IMPROVEMENTS have been made at a secure children’s home near Mangotsfield following a damning report criticising “unlawful, painful” physical restraint.
Ofsted inspectors returned to South Gloucestershire Council-run Vinney Green secure unit for an ‘assurance’ visit in January, six months after publishing a report criticising the unit’s leaders for “repeated failures”, including unjustified use of solitary confinement for up to three days.
The education watchdog’s latest report says it did not identify “any serious or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children” and that youngsters felt safe and were treated with dignity and respect. It describes the home, for young offenders deemed too vulnerable to be placed elsewhere in custody, as a “positive environment which supports them to make good progress”.
Although it was not a full reinspection, Ofsted assessed the care and safety of children and the effectiveness of managers at the home, which was judged to be ‘inadequate’ last June and to require improvement following a reinspection in August.
The report said: “The quality of care provided to children continues to improve.”
It said youngsters knew how to make a complaint if they were unhappy about any aspect of their care and that these were “taken seriously, investigated and acted on”.
The report said: “Managers carefully review all incidents of physical restraint to ensure that the use of the measure was appropriate and proportionate.”
Adam Postans, Local Democracy Reporting Service