Children's Home run by Blue Mountain Homes Ltd in Derbyshire

Inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children and young people are not always protected and their welfare is not consistently promoted or safeguarded.

p.2

The children's home provision is inadequate because:

 A young person was significantly harmed as a result of an assault by another young person living in the home. Staff did not have sufficient skills and knowledge to meet the perpetrator’s known pattern of harmful behaviours. He was admitted despite not meeting the home’s admission criteria as outlined in the Statement of Purpose. In addition, potential risks to other young people were not carefully assessed prior to this admission.

p.3

The children's home provision is inadequate because:

 Staffing levels are not always sufficient to ensure that young people are supervised and safeguarded in line with their individual risk assessments. Despite young people’s risk assessment stating that they are supervised on a one-to-one basis, a significant incident occurred between young people without staff knowledge.

p.3

The children's home provision is inadequate because:

 An inadequate response from an on-call manager when notified of a disclosure of potential abuse led to unnecessary delay in reporting it to the police and other safeguarding agencies. This had the potential to hinder effective investigation.

p.3

The children's home provision is inadequate because:

 Thorough and robust internal investigations in respect of child protection concerns have not been completed in a timely manner.

p.3

The children's home provision is inadequate because:

 External quality assurance systems failed to identify or analyse a serious child protection matter and thus failed to provide recommendations as to how improvements could be made.

p.3

The children's home provision is inadequate because:

 Given the needs of the current young people living in the home, there are no immediate risks to their safety or welfare as a result of the shortfalls identified .

p.3

The children's home strengths

 Some young people present as happy and settled and make good progress in many aspects of their lives.

p.4

The children's home strengths

 Strong and positive relationships with some partner agencies ensure that young people receive targeted help and support to address areas of difficulty.

p.4

The children's home strengths

 The management team have been very reflective during the inspection process. They recognise the need to make immediate improvement and have implemented appropriate plans to address the shortfalls identified.

p.4

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 (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. The registered person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

p.5

Requirement Due date

In order to meet the protection of children standard the registered person must ensure that:

p.5

Requirement Due date

2(a)(iv) staff manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming one another

p.5

Requirement Due date

2(a)(vi) staff take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child's welfare

p.5

Requirement Due date

2(a)(vii) staff are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the homes child protection policies

p.5

Requirement Due date

2(b) that the homes day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm

p.5

Requirement Due date

2(e) that the effectiveness of the home's child protection policies is monitored regularly. 25/9/15

p.5

Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard

p.5

Requirement Due date

In order to meet the leadership and management standard the registered person must:

p.5

Requirement Due date

2(c) ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skill to meet the needs of each child

p.5

Requirement Due date

2(d) ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child 25/9/15

p.5

Requirement Due date

14: The care planning standard 25/9/15 In order to meet the care planning standard the registered person must:

p.5

Requirement Due date

2(a) ensure that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home's statement of purpose

p.6

Requirement Due date

The independent person must produce a report about a visit which sets out, in particular, the independent person's opinion as to whether children are effectively safeguarded, with particular reference to the independent visitor analysing all safeguarding information to enable them to make an informed view in respect of this. (Regulation 44 (4)(a)). 25/9/15

p.6

Information about this children's home

 This privately run home can accommodate up to three young people who have emotional or behavioural difficulties.

p.7

Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

p.7

Recent inspection history

17/02/2015 CH - Interim Improved effectiveness

p.7

Recent inspection history

05/02/2014 CH - Interim Satisfactory Progress

p.7

inadequate

Young people’s experience and progress are sometimes very poor. One young person had a particularly negative experience. A social worker said that, as a result of being assaulted by another young person in the home, her emotional health and well-being deteriorated, resulting in the breakdown of her placement. Failure to carefully supervise vulnerable young people as outlined in their individual risk management plans meant that the assault was not prevented. Consequently, both the victim and perpetrator of the assault made inadequate progress in the home.

p.8

inadequate

The views of young people are not consistently respected or their concerns taken seriously. Two professionals confirm that a young person, after disclosing abuse, was initially left feeling disbelieved and unsupported. Although the subsequent actions of staff meant that this did not continue, not feeling listened to when reporting serious concerns impacts negatively on young people’s sense of safety and self-esteem.

