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UK Detention Services Order 10/2024 Updated for Risk Assessment and Placement of Individuals in Detention

🇬🇧 United KingdomBorder Security1 recorded versionLast change 25 Aug 2026
ConfidenceVery high · 100%

Current rules

Detention Services Order (DSO) 10/2024 sets out instructions on the process for completing a risk assessment and the considerations required before placing an individual in an immigration detention facility. This includes specific guidance for placing Foreign National Offenders (FNOs) detained under immigration powers in prisons, and details the DEPMU Risk Assessment process, which utilises forms IS91RA Part A and IS91RA Part C. The order also clarifies roles of various Home Office teams and contracted service providers within the immigration removal estate, and outlines criteria for determining if a TSFNO should be held in prison or the immigration removal estate.

Overview

UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) has issued an interim update to its Detention Services Order (DSO) 10/2024, concerning the risk assessment and placement of individuals in immigration detention. The update, effective from August 2026, introduces Annex C which contains risk assessment process maps and incorporates updated system names from His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service. This guidance provides mandatory instructions for staff to determine the most suitable detention location, including considerations for Foreign National Offenders, to safeguard the immigration removal estate and ensure the safety and welfare of individuals.

Who is affected by the latest change

  • Home Office staff
  • Contracted service providers operating in immigration removal centres (IRCs), Gatwick pre-departure accommodation (PDA) and residential short-term holding facilities (RSTHFs)
  • Detention Services Detainee Escorting and Population Management Unit (DEPMU) staff
  • Escort supplier staff
  • Border Force (BF) staff looking to place an individual in the immigration removal estate from a port
  • Home Office immigration responsible caseworkers
  • Detention Gatekeeper (DGK)

What changed in the latest version

Before

Detention Services Order (DSO) 10/2024 started in October 2024. It gave instructions for the Detainee Escorting and Population Management Unit (DEPMU) Risk Assessment process. It also gave instructions for deciding the best place to detain someone. For Foreign National Offenders, detained under immigration powers, the assessment also considered if detention should happen in a prison or the Home Office immigration removal estate. The previous version already required Home Office decision-makers to think about known risks and important situations. This was before assigning someone to a detention location.

After

Detention Services Order (DSO) 10/2024 provides instructions. It covers how to complete a risk assessment. It also covers what to think about before placing someone in an immigration detention facility. This includes specific guidance for placing Foreign National Offenders (FNOs) in prisons. Foreign National Offenders are people who are not British citizens and have been found guilty of a crime, detained under immigration powers. It details the Detainee Escorting and Population Management Unit (DEPMU) Risk Assessment process. This process uses forms IS91RA Part A and IS91RA Part C. The order also makes clear the roles of different Home Office teams. It also clarifies the roles of contracted service providers within the immigration removal estate. It lists the rules for deciding if a Time-Served Foreign National Offender (TSFNO) should be held in prison or the immigration removal estate. Time-Served Foreign National Offenders are Foreign National Offenders who have finished their prison sentence.

This updated guidance is very important for Home Office staff and contracted service providers. It makes a revised process mandatory. This process is for checking risks and placing people in immigration detention facilities. It gives clearer instructions, especially about Foreign National Offenders. Foreign National Offenders are people who are not British citizens and have been found guilty of a crime. This makes sure people are placed and managed correctly, based on their weaknesses and risk factors. Staff must follow this new Detention Services Order (DSO). This means staff must change how they complete risk assessments. They must use specific forms and make placement decisions differently. Not following these instructions could lead to incorrect placements or poor management of people in detention.

Explained simply

Imagine the government has a rulebook for deciding where someone who's going to be sent out of the country should stay while they wait. This rulebook makes sure that everyone is kept safe and in the right place. The government has just updated a chapter in this rulebook, adding new maps and names of systems used to check how risky someone might be and where they should go. It's like adding clearer instructions and better maps to help the people in charge make the best decision about where to house someone, especially if they've been in prison before.

Frequently asked

Version history

  1. v7Effective 25 Aug 2026EffectiveHigh impact
    UK Detention Services Order 10/2024 Updated for Risk Assessment and Placement of Individuals in Detention

    UK Visas and Immigration has updated its guidance. This guidance is about checking risks and placing people in detention. It replaces Detention Services Order (DSO) 03/2016 with DSO 10/2024. The new order started on 4 October 2024. It explains how to complete risk checks. It also explains how to decide the best place for someone to be detained. This includes special rules for Foreign National Offenders (FNOs). Foreign National Offenders are people who are not British citizens and have been found guilty of a crime. The order adds guidance on placing FNOs in prisons. It also includes Annex C (Risk assessment process maps) and updated names for His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) systems. The update aims to make sure people are checked and placed correctly within the immigration removal estate. This estate includes immigration removal centres (IRCs), Gatwick pre-departure accommodation (PDA), and residential short-term holding facilities (RSTHFs).

Timeline

  1. Takes effect

    25 Aug 2026

    The updated Detention Services Order (DSO) 10/2024 provides instructions on the process for completing a risk assessment and determining the most suitable place of detention for an individual. For Time-Served Foreign National Offenders (TSFNOs), this includes additional considerations required to determine whether they should be held within a prison or the Home Office immigration removal estate. T

  2. Announced

    4 Oct 2024

    UK Visas and Immigration has published an interim update to Detention Services Order 10/2024, titled 'Risk Assessment and Placement of Individuals in the Immigration Removal Estate'. This update, effective from 25 August 2026, adds Annex C (Risk assessment process maps) and includes revised His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) system names. The order provides mandatory instructions f

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