Action for Children has apologised after one of its children’s homes was suspended and deemed unsafe in a recent Ofsted report.
Ofsted reported “serious child protection allegations” at the home and accused staff of not knowing how to safeguard children.
The charity said it is taking the findings “extremely seriously” but that it has challenged some of the report’s findings which it thinks were inaccurate.
Ofsted rated the home, not named in the report, as “inadequate” and suspended it on 16 March after inspecting the facility on 14 and 15 March.
“The inspector was aware during this inspection that serious child protection allegations were being investigated by the appropriate authorities,” the report says.
“Staff spoken to by the inspector did not know how to report safeguarding concerns appropriately. There has been minimal action by managers and leaders to ensure that staff understand good safeguarding practice.
“Marks and injuries to children have not been recorded or reported appropriately. There is a lack of detail in recording and insufficient professional curiosity demonstrated by managers.”
Action for Children: Staffing ‘major issue’
An Action for Children spokesperson said: “We are deeply sorry this service has not met our usual high standards. Just 13 months ago its rating was ‘Good’.
“Our absolute priority is to keep children safe. We are taking the findings extremely seriously, working immediately to address the issues with a comprehensive Ofsted action plan. We now have new management in place to implement that plan and staff at the service have undergone further safeguarding training. We are now reviewing the learning to share across our organisation for best practice.
“We have been working hard to recruit and retain staff across our services and acknowledge staffing has been a major issue, which is a challenge across the sector as the recent Independent Review of Children’s Social Care has concluded.
“We also challenged some of the Ofsted report’s findings which we think were inaccurate.
“Before it issued its final report, we shared with Ofsted the positive summary of an external independent investigation we commissioned following child protection allegations at the service. We are pleased that the independent investigation found no evidence of safeguarding or child protection concerns, but we also know our efforts to manage risks fell short.
“We are working closely with the local authority, where we have two other services rated as ‘good’ and want to build further communication and constructive engagement with the regulator. We are taking all steps necessary to resolve the issues so we can reopen the service as soon as possible for the families and children who need it.”
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