A CHILDREN’S home in Worcester has been closed by Ofsted after “serious concerns” were raised, following one child going missing and another breaking their way out without staff realising.

An Ofsted report says Green Hill Lodge, in Merrimans Hill Road, has been “poorly managed” which has led to the home being forced to shut temporarily until an action plan for improvement is put in place.

The children’s home, which is registered by Worcestershire Children First, could accommodate up to eight vulnerable children including those who had suffered traumatic experiences and others who have a learning disability.

The report says that Ofsted investigated in early May after reports of issues including a new child going missing from the home and staff being unable to give the police basic information about that child

Another issue was that, on one occasion, a child was sent to his bedroom by staff, who then heard a loud crash coming from the bedroom but failed to check on the boy. It was only when another child said the boy had smashed his window to escape the home that staff investigated, the report says.

Another issue raised was that children’s complaints went unaddressed and were not shared with other professionals. This has led to children not feeling listened to or respected.

The report said children do not get the help they need to understand decisions or to manage their emotions. This lack of help has allowed incidents to escalate, and children have become so frightened that they have barricaded themselves in their bedrooms, and the staff have locked themselves in the office.

As a result of the inspection, Ofsted has set out a list of actions that need to be met in order to improve the children’s home.

Tina Russell, director for social care and safeguarding at Worcestershire Children First, which runs services on behalf of the county council, said: “We can confirm that following an Ofsted inspection of one of our residential children’s homes the required registration has been temporarily removed.

“Worcestershire Children First have worked closely with the parents and professionals to find temporary family care or alternative accommodation.

“Our priority has been to ensure the children and young people are supported and that we minimise any negative impact on them through these changes. We will now work with the staff and Ofsted to address the concerns raised.”

Due to Covid-19, Ofsted did not physically visit the home. Instead, inspectors gathered evidence in different ways, including by talking to the group’s manager, the registered manager, members of staff, the police and the children living at the home.

A spokesman from Ofsted said: “We have suspended the registration of this residential children’s home, which means that it is closed temporarily, because we had concerns about the quality of care in it.

“As the regulator of children’s homes, our priority is to ensure the safety and wellbeing of children living in them.”

Nobody from Green Hill Lodge was available to comment when the Worcester News tried to make contact.