Council admits 'more to do' to improve Vinney Green children's home

The unit is based near Emerson's Green

Young offenders at a secure unit said it is a "good place to live" despite staff using "inappropriate" physical restraint placing them at risk of harm.

Ofsted inspectors said "most children spoken to identified staff as being the best thing about the home".

The report comes after an assurance inspection of Vinney Green near Bristol, run by South Gloucestershire Council, in November 2023.

A council spokesperson said: "We recognise there is always more to do."

The newly-published findings show a marked improvement from a damning visit in April 2022 when the home was given the lowest rating of inadequate.

At the time, Ofsted officials said children suffered "unlawful, painful" restraint and unjustified solitary confinement for up to three days.

• Children's home no longer rated as inadequate

• Progress made at Vinney Green custody unit

When they returned to carry out a full inspection a year later they upgraded the rating to good, and the latest visit suggested this had been maintained after the council accepted "practices were happening which shouldn't have been" and took immediate action.

Although children at the home have been left "distressed" when supervisors confiscated items from their bedrooms without good reason, the report said they "spoke about having positive relationships with staff who give them the support they need," said the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

An aerial photo showing Vinney Green secure unit

The report also said managers had introduced new processes to monitor the use of physical restraint, including a focus on "the reporting and reviewing of incidents".

"Since the last inspection, there have been some occasions when staff practice regarding physical restraint has been inappropriate, placing children at risk of harm," the report added.

"In these circumstances, managers acted quickly to protect children, referring these incidents to the relevant safeguarding authorities for investigation and providing children with additional support."

"Nevertheless, the language that staff use to describe children's behaviour is often unhelpful and does not provide children with a meaningful account of their experiences."

A council spokesperson said: "We recognise that there is always more to do and that improvement must be continuous.

"We note the recommendations made in the report and work is already well underway to take action on these."

Up to 24 children aged 10 to 18 live at the unit, whose places are commissioned by the Youth Custody Service.