Child protection at Scottish secure unit “consistently compromised,” watchdog rules

A regulatory body has determined that child protection measures at a secure unit in Scotland were “consistently compromised.” Investigators observed that young individuals at St Mary’s Kenmure, located in East Dunbartonshire, frequently experienced significant physical restraint, which was deemed “disproportionate” to the actual risks they posed. Furthermore, it was noted that only police involvement had averted “incredibly serious outcomes.” Earlier this month, the Care Inspectorate instructed the Bishopbriggs facility to cease admitting new residents, citing “a serious risk” to the lives of those residing there. The complete inspection report for the unit has now been released, and St Mary’s has indicated its commitment to undertaking “all steps necessary” to address the report’s conclusions. The inspection report assigned St Mary’s the lowest available rating, one out of a possible six, and detailed multiple deficiencies. Among these was “a lack of robust governance around child protection and safeguarding.” The inspectors commented: “Young people were subject to or witnessed unnecessarily high levels of physical restraint and restrictive practice.” This situation fostered a “reactive” environment where restraint was “disproportionate to the risks faced.” The report further noted: “People had been harmed in the process of using restraint and there was no documented evidence to inform a culture of learning from significant incidents.” Additional issues identified encompassed “dangerously low” staffing levels, instances of toilet water entering bedrooms from showers, and frequent breaches of door security by individuals within the facility. The report indicated that the insufficient number of staff led to “unsafe situations where without the involvement of the police there could have been incredibly serious outcomes.” The unit is equipped to provide care for a maximum of 24 individuals. Further concerns highlighted included the irregular administration of medication to some young people, alongside the discovery of inadequate record keeping and “inconsistent” care plans. “Repeated examples” were documented where care plans were not adhered to, thereby exposing both personnel and young individuals to “significant risk of harm.” An earlier decision to establish five houses adjacent to the unit had proceeded without “sufficient analysis” of staffing and service requirements. During an earlier inspection in November 2023, inspectors had issued four requirements for improvement, in addition to one “area for improvement.” Nevertheless, by the time of the subsequent inspection, conducted over five days in September and October of the current year, none of these five directives had been fulfilled. The report did acknowledge instances of “compassionate care and support” provided by staff to young people, as well as positive examples of young people’s academic achievements. A spokesperson for St Mary’s commented that the report had observed “significant change at both board and director level” recently, which is expected to assist the unit in implementing the suggested improvements. The spokesperson informed BBC Scotland News: “The management and staff of St Mary’s, Kenmure, recognise the need to improve the quality of care and protection of our children. “As the Care Inspectorate’s report states: ‘Prior to this inspection, there had been significant change at both board and director level. This offered us some assurance about the service’s capacity for improvement’. “We take the protection of our children very seriously and will take all steps necessary to meet the requirements outlined in the Care Inspectorate’s report which we believe provides an important foundation on which to build.”