Vinney Green Secure Unit

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC035500 1 SC035500 Registered provider: South Gloucestershire Council

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this secure children’s home

This secure children’s home is managed by a local authority. It is approved by the Secretary of State to restrict children’s liberty. The home can accommodate up to 24 children aged between 10 and 18 years. There were nine children living at the home at the time of this inspection.

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Information about this secure children’s home

All places available at the 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 home, to enable a local authority to place a child on welfare grounds under section 25 of the Children Act 1989. Admission of any young person under section 25 of the Children Act 1989 who are under 13 years of age requires the approval of the Secretary of State.

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Information about this secure children’s home

The commissioning of health services at 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 secure children’s home

There has been no registered manager since 17 May 2022.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit was carried out in line with the memorandum of understanding between Ofsted and the Department for Education (DfE).

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This monitoring visit

Inspectors visited the home with specialist architects commissioned by the DfE. This visit forms part of the information that Ofsted provide to the DfE so that the Secretary of State can make a decision about the continuing suitability of the home to restrict children’s liberty. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC035500 2 Improvements have been made to the physical environment to ensure that it is safe and secure. Some maintenance work remains ongoing, including the refurbishment of the bathrooms in some children’s bedrooms. There are plans in place to carry out this work in the near future.

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This monitoring visit

The requirements and recommendations made at the last inspection will be reviewed at the next inspection. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC035500 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/08/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 20/04/2022 Full Inadequate 08/06/2021 Full Good 20/04/2021 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC035500 4

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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 leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(g)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that children are offered the opportunity to escalate their concerns to external agencies if they are unhappy about the outcome of their complaint. 30 September

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Requirement Due date

the privacy of children is appropriately protected. (Regulation 21 (a))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that all staff follow the home’s policy in relation to wearing smartwatches when accessing areas where children are present. 30 September

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if—

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Requirement Due date

there is no registered manager in respect of the home; and

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Requirement Due date

the registered provider— 30 September Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC035500 5 is an organisation or a partnership;

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Requirement Due date

is not, or does not intend to be, in day-to-day charge of the home. (Regulation 27 (1)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii))

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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))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that staff supervision records fully reflect conversations about learning from significant incidents. 30 September

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

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Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires; and

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Requirement Due date

to inspect the premises of the home and such of the home’s records (except for a child’s case records, unless the child and the child’s placing authority consent) as the independent person requires.

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Requirement Due date

A visit by the independent person to the home may be unannounced.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must produce a report about a visit (“the independent person’s report”) which sets out, in particular, the independent person’s opinion as to whether—

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Requirement Due date

children are effectively safeguarded; and

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Requirement Due date

the conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person’s report may recommend actions that the registered person may take in relation to the home and timescales within which the registered person must consider whether or not to take those actions. 30 September Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC035500 6 The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person’s report to—

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Requirement Due date

upon request, the local authority for the area in which the home is located;

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Requirement Due date

the registered provider and, if applicable, the registered manager; and

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Requirement Due date

the responsible individual (if one is nominated).

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 44 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3) (4)(a)(b) (5) (7)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e))

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the ethos of the home supports each child to learn. In particular, managers should embed and secure the new monitoring and tracking tools into the work of the school so that the increased shared understanding this provides informs the planning of the curriculum for each child, and, formalise the careers programme so that it can be tailored to the needs of individual children based on their aspirations and plans. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 29, paragraph 5.18)  The registered person should seek, as far as possible, that the home maintains a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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 7

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Secure children’s home details

Registered provider: South Gloucestershire Council

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Secure children’s home details

Registered provider address: South Gloucestershire Adults, Children’s and Health, PO box 1955, Bristol BS37 0DE

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Inspectors

Helen Simmons, Social Care Inspector Shaun Common, Senior Officer - Secure Estate Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC035500 8 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: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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