A damning new Ofsted report has revealed that children were left 'physically shaking' after staff had to lock kids in a room with them for 'several hours' during an incident at a Worcestershire County Council-run children's home.
The report also stated that there were times when staff were "unable to prevent children from physically hurting each other", whilst another was left with a bruise after an unrecorded incident of a child being restrained.
Regulatory body Ofsted rated the home, which is run by county council service Worcester Children First, as inadequate across all their criteria during an inspection which took place in early August.
It was judged on the overall experiences and progress of children and young people, how well children and young people are helped and protected, and the effectiveness of leaders and managers.
The home, which has not been named, has been assigned to Worcestershire Children First since 2019 and is registered for up to four children with learning disabilities, including autism spectrum disorder.
In their summary of the inspection, Ofsted said: "There are serious and/or widespread failures that mean the care and experiences of children and young people are poor and they are not making progress.
"Leaders and managers have failed to ensure that there is sufficient staff to safely meet the needs of the children.
"This has significantly contributed to the shortfalls identified during the inspection and the subsequent inadequate judgement."
Such shortfalls included the failure to repair damage to the interior of the home that had been sustained during various incidents.
One child had holes in their bedroom table, which staff told inspectors had been there for 'around a month'.
Another child had a metal bar fitted across their window to prevent them from breaking it.
However, inspectors revealed that it had not been considered in his individual risk assessment or as part of the fire risk assessment, nor had it been agreed with the child’s social worker.
The bar was removed by a staff member during the inspection.
In other incidents of children being restrained, inspectors noted that records did not "consistently show who has held the child, how long for and if the child has been offered medical attention".
This is despite a child telling staff that they had "been injured and being sick while he was restrained on the floor".
The home was also rife with staffing issues, with low numbers of staff and unclear records on recruitment also being flagged by Ofsted.
On one occasion, two children were hit by a child when there was not enough staff on duty to support all the children.
A family member had also told inspectors that they felt "pressured" to have their child for extended periods due to shortages.
Concerns were also raised as to whether agency staff were safely recruited.
A segment from the report, read: "Records do not show that agency staff have been safely recruited.
"For example, there are no records of references being taken up or clarification being sought about the reasons why these staff have left roles involving vulnerable adults or children.
"The registered manager is unable to demonstrate that she knows that the people who work in the home are safe to do so.
"This is despite the home previously being served a compliance notice to help the organisation to improve practice in this area."
Evidence was also presented to inspectors that showed staff training to be out of date.
The home had previously had a compliance notice issued in relation to the fitness of workers during a visit in September 2020.
However, a follow-up inspection found that these conditions had been met in November 2020.
Despite the fresh issues, Ofsted did note that children did have some positive experiences of living in the home, but that they were overshadowed by times that children did not feel safe.
The report said: "Although there are staff shortages that impact negatively on children’s safety and experiences, the staff who care for the children try their best, in very difficult circumstances.
"This is reflected in the positive relationships that children and staff share.
"The registered manager wants the best for the children in her care but has not had sufficient staff nor effective monitoring systems in place to ensure this outcome.
"Shortfalls in regard to the registered manager’s monitoring of the services have been highlighted at a previous inspection and have not been addressed. The deputy manager role remains vacant.
"This, coupled with other staff shortages, means the registered manager does not have sufficient time and space to undertake all of her management responsibilities. This is detrimental to the care of children."
Tina Russell, Chief Executive of Worcestershire Children First, said: "Since Ofsted undertook a monitoring visit on 19 November 2020, monthly independent visits have been undertaken under regulation 44 of the children's homes regulations.
"None of these visits have found concerns regarding the state of the accommodation or care of the young people.
"The most recent inspection judgement of inadequate was therefore an unexpected one and WCF formally challenged Ofsted on the basis that the reported findings lacked considerable context and were not reflective of the lived experience of the young people, the progress they are making or the care they are afforded by the committed staff group caring for them.
"WCF liaised directly with all parents concerned at the time of the inspection. We are confident that care and progress being made by the young people is good.
"The home was subject to a re-visit by Ofsted on 22 September 2021 with an outcome that all compliance notices were met, and the temporary restriction lifted."
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