A children’s home in Bolton has been shut down after inspectors found that one boy had not bathed, changed his clothes or been provided with a home-cooked meal since he arrived in September 2021.
Inexperienced and underqualified staff had not entered one bedroom for more than four months despite evidence of flies and “a pungent smell” that spread throughout the home, Ofsted inspectors discovered.
Another child was placed at risk of harm by staff carrying out “unnecessary” cardiac pulmonary resuscitation on them.
After the inspection on 5 and 6 January, Ofsted took immediate action and suspended the registration of the home.
The private home only opened in August 2021. It was run by Achieve Care Homes Ltd, which offers what it describes as “therapeutic residential placements” in “the absolute best home environment” for young people aged eight to 18 with emotional, behavioural and socially challenging behaviour.
Campaigners said it was an example of how unsuitable private providers were allowed to enter the market without sufficient checks during the pandemic.
Martin Barrow, a foster carer and former journalist who campaigns on children’s social care, wrote on Twitter: “There was a rush to approve children’s homes during the pandemic. Many do not meet the lowest threshold for quality of care. These arrangements should now be reviewed.”
The children’s rights campaigner Carolyne Willow said: “I’ve read hundreds and hundreds of inspection reports over the years but this really stood out for being disgraceful on every count. It is absolutely appalling and heart-stopping in places and it signals a whole catalogue of failures.”
The inspection found “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”.
Staff were found to spend “very little time” with some children, and were unable to build a positive and meaningful relationship with them.
“One child spends most of their time in their bedroom, including eating all their meals in there. The daily records show that staff carry out a ‘welfare check’ approximately every hour during the day, with very little interaction recorded. This is not a caring or nurturing environment for the children,” the inspectors wrote.
They added: “Staff lack the skills to challenge inappropriate behaviour effectively, such as the children refusing to allow staff to access their bedrooms. Consequently, staff left a child living in squalid conditions, which placed them at the risk of harm.”
Staff also did not sufficiently support or encourage children to attend education. One child was scheduled to see a tutor for up to 30 minutes every other day, but the sessions often didn’t happen and no records were kept to monitor the attendance.
Only two members of staff at the home held childcare qualifications. The fact they allowed one child’s room to be so dirty that it attracted flies “demonstrates that managers and staff do not understand their roles and responsibilities in providing basic nurturing care or appropriate support to children that they are responsible for”, the inspector concluded.
Achieve Care Homes Ltd also admitted children into the home outside their conditions of registration. This is an offence under the Care Standards Act 2015, the inspection notes.
Achieve Care Homes has been contacted for comment.
A Department for Education spokesperson said: “We continue to work with Ofsted – as the regulator of children’s homes – to assess the situation at the Achieve Care Home in Bolton and ensure the children are being kept safe.
“Any institution seeking to register an independent school must meet the independent school standards and the secretary of state must be satisfied that they are likely to do so, considering any available evidence to make a decision. There is no live application from the company in question to set up an independent school.”
