Number of admissions at secure care home reaches highest level in nine years

20 young people have been admitted so far in 2024

The number of children in the Island’s Secure Care Home has reached the highest level for nine years.

Statistics for 2024, to date, show 20 young people have been admitted to the facility on 47 occasions.

Thirty-eight of these admissions were for remand purposes, six were for custodial reasons and two were for welfare reasons.

One young person has been in the unit, in custody, for 271 days this year.

Cronk Sollysh, on the Old Castletown Road, is run by St Christopher’s Fellowship on behalf of the Isle of Man Government.

St Christopher’s says the unit ‘challenges historical attitudes to secure accommodation’ and allows young people to ‘consider their actions and reflect on the consequences so they are ready to move forward when they leave the home’.

It accommodates young people aged between 12 and 18.

You can find out more HERE. 

Onchan MHK Julie Edge asked for the data - showing how many children had been resident there due to welfare need, custody or both since 2016 – as part of a Tynwald question.

It showed: 

2016: 12 admissions for eight young people.

2017: 7 admissions for four young people.

2018: 31 admissions for nine young people.

2019: 23 admissions for 10 young people.

2020: 35 admissions for 12 young people.

2021: 39 admissions for 14 young people.

2022: 24 admissions for 13 young people.

2023: 28 admissions for 13 young people.

2024 – to date: 47 admissions for 20 young people.

The information was provided by the Justice and Home Affairs Minister.

In response Jane Poole-Wilson said her department and the Department of Health and Social Care work in partnership to appoint and support an independent monitoring board.

The board is said to undertake regular monitoring visits of the secure facility and reports back to both departments.

You can find the full Tynwald answer HERE.