Dudley children's home closed after inspection finds failings
Council bosses say urgent improvements are being made to a children's home following stinging criticism by Ofsted.
Maitland Road Children's Home in Dudley was shut earlier this year after an inspection flagged up a number of serious concerns.
A small number of children in care were housed at the home in Russells Hall, which is run by the borough council.
The authority said the home was "currently closed to children and was in urgent need of repair and refurbishment".
Following a visit earlier this year, Ofsted inspectors said staff "do not consistently deliver good care that meets young people's needs well" and that "most young people have not made good progress while living at the home".
Concerns were also raised about some of the children who had been brought into the home and the impact this had on those already living there.
Inspectors said a child was allowed into the home despite "information contained in an impact risk assessments that made it clear that this would not be appropriate".
Moved on
This "contributed to the breakdown of the placement of a young person who was already living at the home and had an impact on the safety and emotional wellbeing of another young person," the report said.
The watchdog's report said: "Most young people have moved on from the home abruptly because staff could not meet their needs safely and effectively.
"Most young people do not do well in education, and staff do not support them adequately with their learning. For example, most young people who have left the home since the last inspection are not accessing education regularly."
Managers also "failed to promptly organise for damaged fire doors to be repaired", the report added.
A council report on the home said: "This home is currently closed to children and was in urgent need of repair and refurbishment.
"Following an Ofsted inspection, no children could be admitted until the requirements from the monitoring visit in March had been met.
"Once the refurbishment is completed Maitland Road will provide a homely environment for children and young people, which is proven to help young people progress while in care."
