved and one no longer relevant.

Nine key concerns were noted in this report, of which two were noted as priorities which are the most important in improving outcomes for people who are detained.

Priority concerns

1. In some cases, the Home Office took insufficient or no account of known vulnerabilities in deciding whether to detain an individual.

2. There was insufficient health care provision, with no routine health screening and delays in access to medication.

Key concerns

3. Searches and induction interviews were often not conducted with sufficient privacy.

4. The use of restraints by Care & Custody staff was not always proportionate.

5. Data on the length of detention were not well analysed or understood.

6. Many of the holding rooms were not adequately furnished and equipped, especially for rising numbers and longer stays.

7. Detainees had no access to fresh air and many holding rooms lacked natural light.

8. There was inconsistent use of professional interpretation.

9. Detainees had no access to the internet or social media at any of the holding rooms.

The data problems within the Home Office as a whole really do feel as though they are deliberate at this point. We know that much of what is being done or proposed is unlikely to stand up to scrutiny if proper data was actually available on how things are currently working and the impact of various policies.