Inspection Finds Failings in Child Safeguarding

Ofsted was commissioned by the DHSC and Manx Care to undertake a baseline review into children’s social care.

The inspection looked at safeguarding, housing suitability and legal protections in place for children in care and those leaving care.

One of the key findings of the inspection, which took place in April and May this year was that that impact of substance misuse on children is of ‘significant concern’.

The inspection found that the short-term home, which is ‘intended to accommodate children while their needs are assessed, is not effective’.

It added: ‘The inspector could not ascertain whether risks for children were understood or professionally managed in this home due to the poor practice. For example, known high risks for children, such as substance misuse, child sexual exploitation and going missing, were evident and children were not safeguarded effectively.

‘During incidents in which children are thought to have used drugs, these concerns are not escalated. On one occasion, a child told staff that they had been having sex for money to enable them to buy drugs. Records do not make it clear whether this concern was escalated, professional curiosity pursued, or additional safeguards put into place.’

The report did not identify the age of the child involved.

Manx Care has said it has an action plan to address the concerns highlighted in the report, and that work has already begun on implementing improvements, with some already completed.

It also noted that: ‘None of the identified gaps or the issues highlighted in the report were unexpected or a surprise and plans were already in place to start to develop and improve these areas.’

In its response to the safeguarding element of the report, Manx Care said it has ‘developed a multi-agency response to the exploitation of young people across agencies’.

It added: ‘This was in its infancy during the OFSTED visit and continues to develop. Some initial changes were made to the process and oversight as suggested by OFSTED and we will be visiting other jurisdictions in October/November of 2023 to see how they have developed their responses and services in this arena. Any learning and opportunities identified from these visits will be considered and where appropriate implemented.’

We will have further coverage of this report throughout today.