Milford Haven News
No prosecution over PRU "time out" room
10:40am Saturday 4th February 2012
There will be no prosecution over the controversial use of a room to hold unruly youngsters at a Pembrokeshire pupil unit.
The use of the ‘Time Out’ room at the Pupil Referral Unit (PRU) in Neyland was among cases highlighted as part of the investigations into Pembrokeshire County Council’s child safeguarding procedures.
It is understood the young person would be placed into the room until they were released by a staff member.
The room was used as a “facility for pupils displaying extremely disruptive or violent behaviour in order to prevent danger to themselves and others,” according to the minutes of October and December’s Safeguarding Accountability and Improvement Board.
It said the room was used for a brief period in 2009 and concerns had been raised by an advocacy service, but the facility was no longer used at the PRU or any other schools.
Members of the board were told police investigated the matter but there was no prosecution and matters were dealt with internally.
However, Care and Social Standards Inspectorate Wales (CSSIW) had not been satisfied it had been looked at sufficiently exhaustively.
The case was also considered by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and a second police review was carried out and submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service, which found there was no basis for a prosecution.
An independent review of the PRU was commissioned and a number of recommendations made.
A council spokesman said the report was not a public document but the Western Telegraph has requested a copy under the Freedom of Information Act.