Vinney Green Secure Unit

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC035500 1 SC035500

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South Gloucestershire Council

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This secure children’s home is operated by a local authority and is approved by the Secretary of State to restrict young people’s liberty. The children’s home can accommodate up to 24 children and young people who are aged between 10 and 18 years.

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Information about this children’s home

All of the places available at the children’s home are commissioned on a contractual basis by the Youth Custody Service (YCS). The YCS may under certain circumstances permit local authority children’s services to spot-purchase a vacant bed at the children’s home, to enable a local authority to place a young person on welfare grounds under section 25 of the Children Act 1989. Admission of any young person who is under 13 years of age under section 25 of the Children Act 1989 requires the approval of the Secretary of State.

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Information about this children’s home

The commissioning of health services in this home is the statutory responsibility of NHS England under the Health and Social Care Act 2012. Education is provided on site in dedicated facilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The current manager registered with Ofsted for this children’s home in July 2015.

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This monitoring visit

Ofsted undertook an interim inspection of the home on 21 January 2020 and judged the service to have declined in effectiveness. Inspectors found significant shortfalls that compromised children’s safety and welfare. Ofsted issued a compliance notice following that inspection. This notice was with regard to the use of physical restraint and behaviour management, and the accurate completion of records relating to these incidents. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC035500 2 The purpose of this monitoring visit was to review the progress made in meeting the compliance notice. The additional two requirements and one recommendation made in January 2020 will be considered at the next inspection.

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This monitoring visit

The recruitment of a permanent quality assurance manager means that the service is now able to focus on behaviour management practice. To review the use of physical restraint, senior managers use a combination of qualitative and quantitative information. This includes the assessment of closed-circuit television to review staff practice. Senior managers quality-assure these incidents and identify practice shortfalls, such as incorrectly applying restraint holds. This improved scrutiny helps managers to hold staff accountable for their actions and inactions.

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This monitoring visit

As part of their review of the use of restraint across the home, senior managers now ensure that records of restraint include all necessary and relevant details. Staff now record an account of the child’s behaviour leading up to the use of restraint. They include a summary of the de-escalation strategies used to try to prevent the use of this intervention. This information allows managers to evaluate the effectiveness of the use of restraint and ascertain whether this measure of control was lawful, necessary and proportionate. This improvement helps to protect children from harm and ensures the continual review of practice.

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This monitoring visit

In addition to the internal review of the quality assurance of behaviour management, external oversight has been strengthened. Following discussions with the local authority, the review of restraints will now include additional officers from the authority’s safeguarding teams. This reduces the potential for over-familiarity or complacency.

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This monitoring visit

Due to the short period of time since the interim inspection, it is not possible to fully assess the long-term impact of these changes. However, the steps taken to date to address the compliance notice provide a strong basis on which to sustain improvement.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/01/2020 Interim Declined in effectiveness 04/06/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 23/10/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness 10/04/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC035500 3

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(d)) 31/03/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33(4)(b)) 31/03/2020

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Recommendations

 Staff should continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. Where there are safeguarding concerns for a child, their placement plan, agreed between the home and their placing authority, must include details of the steps the home will take to manage any assessed risks on a day to day basis. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)

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Recommendations

Specifically, any health-related concerns that increase the risk of harm with the use of physical intervention, need to be clearly identified and considered as part of individual risk assessments.

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC035500 4

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: South Gloucestershire Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: South Gloucestershire Adults and Health, PO box 2083, Castle Street, Thornbury, Bristol BS35 2BR

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Inspectors

Jo Stephenson, social care inspector Michelle Oxley, regulatory inspection manager Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC035500 5 to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: http://www.gov.uk/ofsted

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