Introduction: The Forgotten Boys started as a support network committed to helping men who have suffered abuse, sexual exploitation, and torture within the UK Borstal System as children. Our mission is to assist these individuals in overcoming their past trauma and leading fulfilling lives. We also extend our support to men who have experienced sexual violence as adults or all forms of trauma.
Please watch our introductory video by Director and Lead Therapist, Joe Langley.
The Forgotten Boys support men across all regions of The Northeast.
A short video to introduce The Forgotten Boys (only seen on a desktop computer
Extended Services: Our services have expanded to include comprehensive advocacy and therapy, tailored to address the unique challenges these men face. Many have been let down by services meant to protect them, leading to a deep mistrust of organisations connected to their past trauma. We take a holistic approach, integrating Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), and other therapeutic activities, while also providing pathways to employment, education, training, and legal representation.
About Us: The Forgotten Boys was founded after discussions among men who reflected on their experiences of abuse in UK correctional institutions, particularly in the North of England. Institutions such as Lover Lee School, Ashbank Remand Home for Children, Tong Park Borstal, and Medomsley Detention Centre were central to these conversations, leading to the formation of an online self-support group. This group has since evolved into an organisation committed to supporting men who have suffered abuse, exploitation, and emotional trauma.
All of our programmes are developed and run by lived-experience practitioners, ensuring an authentic, empathetic approach to supporting our clients. We offer a wide range of services, combining therapeutic interventions with practical assistance to address the diverse needs of men facing challenges such as PTSD, homelessness, addiction, and issues with the criminal justice system. We are dedicated to helping them rebuild their lives and overcome these barriers.
In addition to direct support, The Forgotten Boys provides Lived Experience Accredited Training for professionals working with vulnerable adults and at-risk children. This training enhances professionals' understanding and effectiveness in supporting individuals with similar histories, ensuring they receive trauma-informed care. Given that many of our clients were harmed by the very institutions meant to protect them, our training also addresses the deep mistrust often felt towards services connected to their past trauma.
A key component of our work is the Pressure Drop Boxing Group, a transformative initiative for men who have endured addiction, homelessness, abuse, exploitation, or childhood trauma within correctional institutions. Combining the physical discipline of boxing with a supportive environment, the programme empowers participants to make positive life changes, fostering recovery and growth.
We also run Punches in Bunches and Below the Belt, a preventative programme developed by one of our team members to address child sexual exploitation. This six-week programme educates school-age children on healthy relationships and online safety, aiming to protect them from grooming and exploitation.
What was the Borstal System?
The UK Borstal system was established in the early 20th century as a method of youth detention aimed at reforming young offenders. The first Borstal was founded in the village of Borstal, Kent, in 1902, and the system was designed for children and young men aged 15 to 21. Its primary focus was on rehabilitation through strict discipline, vocational training, and education, with the goal of reforming delinquent youth and preparing them for reintegration into society, the system left these children as broken men.
The Borstal system was one part of a broader network of institutions that dealt with young offenders or vulnerable children, each with its own focus and approach. These institutions often had overlapping functions concerning control and care, and they evolved over time to address the "needs" of children in different ways:
Approved Schools
Function: Residential institutions for children and adolescents who committed crimes or were deemed beyond parental control.
- Age Group: Typically children under 15.
- Focus: While not as strict as borstals, approved schools emphasized discipline and moral reform.
Reformatory Schools
- Function: Predecessors to borstals, operating during the 19th century.
- Focus: Combined education with manual labour, aiming for moral reformation. They were eventually replaced by borstals and approved schools.
Industrial Schools
- Function: Institutions for children considered neglected, truant, or at risk of delinquency, even if they hadn’t committed crimes.
- Focus: Emphasized vocational training and social skills, complementing the work of borstals in caring for at-risk children.
Youth Detention Centres (YDCs)
- Function: Introduced in 1979 as part of the "Short, Sharp Shock" policy.
- Age Group: For offenders aged 17-21.
- Focus: Aimed to provide a short, sharp shock approach with military-style discipline and physical fitness, reflecting the prevailing policy of the time.
Young Offender Institutions (YOIs)
- Function: Replaced borstals in 1982 under the Criminal Justice Act.
- Age Group: For young people aged 18 to 21.
- Focus: Combined education, vocational training, and rehabilitation with a modernized framework.
Detention Centres
- Function: Used for short-term sentences for young offenders from 1952 onwards.
- Focus: Emphasized physical exercise and discipline, often criticized for being more punitive than rehabilitative.
Workhouses (Historical Context)
- Function: Institutions for the destitute, including children, before the establishment of borstals.
- Focus: Conditions were harsh, with little emphasis on rehabilitation.
Children’s Homes and Residential Care
- Function: Provided a range of services to children in care, including those with behavioural issues.
- Focus: Though not specifically for offenders, these homes addressed issues that might lead to offending behaviour.
Mental Health Institutions (Asylums)
- Function: Some young people with behavioural or mental health concerns were institutionalised in mental health asylums rather than borstals or reform schools.
- Focus: Primarily focused on mental health rather than rehabilitation or reform.
Her Majesty's Pleasure was a legal term used to describe the indefinite detention of juvenile offenders, particularly those deemed incapable of reform. These individuals were held until the authorities decided they were fit for release, which could often mean an extended or indefinite period of detention.
In 1979, under Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, the government introduced a policy known as the "Short, Sharp Shock". This approach aimed to deter young offenders through a regime of military-style discipline and physical training, designed to deliver a quick and impactful punishment. This policy was implemented through the establishment of Youth Detention Centres (YDCs), which sought to provide a brief but intense period of correctional discipline before reintegration into society.
These institutions collectively represented the varied approaches used by the state to manage young offenders and vulnerable children While borstals were distinctive for their focus on education and rehabilitation, the broader system comprised a range of facilities and policies aimed at reforming, controlling, and caring for children and young adults in different contexts.
"When working with vulnerable men, how can you identify signs that they may have experienced abuse or trauma while in the Borstal system or children's homes?"
Forgotten Voices of Child Abuse
Crimes against children should never be accepted, normalised or forgotten.
ICO registration number ZB565007
