North Yorkshire children's home shut down by Ofsted after child's life found to be in danger

A North Yorkshire children's home which has failed to protect children, some of which are at risk of suicide, has been temporarily shut.

The home, run by Cambian Autism Services Limited, was inspected by watchdog Ofsted during a monitoring visit in June and has now been temporarily closed.

The home looks after children from across the UK who may have learning disabilities and/or a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder.

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A report published by Ofsted on July 22 states that staff do not ensure that children are well supported or supervised.

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For example, one child was able to take staff keys and enter the school building where the child was left unsupervised until a second staff member arrived.

The child said that they were looking for sharp knives to kill themselves and threatened to jump out of an upstairs window. They then went down the driveway and stood in the road.

This is something that this child had also done previously.

"Staff actions to divert and support the child were inadequate and poorly recorded," inspectors write.

"These risks were not reflected in the child’s risk assessment. This lack of support and supervision means that children remain at risk of significant harm."

During another incident, a child tied a ligature around their neck but staff did not have access to ligature cutters which were stored in a locked safe for which they did not have the access code for.

Inspectors also note that staff do not safely manage children's behaviours and that they shut one child outside the home in an attempt to manage the situation.

This upset the child who then injured themselves by punching windows.

When the child was allowed back inside, staff failed to provide adequate supervision resulting in a serious incident of self-harm.

"Staff failed to protect or support this child, leaving them distressed and at risk of life-threatening harm until the police arrived at the home," inspectors write.

"The staff failed to ensure that the child received medical support. This considerable failure placed this child at an immediate risk of serious harm."

Ofsted carried out a number of visits throughout the year and issued multiple compliance notices but inspectors found that leaders and managers had failed to take sufficient action to meet all aspects of these notices.

The purpose of the latest monitoring visit was to review the progress and actions taken to meet the compliance notices that Ofsted reissued on May 18.

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The inspectors found that leaders and managers had again failed to complete all the necessary steps required to meet the compliance notices.

As a result of this monitoring visit, Ofsted has reissued two compliance notices under regulations 12 and 13 and has suspended the registration of the home.

The name of the home was not published by the watchdog in order to safeguard vulnerable children and young people.

A spokesperson for Cambian Autism Services Limited said: “We are working to reopen the school’s accommodation in a phased way, and we are taking the steps required to address the concerns raised by Ofsted.”

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