Staff are being assaulted and young people are 'fearing for their safety' at a failing west Dorset children's home. 

West End House in Cattistock, operated by Dorset County Council, was rated inadequate in its latest Ofsted inspection.

The children's home provides care and accommodation for up to four young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

The bungalow, which is adjacent to the main house, provides accommodation to support the development of young people's independent living skills as they grow into young adults.

The home was inspected in July and was rated inadequate in all three sections: overall experiences and progress of children and young people; how well children and young people are helped and protected and the effectiveness of leaders and managers.

The home's last full inspection in September 2016 saw it rated outstanding and highlighted that young people had developed a "strong sense of belonging and security from living in a stable, family-style home" and were making "excellent progress" in many aspects of their lives. 

But the 2017 Ofsted report highlighted that there were "serious and widespread failures".

West End House is the second children's home operated by Dorset County Council that has been rated inadequate in the recent months, following the inspection of Maumbury House in Dorchester in June.

Inspectors at West End House said that a "poor decision" by senior leaders to move a young person into the home whose needs cannot be met meant the experiences and progress of all young people have deteriorated.

But inspectors found that two young people have made good progress educationally, have successfully finished school, and are enrolled on further education courses of their choice.

The report said that leaders and managers do not know if temporary staff are safely recruited or whether they have the required skills and training to meet the young people's needs is is a "serious oversight" that fails to protect the young people.

It added that leaders and managers have "not fully considered" the significance of the known vulnerabilities and high-risk behaviours of one young person. 

As a result, staff have been unable to prevent significant incidents from happening. Incidents have included assaults on staff and fire-setting in the local park. 

"Staff are not provided with the correct instruction or guidance on how to manage these incidents because in-house risk assessments are of poor quality and the placing authority's risk assessments have not been reviewed. Two young people say that they fear for their safety and that they are upset by seeing members of staff who they care about being assaulted," the report read.

Findings also revealed that staff failed to respond appropriately to a disclosure that some young people have been consuming alcohol and misusing illegal substances. 

Strategies that help staff to manage high-risk behaviours are not clearly documented, the report reads, and young people do not have health care plans. 

As a result, not all of the young people's needs are met and young people continue to self-harm, go missing from the home, assault members of staff and frequently display heightened levels of anxiety.

The report further highlighted that leaders and managers do not provide care to young people in line with the principles described in the statement of purpose. 

The document states: "Young people will be loved, happy and healthy and kept safe from harm...there will be careful selection and vetting of all staff and volunteers...and staff will receive four-weekly formal and recorded supervision."

Inspectors identified weaknesses in all of these areas. 

County Council 'disappointed' - but determined to address concerns

Vanessa Glenn, assistant director for care and protection, Dorset County Council, said: “We are naturally disappointed by the judgement following the Ofsted Inspection at West End House and acknowledge the findings. 

"We are determined to address the issues outlined in the report and have already responded to the inspectors regarding the measures we are taking to improve. This has included bringing in an experienced registered manager to implement the recommendations from the inspection and lead our journey to improvement.

“Parents of the young people living at the home have all been contacted and been given the opportunity to share their concerns, and to be reassured about their children’s safety and well-being.”