Urgent improvements must be made to areas of safety at Derwentside Immigration Removal Centre (IRC), an inspection has found.
Inspectors visiting the County Durham immigration centre, which holds a number of extremely vulnerable women, found shortfalls in areas including the safeguarding policy which did not focus on the particular needs of women. There were also flaws in the process for monitoring those at risk of self-harm or suicide, and documentation was inadequate.
Constant supervision in the cases of highest risk was also not well organised or documented. In one case, inspectors saw a male member of staff, with two female staff members, carrying out constant supervision of a woman whose triggers for self-harm included the presence of men. Oversight of the use of force was also not adequate, including the recording of data.
