Ofsted said the care home’s inability to reduce known risks demonstrated a ‘significant failure in leadership and management’
File photo of police car
A ‘significant failure in leadership’ was cited in a damning Ofsted inspection which said a Liverpool children’s home exposed a child to ‘potential harm’. The report highlighted several examples of concern including incidents where a child would be discovered by police officers at ‘dangerous locations’, after leaving the home undetected by staff.
The children’s home is located in Liverpool, but is not named in the Ofsted report. According to the watchdog, the facility is operated by a private company called Sanitas Cura Ltd (SCL), which provides care for one child ‘who may have social and emotional difficulties’. It was subject to a monitoring visit on August 22 which was quickly followed by another monitoring visit on August 27.
The subsequent reports from both inspections were published on September 27 and detail a catalogue of failures including the inspector’s ‘serious’ concerns about the protection of children in SCL’s care. Ofsted said the assurance inspection was undertaken following a concern raised in relation to the ‘safeguarding practices at the setting’.
The August 22 report states: “The child used cutlery to disable window locks. This meant that they left the home undetected by staff.
“On multiple occasions, the police returned the child to the home after finding them in dangerous locations near a motorway bridge. Staff searched the area, but these actions did not prevent the child from leaving or reduce the risks.
“Electronic alarm systems to safeguard children were ineffective and failed to alert staff that the child had left the home. The manager introduced a new system.
“However, the child was able to leave again by breaking a window lock, showing that the safety measures were ineffective. No further actions were taken to improve security or reduce the risks of the child leaving the home unsupervised.
“The manager and staff did not challenge the decision to allow the child to have vapes. Staff were advised that they could purchase them and did so, which put the child at risk and demonstrated poor judgement and a lack of safeguarding awareness. This exposed the child to potential harm to their health and undermined efforts to promote their well-being and safety.
“Concerns were raised about the child’s emotional well-being, but managers and staff did not take timely or effective action to reduce the risks. This lack of response contributed to a serious incident where staff were unable to safely enter the child’s bedroom to provide support. The incident had the potential to result in severe harm to the child.”
“Staff lack the training and skills to recognise and manage risks relating to the child’s emotional distress and self-harming.”
Ofsted said its follow-up visit on August 27 was approved as a direct result of the ‘serious and widespread concerns’ identified in its initial assessment. Inspectors said staff had formulated a safety plan which included measures to ensure the child was supervised at all times and the use of waking night staff. However, Ofsted confirmed this plan had not been effective in preventing further incidents.
The August 27 report states: “There is evidence that safety plans are not being consistently followed. This raises concerns about staff compliance and accountability in implementing agreed strategies to reduce risk. Furthermore, essential staff training, particularly in managing ligature risks, has not been completed.”
It added: “The lack of proactive and effective measures to reduce known risks demonstrates a significant failure in leadership and management. Leaders have not ensured that appropriate risk management procedures are in place or are consistently followed.
“This failure places children at continued risk and undermines efforts to safeguard their welfare effectively.”
Inspectors also published a six-point improvement plan which detailed the statutory requirements the company must comply with and sets out the actions it must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’.
The Liverpool ECHO contacted Sanitas Cura Ltd for comment, but the company’s legal representative advised it did not wish to respond.
