Children's Home run by Appletree Treatment Centre Limited in Westmorland and Furness

Unique reference number SC386003 Inspection date 25/09/2013 Inspector Gillian Walters Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 30/05/2013 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

This home is run by a private company and provides care and education for up to four young people. The home is registered to care for young people with emotional or behavioural difficulties.

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

Good progress The children’s home has demonstrated continued improvement in quality of care and outcomes for children and young people and where appropriate has addressed all requirements and the large majority of recommendations that were raised at the previous inspection. Satisfactory progress The children’s home has maintained quality of care and outcomes for children and young people and where appropriate has addressed all requirements and the majority of recommendations that were raised at the previous inspection. Inadequate progress The children’s home has failed to address one or more requirements and/or has not met the majority of recommendations and/or the quality of care and outcomes for children and young people have declined since the last full inspection.

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Progress

Since their previous inspection the service is judged to be making inadequate progress .

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Progress

At the last full inspection the home was judged to be good. There were two recommendations made that have since been addressed. Young people are being encouraged to read and comment on their personal records ensuring there are suitable opportunities for them to express their views and have these views recorded. Some young people are also having good opportunities through keyworker sessions to communicate their views. However, this is not consistently the case for all young people. For some, the frequency of sessions fall short of the home's own arrangements and some sessions lack structure to ensure that young people have good opportunity to communicate their views on all aspects of their care.

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Progress

The provider is currently recruiting for staff to fill a number of vacancies that exist within the home. The home has made use of both agency and other staff employed by the provider to cover the current vacant positions and staff absence within the home. However, arrangements on some occasions have not always been effective in ensuring that the home has sufficient staff with the appropriate qualifications and experience to meet the needs of the young people. This means young people are not benefiting from an established staff team to offer them the stability to enable them to form significant and meaningful relationships.

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Progress

Young people are less settled in their placements than has previously been the case. Relationships between them, their peers and staff have deteriorated, with young people's behaviour, at times being, extremely negative and disruptive. This has had a negative impact on young people's progress and the harmony that previously existed within the home.

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Progress

Some young people have, on a number of occasions, been absent or missing from the home, increasing their vulnerability in the community. The home's current procedure and guidance covering such events is not sufficiently detailed to ensure staff are confident about their responsibilities and those of partner agencies. It was identified as a result of this inspection that there was one occasion when the sharing of significant information did not occur. This means that the home's contribution to safeguarding young people is less effective than it would be if working together partnership arrangements were better established. Additionally, young people that have been absent or missing from the home have not routinely benefited from the opportunity of a formal discussion following their return home. This means that the reasons for their absence have not been fully explored and understood, and young people have not received focused support to understand the risks associated with

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Progress

The home's arrangements for care planning are not sufficiently robust to ensure that young people's safety and welfare is adequately promoted. For example, individual risk assessments have not been routinely reviewed or updated to take account of recent significant events. Additionally, a small number of individual care plans were found to be incomplete. As a result of these shortfalls, staff do not have sufficiently comprehensive information to help guide and support their work in safeguarding and caring for the young people placed. Safeguarding practice has been further compromised with some deficits identified in staff training and their knowledge of local child protection procedures and safe practice. This means that staff are not sufficiently equipped to identify all potential concerns and ensure that these are dealt with in a way that will promote young people's safety and well-being.

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Progress

Young people are confident that they know how to complain and can identify someone that they can talk to should they have any concerns or worries. However, some young people expressed frustration that they do not feel listened to and therefore rarely raise issues with staff. One young person said, 'I get ignored.' This inspection highlighted some deficits in the recording of complaints. Although this had no immediate impact on the safety of the young person concerned, it meant that there was a lack of transparency in process to reassure young people that their views are important, taken seriously and acted upon.

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Progress

The home does have systems in place to regularly monitor and audit the quality of care and activity within the home. However, these have proved to be inefficient in identifying the range of concerns relating to the care and safety of young people. This means that young people's vulnerability has increased and the home has failed to consistently operate in a way that supports and promotes positive outcomes for young people.

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Progress

Young people do enjoy living in an environment that is generally very well maintained and comfortable. Young people have personalised their rooms reflecting their own particular tastes and choice of decoration. However, some minor damage and wear to furnishings did detract from the homely feel of the property.

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Statutory Requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person/s meets the Care Standards Act 2000, Children's Homes Regulations 2001 and the National Minimum Standards. The registered person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) promote and make proper provision for the welfare of children accommodated there; and make proper provision for the care, education, supervision and, where appropriate, treatment, of children accommodated there. This relates specifically to developing robust risk assessments and care and behaviour management plans with clear strategies for managing behaviours and risks (Regulation 11 (a)(b)) 28/10/2013

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure the home’s safeguarding policy provides prompt referral to the local authority in whose area the children’s home is situated, of any allegation of abuse or neglect affecting any child accommodated in the children’s home. This relates specifically to contacting the Local Authority Designated Officer immediately following an incident (Regulation 16(2)(b)) 28/10/2013

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure the home’s safeguarding policy provides a requirement for persons working at the home to report any concerns about the welfare or safety of a child accommodated there. This relates specifically to a police officer when it is suspected that an offence may have occurred (Regulation 16(2)(f)(ii)) 28/10/2013

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) update and revise the procedure to be followed when any child accommodated in a children's home is absent without permission which has regard to any relevant local authority or police protocols on missing children (Regulation 16(4)(b) 28/10/2013

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that a written record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of the investigation. This relates specifically to maintaining and being able to produce a comprehensive record of events (Regulation 24(5)) 28/10/2013

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that there is at all times, having regard to the need to safeguard and promote the health and welfare of the children accommodated in the home, a sufficient number of suitably qualified, competent and experienced persons working at the 28/10/2013 children's home (Regulation 25 (1))

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that all staff receive appropriate training to meet the potential needs of any children placed. This relates specifically to identified child protection issues (Regulation 27(4)(a)) 28/10/2013

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) establish and maintain a system for monitoring and improving the quality of care provided in the home. This relates specifically to monitoring and evaluating day-to-day practice within the home as well as regular audit checks. (Regulation 34(1)(a-b)) 28/10/2013

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) update and revise the written safeguarding policy which sets out the procedure to be followed in the event of any allegation of abuse or neglect. 28/10/2013

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):

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Recommendations

 ensure all children communicate their views on all aspects of their care and support. This relates specifically to the frequency and structure of one-to-one sessions with staff (NMS 1.3)  ensure children are helped to understand the dangers and risks of leaving the home without permission and are made aware of where they can access help if they consider running away. This relates specifically to offering young people an opportunities to discuss events surrounding their safety soon after their return to the home (NMS 5.8)  ensure the home provides a comfortable and homely environment and is well maintained and decorated, this relates specifically to damaged furnishings in young people’s bedrooms (NMS 10.3)  ensure the registered person has a system in place to notify within 24 hours the persons and appropriate authorities of the occurrence of significant events in accordance with Regulation 30. This relates to ensuring that staff have guidance

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Recommendations

on the range of matters to be reported. (NMS 24.1)

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About this inspection

The purpose of this inspection is to assure children and young people, parents, the public, local authorities and government of the quality and standard of the service provided. The inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service and to consider how well it complies with the relevant regulations and meets the national minimum standards.

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About this inspection

The report details the progress made by the provider since the last full inspection, identifies any further strengths, any areas for improvement and makes judgements as outlined in the Inspection of children’s homes – framework for inspection.

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