Vinney Green Secure Unit

Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC035500 1 SC035500

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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 19 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 child under section 25 of the Children Act 1989 who is 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

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since January 2023.

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Information about this secure children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Information about this inspection

At this inspection, the inspectors evaluated:

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Information about this inspection

 the care of children  the safety of children  the effectiveness of leaders and managers. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC035500 2 Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, using the social care common inspection framework. This assurance inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC035500 3

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Outcome from the inspection

We did not identify any serious or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance inspection.

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Outcome from the inspection

Children say that this is a good place to live. They spoke about having positive relationships with staff who give them the support they need. Most children spoken to identified staff as being the best thing about the home.

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Outcome from the inspection

Staff know the children well. Care, education and health staff work in a coordinated way and deliver individualised programmes of support. These are kept under constant review and are effective in supporting children to make steady progress overall.

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Outcome from the inspection

Children are provided with good opportunities to express their views about the home and contribute to their plans. They know how to use the complaints system and have weekly access to an external advocate. The advocate was visiting the children on the day of the inspection. She confirmed children are listened to and concerns are responded to appropriately by leaders and managers.

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Outcome from the inspection

Leaders and managers have introduced new processes to monitor the use of physical restraint. These include improved working practices between the home and the external children’s partnership, and a focus on the reporting and review of incidents. This additional level of external scrutiny helps to ensure that the use of physical restraint is necessary and proportionate to children’s behaviours and risks.

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Outcome from the inspection

Since the last inspection, there have been some occasions when staff practice regarding physical restraint has been inappropriate, placing children at risk of harm. These incidents have been identified by managers and external professionals. In these circumstances, managers acted quickly to protect children, referring these incidents to the relevant safeguarding authorities for investigation and providing children with additional support.

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Outcome from the inspection

During incidents of restraint, there have been some occasions when staff have taken steps to remove items from a child’s bedroom as a standard action, rather than as a response to the child’s individual risks. When this is not required to manage or reduce risks, this action is distressing for children.

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Outcome from the inspection

In general, incidents of single separation, where children are locked into an area alone due to being a serious risk to themselves or others, and managing away, where children are kept apart from their peers due to risk, are used in line with the legal criteria for such action, and for the minimum time necessary. However, staff shortages during the summer period resulted in children spending more time confined to their bedrooms as an emergency measure and at short notice. Although, in these circumstances, children were provided with additional activities in their Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC035500 4 bedrooms, they were frustrated by this experience. Managers continue to recruit to staff vacancies across the home to prevent a recurrence of this situation.

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Outcome from the inspection

There have been several occasions when children have been found to be in possession of contraband such as smoking materials and vapes. On these occasions, managers have completed investigations that have enabled them to identify how these items got into the home and reduce their reoccurrence. External agencies have been involved where necessary. However, the manager has failed to inform Ofsted about some of these incidents.

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Outcome from the inspection

Suitable action has been taken to address three of the six recommendations from the previous inspection. This has led to improvements in the complaints process, external scrutiny of restraint practice and information-sharing between managers and healthcare professionals.

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Outcome from the inspection

Some improvements in the recording of physical restraints and other incidents are noted. Nevertheless, the language that staff use to describe children’s behaviour is often unhelpful and does not provide children with a meaningful account of their experiences. This is particularly true of the incident debrief records that staff complete with children.

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Outcome from the inspection

Two recommendations relating to medication and education will be reviewed at the next full inspection. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC035500 5

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/04/2023 Full Good 02/08/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 20/04/2022 Full Inadequate 08/06/2021 Full Good Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC035500 6

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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, The 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 registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(e)) 14 December 2023

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the ethos of the home supports each child to learn. In particular, the registered person should ensure that all teachers plan and teach their curriculums effectively, so that children gain substantial new knowledge and skills, and ensure that children have the opportunity to work towards meaningful accredited qualifications throughout the vocational training curriculum. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 29, paragraph 5.18)  The registered person should ensure that medicines are administered in line with a medically approved protocol. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.15)  The registered person should ensure that staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. Specifically, only items that pose a risk to the child should be removed from their bedrooms

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Recommendations

following incidents of physical restraint. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)  The registered person should ensure that staff understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4) Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 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

Paul Scott, Regulatory Inspection Manager Jo Stephenson, Regulatory Inspection Manager Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 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

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Inspectors

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