Welcome to Derwentside Immigration Removal Centre (IRC)
Derwentside IRC is a fully contained residential centre housing adult women. We focus on decency and respect in all aspects of care for our residents and use continuous innovation to further improve and develop our service.
Management of Derwentside was taken over by Serco in September 2023. Serco is an international service company that improves the quality and efficiency of essential services to millions of people around the world in the most important areas of public service, including health, education, transport, science and defence. At Derwentside we deliver services on behalf of HOIE (Home Office Immigration Enforcement).
Derwentside, in County Durham, is unique in the UK because of the demographic of those we care for and the specialist and innovative services we provide including:
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a comprehensive range of welfare services
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healthcare
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faith and cultural provision
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educational and recreational activities and work opportunities aimed at supporting residents throughout their period of detention and preparing them for release and resettlement
We deliver our service based on a community model allowing residents as much freedom of movement and choice as possible.
At the heart of our work is the emotional and practical support we offer to residents in our Centre. We have positive relationships with colleagues in a broad range of statutory and voluntary organisations both in County Durham and nationally, and work with them to deliver services which mirror those in the community in areas such as health and well being.
Directions to Derwentside
From the A1(M):
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At junction 62 of the A1(M), take the A690 exit to Sunderland/Durham/Consett/A691 for 0.3 mi
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At Carrville Interchange, take the 1st exit onto A690 for 1.8 mi
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At Gilesgate Roundabout, take the 3rd exit onto Leazes Rd/A690 for 0.7 mi
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Use the left lane to turn right at Millburngate for 157 ft
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Continue onto Framwellgate/A691
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Continue to follow A691 for 0.6 mi
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At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto Southfield Way/A691
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Go through 1 roundabout
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At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto A691 for 2.4 mi
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At the roundabout, take the 1st exit and stay on A691 for 0.5 mi
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At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit and stay on A691 for 7.1 mi
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At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto Durham Rd/B6309
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Continue to follow B6309
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Destination will be on the left
The best linked train stations are either Durham (DHM) or Newcastle (NCL), with both stations receiving trains from across the country.
From Durham Station:
- Walk to Milburngate (approx. 5 minutes from the station) and look for Stand M
- The X5 bus will take you to Consett Bus Station, and takes approximately 40 minutes
- From Consett Bus Station, look for Stand A
- The X71 will take you to either Pretoria Club or West View bus stop (approx. 10 minutes)
- From either bus stop, it is a short walk to the Derwentside road entrance
From Newcastle Station:
- Walk to St Nicholas’ Street, and look for High Level Bridge North End bus stop
- Take the X71 bus direct to West View bus stop (approx. 45 minutes)
- From West View bus stop, it’s a short walk to the Derwentside entrance
Visitors to Derwentside IRC
Visiting hours at the IRC are between 9am and 9pm every day. Last entry to the centre will be at 8.15pm.
If you wish to visit a resident at Derwentside, please either select the link below to complete a visit request form or contact us on 01207 260 221.
Request a visit
Any bookings must be made with a minimum of 24 hours notice. Please be aware that any visits booked outside of this notice period require further authorisation and will be considered by the Centre Manager.
Once your booking has been made you will receive a confirmation email with full details as well as a supporting information guide outlining visitation rules and regulations. If you’re in need of collection/drop off within the local area, please let us know upon booking and we will make arrangements where possible.
Social visitors (i.e. personal visitors to residents) must provide
One of the following:
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A passport (current or if expired within 5 years of expiry date). This can include foreign passports and travel documents recognised by HM Government.
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European Community identity card
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Photographic driving licence
Or two of the following:
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Birth certificate
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Marriage certificate
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Rail or bus pass with photograph
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Employer’s ID card or NUS student card
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Young person’s proof of age card
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Trade union membership card
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Senior citizen travel pass issued by a local authority
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Home Office ARC card (asylum support application registration card)
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Benefits book
Remember to bring your ID for each and every visit you attend, failure to provide the correct forms of ID can and will result in refusal of entry to the centre in accordance with this Detention services order.
Please arrive 30 minutes prior to your visit starting so we can process your visit, carry out searches, and deal with any money or property you wish give to the people in our care.
At Visitor Reception, you will be asked to provide sufficient ID, once that has been completed your photograph will be taken. This information will be validated on your entry to and from the visits hall. This personal information will then be encrypted immediately and will be destroyed if not used within six months, in accordance with the UK Data Protection Act. This data will not be cross checked against any other database; it is purely used to ensure the same person exits the Centre as presented to the staff at entry.
Rights of access, correction, erasure and restriction
You have legal rights in connection with personal information. Under certain circumstances, by law you have the right to:
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Request access to your personal information (commonly known as a “data subject access request”). This enables you to receive a copy of the personal information we hold about you and to check that we are lawfully processing it.
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Request correction of the personal information that we hold about you. This enables you to have any incomplete or inaccurate information we hold about you corrected.
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Request erasure of your personal information. This enables you to ask us to delete or remove personal information where there is no good reason for us continuing to process it. You also have the right to ask us to delete or remove your personal information where you have exercised your right to object to processing.
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Object to processing of your personal information by us or on our behalf in certain situations.
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Request the restriction of processing of your personal information. This enables you to ask us to suspend the processing of personal information about you, for example if you want us to establish its accuracy or the reason for processing it.
Can I request the information used at Derwentside IRC to be removed when I finish my visit?
Unfortunately not, but our system is set to auto remove all of your of your details if you do not attend site for 6 months or more.
What details are removed?
The system removes your picture and any personal details we may have taken, we keep basic information about your visit i.e. time date and visit number for audit purposes.
What do I do if I need further information or would like to provide feedback?
We welcome all feedback. Please write your request to:
Security Manager,
Derwentside IRC,
Corbridge Road
Consett
DH8 6QY
Prohibited items
There are a number of items which are forbidden from entry to the IRC. A full list can be provided on request or during the booking process.
Typically, mobile phones/smart devices, cash or sharp objects are not allowed to be held in possession upon entry to the IRC.
All visitors are subject to a search and the concealing of any forbidden items could result in refusal of entry or referral to the local police.
Any personal effects or items that do not meet the entry criteria can be safely stored in one of the small lockers provided on site for the duration of your visit.