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The lack of residential rehabilitation centres could see more young people with substance misuse problems ending up in custody, charities have warned.

Over the past 12 months, adolescent units at Kenyon House, Greater Manchester, Promis in London and one unit operated by Middlegate in Lincolnshire were closed, leaving "too few" residential options for young people.

Martin Barnes, chief executive of Drugscope, raised concerns over the closures at a conference this week, saying they showed how the government's drug strategy was "not pulling in the same direction" as young people's services.


Barnes cited the high cost of residential rehabilitation services as a reason for the decline in referrals, with the cost of a bed ranging between £2,000 and £5,000 a week.

One service provider warned that residential rehabilitation centres for under-16s were "a dying breed" and said cost "should not be a factor in providing the best treatment".

Another drugs worker predicted that a further decline in residential rehabilitation would lead to young people ending up in custody because of lack of support.


Delegates at the Drugscope conference in London also raised concerns that young people with substance misuse problems would not be "top of the list" in the new children's trust arrangements.

Dr Chris Hanvey, director of operations at Barnardo's, said there was a need to ensure the Every Child Matters agenda would be "at the root" of creating child-centred services for young people with substance misuse problems.