A children’s home run by Sefton Council has been heavily criticised by Ofsted for placing children “at risk of harm”.
The home was rated “inadequate” after a visit by inspectors last month that found “ serious and widespread shortfalls in safeguarding practice, and leadership and management”.
In a report published on Tuesday (July 27), inspectors said staff at the home had failed to identify the potential for children to be exploited by criminals and had not created a “welcoming” or “homely” environment.
READ MORE: 'Deja vu' over third damning report on Sefton's services for vulnerable children in two years
A spokesperson for the council said the failings were “unacceptable” and were being addressed “as a priority”.
During their inspection, Ofsted staff found broken furniture in children’s rooms and locks on the doors of the kitchen and games room that “not only unnecessarily [restrict] the children’s access to all areas of the home, but also [detract] from a homely environment”.
They added that staff were “not alert to the potential signs of child criminal exploitation”, did not “consistently encourage and support home tuition” and used “language that has the potential to stigmatise children”.
The inspectors also criticised management of the home, where the registered manager has been absent since the start of the pandemic and interim arrangements “have not been adequate”.
There was not enough permanent staff to cope with an increase in the number of children living at the home, and staff had not undergone essential refresher training.
The inspectors said: “Shortfalls in the care and protection provided for children are overlooked, which may place children at risk of harm.”
A spokesperson for Sefton Council said: “This recent inspection has raised a number of unacceptable issues which are disappointing in the light of the ‘good’ rating of the previous full inspection.
“While the impact of Covid has played a part in some of the challenges faced by the service, it is not the sole reason and we will be addressing the points made as a priority as part of the improvements we are putting in place.
“The council is already investing an additional £7 million into children’s social care to improve the service and help deal with the unprecedented increase in demand, which has been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition, external support from the Department of Education will help ensure we make the improvements necessary to achieve better outcomes for children and families.
“And, we are aware of the need to focus on the management of the service and already have a new interim executive director of children’s social care and education in place to drive the improvements.
“We have a committed and skilled workforce, dedicated to working on behalf of our children and I can assure families, children and young people across Sefton that we are determined to deliver to them the high-quality, responsive service they rightly expect and deserve from us.”
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