A SOLIHULL children’s home has been rated Inadequate by watchdogs.
The inspection was carried out in October – months after the home registered with Ofsted – in response to concerns.
During the inspection there was one child living at the home and the registered manager was absent.
The home, which has not been named, is operated by Solihull Council and is registered to provide care for up to three children who experience social, emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.
Inspectors rated the home Inadequate in all areas including 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 report said: “There are serious and widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded and the care and experiences of children and young people are poor and they are not making progress.
“The child moved into the home two weeks after the home was registered with Ofsted. The staff team had not received training to equip them with the skills to safely meet the child’s needs.
“The manager did not ensure that all staff were competent in their roles. As a result, the child receives inconsistent and, at times, unsafe care.”
Inspectors reported staff said they did not ‘feel safe working in the home’ and they felt unsupported.
The report noted the registered manager had been absent from work for four weeks and had submitted their resignation.
It added that leaders had recruited a new experienced manager who started work at the home during the inspection but was not present for the complete duration of the inspection.
Councillor Ade Adeyemo, leader of the Liberal Democrat Group on Solihull Council, said: “A vulnerable child in our care has been badly let down and despite multiple incidents going back weeks and probably months, there was no disclosure to Councillors, the Children’s Scrutiny Board or Solihull’s Corporate Parenting Board.
“Councillors from all parties have supported the Council’s journey to improve Children’s Services – we still do and we will always put children first. We still have a lot of questions about the circumstances that led to this Ofsted inspection the child being removed from the children’s home.
“We are calling for full transparency. This is required in order for Councillors to be able to discharge their duties as Corporate Parents.”
Green Party Councillor Max McLoughlin, added: “All Councillors want every child in Solihull to be safe and cared for. In working towards that there must be transparency, honesty and accountability from the administration.
“The report cannot be downplayed if anything is to improve. Public finances are under pressure, but children’s safety must always come first. There cannot be any corners cut when it comes to keeping children safe.”
A Solihull Council spokesperson said: “The findings from Ofsted’s inspection of one of our new children’s homes is disappointing; however, this is a specific operational issue, what we are doing with our new homes is an important and unique initiative for our children and we know what needs to improve. We already have a robust improvement plan in place that has been endorsed by Ofsted, and we are working hard to address the issues.
“Our intention is to welcome children back into the home within the coming months, once we and Ofsted are satisfied that we can provide the high quality of care we expect for our children.”
