Children have suffered “unlawful, painful” physical restraint and unjustified use of solitary confinement for up to three days by staff at a secure home near Bristol, government inspectors have found. Ofsted has published a damning report giving Vinney Green, in Emersons Green, an overall rating of inadequate and criticising leaders for “repeated failures” over several years.
South Gloucestershire Council, which runs the institute for young offenders deemed too vulnerable to be placed elsewhere in custody, says it accepts there were “practices happening which shouldn’t have been” and that it has taken immediate steps to address the concerns. In their report published on Thursday, June 9, inspectors said: “There are significant concerns about children’s care, safety and wellbeing.
“Children have been subjected to the inappropriate use of physical restraint, unjustified use of single separation (where children are locked in an area when they meet the legal criteria of being a significant risk to themselves or others) and physical restraint techniques that have caused them pain. These practices seriously undermine the overall positive experiences and progress of the children seen at this inspection.”
