Policy background Secure Children’s Homes and Secure 16 to 18 Academies Secure 16 to 19 academies
Secure 16 to 19 academies are a new type of custodial provision for children and young people remanded or sentenced to detention in relation to a criminal offence. They will be run by child-focused providers and create a therapeutic environment within a secure setting, in line with international evidence that this is the most successful approach in reducing reoffending.
	They will be dually established as 16 to 19 academies and SCHs. This means that they must be principally concerned with the provision of education to young people between the ages of 16 and 19. The Government intends that the majority of young people to be accommodated in secure 16 to 19 academies will fall within this age range.
	Key to the vision for secure 16 to 19 academies is the autonomy of providers. The market for providers consists primarily of charities at the present time. This legislative change aims to provide confidence to future secure school providers regarding their ability to autonomously operate secure schools in line with both their charitable objects and the  Government ’s vision.