Luton children’s home investigated by council over ‘serious child protection allegations’

The report reveals the home, which has not been named, is being investigated by Luton Borough Council over the allegations.

The report read: “Children are at risk of harm due to serious and widespread shortfalls in child protection and leadership and management of the home.”

While details of the home have not been released, this is its second inspection since opening.

The first report, published in April, judged that the home “requires improvement to be good”. However, the latest report from this month has downgraded the rating to "inadequate".

Hannah Phillips, social care inspector, visited the home in April when just one child was living at the service. The child was not present for the inspection.

She said: “On the day of the inspection, the local authority terminated the child’s residence at the home with immediate effect. Both children who have lived in the home since the last inspection have had to move on in sudden and unplanned ways.”

Staff at the home, run by ANKH-A Limited, did not manage relationships between children effectively, the report noted.

It read: “The staff observed ‘constant play fighting’ among the children, which they also documented in daily records kept in the home.”

The report named Luton Partnership Service’s deputy head of service, Samantha McKay, as the home’s responsible individual.

Leaders and management were also criticised for not having “sufficient professional curiosity”.

The inspector said: “As a result, they failed to understand or assess the risks associated with the situation effectively. This resulted in an escalation in behaviour between the children, culminating in an allegation of sexual assault. Following the allegation of sexual assault, children’s safety plans were not reviewed and updated.”

The home’s staff were not given “clear and sufficient guidance on how to care for children”, and one child spent most of the day in their bedroom as a result.

Hannah said: “Staff are not attuned to the children and do not prioritise spending time with them. On one occasion, the child requested that staff spend time with them in the lounge watching television. The staff member declined, saying they had work to do. This does not demonstrate to the child that they are valued.”

Ankh-a Ltd’s responsible individual, Samantha McKay, was contacted for comment but did not respond. Luton Borough Council was unable to comment or reveal the name of the home.

When questioned, Luton Borough Council confirmed that Ms McKay works at the council as Deputy Head of Service for Luton Partnership Service.

There were some positives, including staff helping a child to develop a healthy sleeping routine after “the child had an unhealthy sleeping and waking cycle, spending most days asleep and nights awake”.

The report praised the workers, saying: “Staff encouraged the child to be more active around the home and out and about with staff. The improved sleeping routines also enabled the child to join community activities, including youth and boxing clubs. This is especially important as the child does not have a peer group available to them.”

The report noted that children at the home have access to activities – including swimming, cadets, going shopping and trampolining – adding: “These activities helped boost the children’s self-esteem.”

Despite this, the report said staff were inadequately protecting children in their care.

The inspector said: “Safeguarding practice is not robust and does not promote children’s safety and welfare. There is not a strong and proactive response to managing and minimising risks.”

Managers were not clear about self-harm risks and dynamics between service users.

The report stated: “One child was at significant risk of self-harm and disclosed an episode of attempted self-harm. However, staff provided the child with a razor, which they were able to use unsupervised for a significant length of time.”

And when children make allegations about staff, these have not “always been managed effectively”.

The inspector said: “Both children have made documented allegations against staff. The manager has read and signed these documents but has not identified these allegations or reported them appropriately to the local designated safeguarding officer (LADO)."

The effectiveness of leaders and managers was rated as inadequate.

Children do not always get care from a “consistent or skilled staff team”. When staff shifts are “routinely covered by agency staff”, the manager was not able to “demonstrate the agency staff’s experience, training or adequate induction”.

When agency staff are working, they are given “irrelevant and out-of-date documents” to read.

The inspector noted that when children have made allegations against staff, “the manager has not always taken appropriate action”.

She said: “This does not help children feel safe or have confidence that their concerns are taken seriously.”

The home has been given a list of actions to take before June 18, including: notifying the relevant people when allegations are made; ensure managers and staff are alert to the dynamic relationships between children and meet each child's behavioural and emotional needs.