Damning inspection report rates Crawley children's home 'inadequate'

Ofsted visited the West Sussex County Council run Teasel Close, which looks after around five children, in early August.

It was rated inadequate in all three major categories: overall experiences and progresses of children and young people; how well children and young people are helped and protected; and the effectiveness of leaders and managers

In a report published yesterday (Tuesday September 27), Ofsted said: “Leaders and managers have failed to take effective action in a timely manner to safeguard children. Children’s emotional wellbeing has suffered as a result of harmful peer relationships and the disruptive behaviour.”

Teasel Close was rated outstanding after its last inspection in May 2021.

The report outlines how management arrangements at the home have been disrupted in recent weeks caused by sickness and changes to assistant manager posts.

The admissions process was ‘not robust’ as an assessment of the likely impact one child would have on the other children already living at the home was not competed until after they had already been admitted.

The managers and staff were also criticised for not taking timely and effective action to prevent two children, who had entered into a personal relationship, from harming each other.

Over time, the report said, this became an abusive and controlling relationship and on one occasion one of the children physically assaulted the other.

It added: “Both children suffered emotional trauma during this relationship, resulting in aggressive and violent behaviours and increased levels of substance misuse.”

The report also criticised senior managers for failing to ensure a decision to move a child from the home was acted upon in a timely way meaning the ‘abusive relationship between two children became entrenched over a period of months’.

Some staff described feeling ‘powerless’ when trying to maintain good order in the home. On one occasion, three children barricaded themselves in a bedroom overnight, a situation not resolved until the following afternoon when a more experienced member of staff intervened.

Some children told the staff how scared and uncomfortable they had been when another child caused significant damage in the home. However, these concerns were not deemed to be complaints.

One child described feeling ‘petrified’ during the loud and aggressive arguments that other children engaged in.

The children were not always adequately supervised by the staff, while some of the children had increased their level of substance misuse.

Meanwhile at the time of the inspection, only one of the four children had definite arrangements in place to continue their education, training or career ambitions in the next academic year.

The children’s weekly activity plans ‘lacked detail and did not demonstrate high levels of aspiration’.

When it comes to the building itself, parts of the home were described as not providing a homely welcoming environment, with maintenance tasks not completed in a timely way and areas ‘in need of redecoration’.

Screws were observed protruding from a wall in the communal hallway and there was a cracked picture frame hung up.

Some of the children’s bedrooms were not well furnished, for example net curtains were being used to cover recesses in the wall being used as wardrobes.

However the inspection report also noted in recent weeks leaders and managers had taken steps to end the abusive relationship between two children at the home, while other steps had been taken to ensure staff are more confident in dealing with challenging situations and follow procedures in place to protect the children’s safety. This has led to a reduction in serious incidents and decreased levels of substance misuse.

Clearer guidance has been issued on responding to substance misuse concerns and maintaining appropriate boundaries.

Jacquie Russell, cabinet member for children and young people at WSCC, said: “We fully accept the findings from the report and responsibility for the failings in the home, which our teams have been working hard to address.

“I am disappointed that a home that until recently Ofsted had rated as outstanding was not delivering the standard of service we demand from our homes.

“To address this, we have immediately put into place action plans to ensure the children and young people we care for are properly safeguarded. These plans have been shared with Ofsted to make sure we are complying with the high standards of care required and I am encouraged by the progress which has been made.

“We have taken on board the learning from the report to ensure we continue to meet those standards and welcome the next Ofsted visit where we can evidence the changes and improvements made.”