Problems at ‘inadequate’ STC easing but situation 'still fragile', warn inspectors
Joe Lepper
Wednesday, January 5, 2022
A joint inspection team has noted improvements in the safeguarding of young people at Oakhill secure training centre (STC) but warn that “fragility remains”.
The findings have emerged following a monitoring visit, which took place in November and December last year after the Milton Keynes based STC was issued with an urgent notification of improvement due to “unlawful” levels of force being used by staff on children.
In handing Oakhill an ‘inadequate’ rating in October, inspectors found the centre “barely met minimum standards of human decency”.
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During their latest visit they found several areas of improvement around safeguarding, including better record keeping and the identifcation of “areas of learning and development”.
The head of safeguarding can highlight problems and track patterns and trends, noted inspectors, who also welcomed better partnership working with services outside the facility.
A commitment by management to increase the size of the STC’s safeguarding team with more experienced staff is also noted. This has the “potential to ensure that the safeguarding service responds effectively to all safeguarding matters,” say Ofsted, Care Quality Commission and HM Inspectorate of Prisons inspectors in a letter to the G4S-run STC.
Managers are “more visible and being supported when faced with poor behaviour by children”, according to staff interviewed by the inspection team.
In addition, the use of force on children has reduced and CCTV footage of incidents are reviewed by managers within 24 hours and quality assured by a minimising and managing physical restraint coordinator.
The STC is without a permanent director and the most recently appointed interim director started work in November 2021. Inspectors said that he had "made a palpable difference in a very short period" and was "child focused and clear in his priorities".
However, a raft of problems still remain at the STC, found inspectors.
They welcomed the “positive” imminent appointment of a permanent director at the STC but warned that “fragility remains in the existing leadership team and staff workforce and the very recent impetus and improvement requires extensive consolidation to provide a good level of safe care to children”.
Delays in the completion of supervision of staff practice are also noted.
Meanwhile, inspectors found that some use of restraint used by staff “could have been avoided”.
“There are examples of poor communication and staff not turning on their body worn cameras”, inspectors add.
And while children feel confident they will be listened to when making a complaint, inspectors found that “several discrimination incident report forms had not been addressed”.
The STC facilitates children aged between 12 to 17. It can accommodate 80 children and there were 34 at the facility at the time of the inspectorates’ monitoring visit.