In the wake of ‘good’ OFSTED ratings, it has come to light that over 100 concerns have been reported within children’s homes in Doncaster.
The BBC recently reported this story, detailing the leak of documents revealing over 40 alerts made to OFSTED about various incidents. Hesley Group, which runs the homes, has issued an apology alongside OFSTED.
According to the reports, there were instances such as children being locked naked out of rooms, being punched, left in soiled clothes and having vinegar poured onto their cuts. Also, it was reported that criminal record checks were not signed off for various staff for up to six months after starting work dealing with vulnerable children.
It was also uncovered that Hesley’s accounts recorded a 16% profit (totalling £12,000,000) across all the sites it runs. This is just below the 17% which the government officially regards as ‘excessive’. The Children’s Homes Association has regarded the findings as “the worst care scandal since Winterbourne View in 2011”.
A former support worker at one of the homes described finding a child rubbing washing up liquid all over his arms. When asked why he was doing this, the child replied “I do this so the night staff can’t grab me.”
Arriving at Fullerton House in 2017, the support worker stated that abuse would be openly discussed, with some staff actively blocking doors so that children couldn’t leave their rooms.
Other incidents recorded included:
- A child being force-fed chilli flakes and denied water
- Medication not being administered for days on end
- One child receiving a black eye and others being kicked and punched in the stomach
- Improper and irregular meals, with one child documented as having lost weight
Such reports dated back to 2018 and came as far forward of spring 2021. Some complaints were escalated to the police, but South Yorkshire Police stated that evidence was insufficient to carry out a further investigation.
Severe understaffing was also reportedly a huge problem, with the recruitment process being of low quality with a wage of £9.05 per hour in 2020 to deal with vulnerable and challenging children.
BBC’s Peter Morris stated in response to how such incidents had flown under the radar up to this point, that “Regulators allow private equity firms to operate mostly in private, so they’ve got used over the last 40 years to not being held accountable.”
OFSTED’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman said:
“We acted in response to concerns [but] we worked slower than we should have to recognise the pattern of abuse… It’s hard to recognise which other homes may have similar risks or if there is a deeper management problem.”
The homes in question have since closed, and the Hesley Group declined to be interviewed in response to the BBC’s findings. However, a statement released said that they were “deeply sorry” to those affected.
The safeguarding group that investigated at the time, which was provided independently, has also since disbanded.
Further reading
Historic abuse claims – Oakwood Solicitors
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In the wake of ‘good’ OFSTED ratings, it has come to light that over 100 concerns have been reported within children’s homes in Doncaster. The BBC recently reported this story, detailing the leak of documents revealing over 40 alerts made to OFSTED about various incidents. Hesley Group, which runs the homes, has issued an…
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