Secure care: transport standards for children

Standards

Secure Care Pathway and Standards

These Secure Transport Standards should be read alongside the Secure Care Pathway and Standards, which set out expectations for children and young people before, during and immediately following admission to secure care. Of particular relevance to transport is standard 14:

• Standard 14: I fully understand what to expect of my transport and admission to secure care and I am treated with dignity, compassion, sensitivity and respect. Someone I know and trust comes with me.

Together, these standards reinforce the expectation that secure transport is a part of the child’s overall care experience. How a child is supported, communicated with and treated during transport can significantly influence their sense of safety, trust and wellbeing.

1. Rights-Based Practice

Children must be transported in ways that uphold their rights – e.g. under the UNCRC and ECHR.

Indicators:

• Staff involved in transportation receive regular training in children’s rights and trauma-informed practice.
• Journey records show children were informed of the purpose of the journey and process involved, and that they understood where they were going, what would happen on arrival and were given information in a way that met their individual communication needs.
• Feedback from children confirms respectful treatment throughout the transport process.

2. Safety and Welfare

The child’s welfare, safety, and dignity must be secured during the transport process, whilst ensuring appropriate safeguards are in place to ensure public protection.

Indicators:

• Risk assessments are completed and shared before each journey, including practical arrangements, a plan for supporting the child and outlining roles and responsibilities which are clearly defined.
• Where possible, the child is accompanied by someone they have a good relationship with and consideration is given to the child’s views on this.
• Comfort breaks and refreshments are provided in line with the risk assessment, according to the child’s needs and are communicated to them so that the child is aware that their needs will be met.
• Children are not seated in the front of any vehicle they are being transported in.
• Appropriate staff-to-child ratios are maintained and communicated to the child before the journey.
• Verbal handover between transport staff and secure care staff (both ways) is included in journey logs along with welfare observations.
• Consistency of staff teams for future journeys to support trauma-informed practice is provided wherever possible.
• Information about the secure centre a child is being taken to is available in the vehicle and communicated to the child via leaflets, video or other appropriate means.
• Any searching a child prior to or during transportation is informed by an individual risk assessment, is lawful, necessary and proportionate, and is carried out in a manner that minimises distress and upholds dignity, privacy and children’s rights.

3. Staff Competency and Conduct

All staff involved in secure transport must be appropriately vetted and trained, and conduct themselves professionally.

Indicators:

• PVG membership for children is in place for all staff who are expected to provide the transport service, and the transport provider has obtained a Level 2 PVG scheme disclosure from Disclosure Scotland for each staff member before they commence the role.
• Staff training includes modules on child protection, adult support and protection, understanding and responding to behaviour as communication, trauma‑informed and relational approaches, the safe reduction of risk, restraint (where unavoidable), understanding of adverse childhood experiences, equalities, and children’s rights, alongside knowledge of the children’s hearings system, Scottish Courts process and the secure care pathways and standards.
• When transporting children, staff are be dressed in smart-casual clothing with no company/organisation logos or badges on display.
• Staff role-model positive and respectful behaviour ensuring professionalism, and confidentiality at all times.
• ID cards must be shown by the transportation provider’s staff on arrival prior to a journey commencing and on request at a relevant destination (e.g. at court).
• Complaints and disciplinary procedures are active and transparent.
• Staff have access to regular supervision, reflective practice and ongoing professional development to support trauma‑informed, rights‑based practice in secure transport.
• All staff involved in secure transport are trained in and maintain competence in first aid, including administration of medications and secure road-side evaluation processes.

4. Vehicle and Equipment Standards

Vehicles used for secure transport must be safe, discreet, and equipped to meet the physical and emotional needs of children.

Indicators:

• Vehicle inspection logs and maintenance records are maintained.
• Vehicles have no visible company/organisation logos; tinted windows are used where appropriate.
• First aid kits, fire extinguishers, and hygiene supplies are available.
• Accessibility features are available to meet the identified needs of children with disabilities, informed by individual assessment and reasonable adjustments.
• Age-appropriate activities/resources are provided during the journey, as per risk assessment (with no internet access available on devices used by the children).
• Seat belts are used during the journey unless in case of medical exemption (see the Motor Vehicles (Wearing of Seat Belts) Regulations 1993). Where appropriate, child seats should be made available.

5. Incident Management

All incidents must be managed and reported to relevant personnel.

Indicators:

• All serious incidents, as defined at section 90A(6) of the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014, including death, are reported immediately to the person who arranged the secure transportation service (i.e. the local authority and/or the Scottish Ministers) the relevant secure centre, and – where appropriate - Police Scotland, with written reports of the details of the incident and action taken submitted to the local authority and/or Ministers and the relevant secure centre within 24 hours.
• Providers of secure transport services have and use location tracking on vehicles.
• Following an incident, records of debriefs and follow-up actions are maintained and shared appropriately.

6. Use of Restraint

Any use of restraint must be necessary, proportionate and child centred.

Indicators:

• Staff are trained and accredited in a relevant and approved crisis intervention approach.
• Restraint is not used at a higher level or for any longer than necessary to reasonably mitigate against the risk of the a child posing an imminent threat of injury to himself or herself or to others. The particular vulnerabilities and circumstances of the child weighs in the determination of whether or not the use of restraint is necessary and proportionate in any individual case.
• All restraint incidents are reported by the transport provider upon arrival at the child’s destination, and the relevant local authority or Scottish Ministers are notified in writing within 24 hours.
• Incident logs include details of: de-escalation techniques attempted; why restraint was considered necessary and proportionate in the given circumstances; the restraint and its duration; and the child’s views.

7. Communication and Confidentiality

Information about children must be handled securely and lawfully processed.

Indicators:

• Secure electronic systems must be used for data transfer. Where these are not available, then encrypted emails must be used.
• Staff must be trained in GDPR and confidentiality protocols.
• No unauthorised sharing of a child’s information should take place.

8. Monitoring and Continuous Improvement

The secure transport service must be regularly monitored with input from children and stakeholders to ensure quality and rights compliance.

Indicators:

• Attendance at, and any feedback given during contract monitoring meetings is documented.
• Monitoring reports include child feedback and service improvements.
• Evidence of changes made based on monitoring outcomes of journeys.
• An annual training programme is developed by the service provider and is made available to local authorities and the Scottish Ministers.
• Feedback from children demonstrates that transport arrangements uphold dignity, compassion and respect, and that learning from their feedback informs service improvement.
• Monitoring and reporting arrangements align with relevant statutory and national reporting requirements, including periodic reporting cycles applicable to local authorities and the Scottish Ministers.