ITV film reveals serious failings at UK children’s homes

Publication date: 13 December 2017

Undercover reporters found evidence of understaffing, inadequate training and closure of homes before Ofsted inspection among other issues

A child sitting on the stairs with his head in his hands looking upset

At the end of March 2017, there were more than 8,000 children living in residential homes. Photograph: Alamy Stock Photo

Louise Tickle

@louisetickle

Wed 13 Dec ‘17 06.00 GMT Last modified on Thu 14 Dec ‘17 23.17 GMT

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Some of the most vulnerable “looked after” children in the country are being failed by privately owned residential homes that are contracted to care for them, it has been claimed.

Undercover reporters secured jobs as care staff at residential homes in Shropshire run by the two largest commercial providers of care for looked-after children: Cambian Group, which runs more than 160 homes, and Keys Group, which runs close to 90.

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In covert filming for an ITV documentary that airs tonight, they found evidence of understaffing, inadequate training, and an admission by Cambian employees that poorly performing homes are temporarily closed to avoid failing their Ofsted inspection. The documentary, Who Cares? Children’s Homes Undercover, also shows money being given to underage children to buy tobacco, goading and public humiliation of a teenage boy, and a physical intervention classified by a child protection expert as “restraint” which is played down and then recorded as a less serious form of intervention.

A school in Shropshire run by Cambian for looked-after children attending its homes – recently rated by Ofsted as “good” – is also reported to be in chaos. One pupil repeatedly escapes on to a roof, and a member of staff admits on camera that “it’s awful. I don’t know why they even call it a school. They don’t do anything.”

Another employee says: “I don’t think they’re learning anything here.”

At the end of March this year, there were more than 8,000 children living in residential homes. Children are not placed in institutions except as a last resort, so it is likely that, for the majority of children in residential care, multiple foster placements will already have broken down as a result of their early childhood experiences of neglect and abuse.

Tanya Byron described a careworker publicly shaming a teenager in one episode as ‘everything you shouldn’t do’.

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Tanya Byron described a careworker publicly shaming a teenager in one episode as ‘everything you shouldn’t do’. Photograph: Antonio Olmos for the Observer

These young people often have complex needs and may require urgent therapeutic support. However, child psychologist Professor Tanya Bryon, commenting on one episode where a care worker publicly shames a 13-year-old boy in a restaurant, questions the training and expertise shown, describing it as “an example of everything you shouldn’t do when working with vulnerable children”.

Residential care does not come cheap. The filmmakers confirmed with Cambian Group that one home that employed their undercover reporter charges £4,800 a week. A Keys home that features in the film charged a council £5,100 a week. Meanwhile, care staff are told to keep to tight budgets: one worker quoted £5 a day per child for food. At a Cambian home, the budget per child was said to be £45 for activities, with £50 for meals. The two reporters employed by Keys and Cambian were paid £7.20 per hour and £16,500 a year respectively.

A spokesman for Cambian said: “Until we see the programme, we are unable to comment on it, however the care of our children, who are some of the most vulnerable in society, is at the heart of everything that we stand for. We will take any evidence that we have fallen short of the high standards that we have set ourselves extremely seriously. With the information provided to us we launched a full investigation into these claims. We will act on any findings, in conjunction with our regulator, as a matter of urgency.”

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Keys Group said it had responded fully to the points raised with it by the programme-makers.

Ofsted said it expects looked-after children in residential homes “to receive the highest standard of care. As such, we are naturally concerned about the allegations in the film.” It says it has recently inspected some of the settings involved and identified concerns which led to enforcement action being taken.

“Children’s homes are inspected frequently – at least twice a year for those rated ‘requires improvement’ or less,” the inspectorate said. “This is because we know that situations can sometimes deteriorate quickly. We will consider any evidence passed to us by the programme-makers carefully and will not hesitate to take action where necessary.”

Who Cares? Children’s Homes Undercover is on ITV on Wednesday 13 December at 10.40pm

Countries: United Kingdom