A girl went missing one night from a children’s home in Sefton, Merseyside. This incident alone should have stirred warning bells into the effectiveness of safety and monitoring protocols. The emergency took place at a home that has a capacity of two children. It has brought to light egregious oversights in the treatment provided to our country’s most vulnerable citizens battling social and emotional hardships.
The child’s care home worked on a detailed care plan for the child. This plan called for constant surveillance all night long. Daily logs in the facility’s records indicated that these checks were done timely and properly. As it turns out, this claim has been thoroughly debunked. Perhaps most disturbingly, after the child suffered a medical emergency at night, the child’s staff called for help, but the home’s phone was not picked up.
This troubling incident came to light during an Ofsted inspection in June, which identified serious and widespread concerns regarding the care and protection of children at the facility. Ofsted inspectors found that this too constituted a critical safeguarding failure, thus placing the child in “significant risk.”
When the Commission determined its findings, two minor children were living in the home. However, in April a Record of Inspection had deemed the care home as “requires improvement to be good.” Yet even that assessment underscored the persistent difficulties of giving full support to everyone who lives there.
In the wake of the incident, a spokesperson for the care management organization, PCGL, responded.
“Unfortunately, an isolated safeguarding incident led to the temporary suspension of the home. It’s nothing that has ever happened before,” – PCGL representative
The representative further acknowledged the impact of this incident on their operations:
“We’ve reflected on the incident since and whilst it will take time to recover as a small provider, we will do so.” – PCGL representative