The report said: “Building of unrealistic expectations as to the likelihood of
staying in the UK by those advising them can also lead to increased
uncertainty and stress for detainees.”

It added: “The working relationship between the Home Office and external
stakeholders has all but broken down in some instances.

“There is mistrust on both sides at both the strategic and local levels – i.e.
between campaigning organisations and policy developers, and between those
representing/advising detainees and caseworkers/detention centre staff.

“These types of relationship lead to opportunities to work together to improve
the system identifying and treating mental health issues being missed.

“They can also directly impact negatively on the mental health of detainees as
a result of an unwillingness by those advising detainees to engage with
legitimate decisions to return an individual to their country of origin and,
instead, raising unrealistic expectations around the prospect of
over-turning that decision.”

_{Morton Hall immigration removal centre at Swinderby, Lincolnshire}

It said there was “mutual antagonism” between the Home Office and
organisations representing detainees, including charities and oversight
bodies.

The Home Office, which currently detains about 3,400 people in immigration
removal centres, had “well-developed” policies in place to deal with
detainees, the report went on.

However, they did not always work smoothly in practice.

The report recommended improvements to the way custody staff deal with
detainees with mental health issues, as well as training in cultural
awareness.

In some cases staff wrongly viewed self harm as “attention-seeking behaviour”,
it said.

In the wake of the report Theresa May, the Home Secretary, announced a six
month independent inquiry into “policies and procedures affecting the
welfare of those held in immigration removal centres”.

It will be led by Stephen Shaw, a former prisons and probation ombudsman.

Mrs May said: “Immigration detention is a vital tool in helping ensure those
with no right to remain in the UK are returned to their home country.

“But I take the welfare of those in the government’s care very seriously and I
want to ensure the health and wellbeing of all detainees, some of whom may
be vulnerable, is safeguarded at all times.

“That is why I have asked Stephen Shaw, who has a wealth of relevant
experience, to undertake a comprehensive review of our immigration detention
estate.

“We are building an immigration system that is fair to British nationals and
legitimate migrants, but we must also ensure it treats those we are removing
from the UK with an equal sense of fairness.”