BASW England response to reports of abuse at Fullerton House

BASW England wish to express our deep concern at the BBC reports of abuse at Fullerton House, a children’s care home based in Doncaster which was run by the Hesley Group.

Documents leaked to the BBC have shown the extent of abuse which took place at Fullerton House, with many children in care having faced abuse and harm.

The distressing details include instances of children being locked in bathrooms overnight and one young girl with autism being physically dragged across the floor. As a result, The Children’s Homes Association have described these events as the worst since Winterbourne View in 2011.

BASW England wish to extend our thoughts to all of those affected by events at Fullerton House.

A national safeguarding practice review into safeguarding children with disabilities and complex needs in residential settings was instigated in response to a complex safeguarding investigation following allegations of abuse and concerns for children in Fullerton House made by a whistle-blower.    

The first phase of the review is about the experiences of 108 children placed at the three independent residential settings operated by the Hesley Group in Doncaster.

Annie Hudson (Chair, Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel) states:

“It is profoundly shocking that, in the twenty first century, so many children who were in ‘plain sight’ of many public agencies could be so systematically harmed by their care givers.”

The review sets out recommendations and findings for national government and local safeguarding partners to protect children at risk of serious harm and their report can be found here.

The second phase of this national review will explore the changes needed to the wider ‘system’ so that children with disabilities and complex needs in residential settings are helped to live better lives in a safe, loving, and positive environment. The phase two report is due to published in late spring 2023.

The failure to safeguard and provide children with the support they deserve is unacceptable. The BBC report highlights children not being heard and not being seen as human beings. Failures of the provider as well as the regulator, Ofsted, who had awarded a ‘good’ rating to Fullerton House, means that questions must be asked of how this was allowed to happen.

Ofsted’s failings here give us reason to restate our concern with their failure to tackle the poor standards faced by children over 16 who are still being put into unregulated placements alongside staff that are not required to face DBS checks. These events paint a clear picture of the dangerous precedent set by a dereliction of safety standards and what this can lead to.  

Whilst the apology from the Hesley Group is appropriate, we believe that this incident gives us reason to reaffirm our concern about profitmaking in social care. The Hesley Group, who are owned by private equity firm Antin Infrastructure, have reportedly made millions in profits whilst delivering poor standards of care.

BASW England will continue to monitor this story closely and will comment further in due course.