A privately-owned Redbridge children’s home has conducted an “internal investigation” after reports of children not having enough food and running away.
Ofsted visited the home, which is owned by Sozo Care Homes Ltd but cannot be identified for safety reasons, on February 10 after “serious concerns” raised in December last year.
They were told that, after investigating, the company fired the home’s responsible individual on January 26 and had hired new staff to run the home.
While Ofsted noted there are “some small signs of progress”, it was still concerned by children staying out too late and staff “not work(ing) together effectively to meet children’s needs”.
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In December last year, Ofsted received reports about “children running away from the home, availability of food, quality of the physical environment and how staff are recruited”.
The report, published on March 17, adds: “The staff team’s inability to engage children is the main concern identified at the visit.
“The changes in the staff team lead to disruption in relationships. This has increased the instability in children’s lives.
“Children spend significant time away from the home during the day and often return home long after their curfew.
“Not knowing where children are, who they are with and what they are doing is highly concerning for the professionals and families.
“The provider’s own audit has shown that some required information is not present on some staff files. The previous responsible individual did not follow safer recruitment procedures.”
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Since hiring new staff, Ofsted’s inspector was pleased to see that the home was in good condition and that “there is plenty of food in the home”.
They said children appeared to be “beginning to build closer relationships with some staff in the last few weeks”.
Engagement with online learning, however, varies between children, with one child engaging “only recently and sporadically” after a “two-year gap” in their education.
Sozo Care Homes Ltd was contacted on March 17 for comment but had not done so at the time of writing.
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