Report tells kids’ home to make improvements

AFife care provider which supports vulnerable youngsters has been branded ‘weak’ by the Care Inspectorate for aspects of its service.

Buchanan House in Dunfermline is registered to provide a care home service to young people between the ages of six and 18 years.

Operator Moore House Care and Education is an independent organisation which provides childcare and education services for children and young people who have additional support needs because of the social, emotional and behavioural challenges they face.

They provide “therapeutic care for children and young people whose needs cannot be met within a family setting”. Staff deal with young people with complex and challenging behaviours who may require “sustained and intensive interventions over a longer period”.

The Care Inspectorate carried out an inspection on March 3, via Microsoft Teams, due to Covid-19 restrictions.

In the report, inspectors said they spoke to one young service user who was unhappy about some aspects of their care at Buchanan House – a fivebedroom bungalow in a rural location near Dunfermline.

The findings were shared with the care manager and action had since been taken to remedy the issues.

When asked about five aspects of the service provided, two were rated ‘weak’ and four ‘adequate’.

Staff’s competence in supporting children and young people’s wellbeing was reported as weak, as was the general analysis of how good the staff team is.

Other aspects were reported as ‘adequate’, or level 3, using the Care Inspectorate’s scale of 1 being ‘unsatisfactory’ and 6 being ‘excellent’.

One service user claimed staff members at Buchanan House “did not like them”.

The report says: “There had been many changes within the staff team, including the frequent presence of agency staff in the months prior to the inspection.

“We were aware of the negative impact from this for the young people and the staff team. All confirmed it had been harder to build up relationships as a result.

“We saw that diversity was valued and young people’s differences and abilities were respected.

“However, one young person told us they did not feel many of the staff team treated them with respect. They said they felt that staff ‘did not like’ them.”

The report says that records suggested relationships developed between young people and some staff were “not as consistent or as nurturing as they could be”.

It adds: “Young people gave examples of staff not treating them with respect and we found evidence of this in incident reports. Inaccurate information was recorded in one young person’s notes and actually referred to another young person no longer living at Buchanan House.

“When we looked at a range of records made by staff it was evident that this lack of respect was reflected in the way some staff wrote about the young people.

“The management team now need to lead by example and ensure best practice is embedded into the culture within the service.”

Among the guidelines for improvement suggested by inspectors were that the management team “should ensure that all staff treat all young people with respect, providing support in a way which shows understanding, empathy and a professional, trauma-informed approach”.

Moore House Care and Education was approached for comment.