Southport autism care home 'put children at risk'

Disabled children were unable to walk freely around a care home run by an autism charity and put at risk of harm, an Ofsted report has found.

An inspection by the watchdog rated the home in Southport, Merseyside, as inadequate.

The home was found to have fire safety problems including a bolted basement fire exit and locks on the doors of rooms where some children slept.

Autism Initiatives UK said it had addressed the report's concerns.

The home has not been identified due to Ofsted's rules surrounding the protection of vulnerable children.

Inspectors found locks had been added to prevent other children entering areas where they might pose a risk to the children sleeping.

But the report said the practice "hindered safe evacuation of the area in the event of a fire".

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said the issue was identified in the home's fire risk assessment, but no action was taken until the inspection, after which the home's manager removed the locks.

Other restrictions on children's movement included locking the kitchen and using radios to monitor their location and separate them if a child became upset.

The report stated: "While this may keep children safe, it compromises children's choice and control over how and when they can access areas of their home."

Many restrictions were necessary because the four children at the home were "poorly matched" and could present a risk to each other, it said.

It added the home's manager did not review the restrictions to ensure they were still "necessary or proportionate".

Inspectors also criticised poor leadership, a lack of "sufficient supervision" of children at night and an absence of "effectively planned care" for some children.

However, they noted staff were "enthusiastic" and understood how the children communicated.

A statement from Autism Initiatives UK said the home "has a long track record of consistently being judged good".

It added: "However, the most recent Ofsted inspection has identified some areas for improvement which we have addressed immediately."

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