p.8

inadequate

However, there are examples where young people do feel valued. Consultation with young people takes place through weekly young people’s meetings and on an individual basis in respect of the day-to-day running of the home. Young people are also involved in setting the aims and goals of care and behaviour management plans. One said: ‘Staff listen to me and my ideas. We have young people’s meetings. If I ask for something to happen, staff listen and if it cannot happen they explain why.’

p.8

inadequate

Some current residents say that their experiences are positive and they make good progress. One says: ‘I have achieved a lot living here. I am going to college, I have learnt to be more independent and I have learnt how to get on in life. I am happy here and want to stay here until I am 18.’ Young people currently living in the home enjoy positive relationships with a consistent staff team. One commented: ‘The staff here spend lots of time with me. They have really helped me and motivated me to make a better life for myself; they are great.’ These positive relationships provide young people with a level of stability that they need and deserve.

p.8

inadequate

A strength of the home is the positive relationships the manager and staff have with many partner agencies. Good relationships with local educational providers have enabled young people to re-engage in education without delay. Positive relationships with health services, child and adolescent mental health services, youth offending services and community projects have ensured that young people receive appropriate and tailor-made support with minimal delay. A social worker said: ‘The young person’s care is a good example of corporate parenting.’ Effective multi-agency working provides young people with a better opportunity to address their difficulties and reach their full potential in the future.

p.8

inadequate

Older young people living in the home benefit from engaging in semi-independence work. They learn skills in preparation for the practical and emotional challenges that they will face in the future. A requirement in respect of this, set at the last inspection, has been met. Improved life skills will assist young people greatly when they move on to the next stage of their lives.

p.9

inadequate

Relationships between young people and their families are well supported. For some, the quality of their family relationships improve. Practical help is given to facilitate contact, even for those young people who are placed some way from their family home. This helps to enhance young people’s sense of identity and self- esteem. It also provides an opportunity for young people to have an improved family support network in the future.

p.9

inadequate

The home is maintained to a good standard. Improvements have been made to the décor, furnishings and fittings in the home. It is a comfortable, homely and welcoming environment. Two requirements made at the last inspection in respect of this have been met. Young people’s bedrooms are well equipped and personalised. This helps them to feel valued and improves their self-esteem.

p.9

inadequate

Risk management plans, detailing the levels of risk young people pose, and stating clearly that the young people should be supervised closely on a one-to-one basis, have not been consistently adhered too. A young person suffered significant harm as a result of an assault by another young person without staff noticing. This means that there was a lack of compliance with the risk management plan and a lack of vigilance by staff.

p.9

inadequate

Staffing levels in the home are at times inadequate to meet the needs of young people assessed as having potentially harmful and high risk behaviours. While there are always sufficient staff numbers to allocate a member of staff to each young person living in the home, this does not allow for flexibility when staff need to take a break, do paper work, undertake domestic tasks or answer phone calls. As a result, young people’s safety has been compromised.

p.9

inadequate

Following staff being made aware of a disclosure of significant harm by a young person, there was a delay in this being notified to the appropriate authorities. Advice provided to staff by the homes on-call manager caused this delay. This is at odds with the home’s safeguarding policy and had the potential to undermine the ability of staff to help young people feel safe and keep them safe. It also had the potential to hinder the efforts of safeguarding agencies, including the police, to undertake effective investigation. Failure to adhere to agreed safeguarding protocols and procedures is a significant shortfall demonstrating that the home has not consistently protected vulnerable young people.

p.9

inadequate

An internal investigation of this significant safeguarding concern has not been completed in a timely manner. Although the incident occurred in June 2015, the internal investigation remains incomplete. Concerns in relation to levels of supervision by staff are yet to be triangulated with information obtained during a police investigation. At the time of the inspection, concerns in relation to advice provided by the on-call manager and concerns relating to the delay in the incident being reported, remained unaddressed. Poor or delayed internal investigations of safeguarding issues and the failure to effectively monitor the effectiveness of child protection procedures compromises the safety of young people living in the home.

p.10

inadequate

Despite the above serious shortfalls, there are examples of the behaviour of some young people, including all current residents, being well managed. Young people are motivated by positive incentives which are offered in return for positive behaviour. As a result of proactive behaviour management strategies, the use of physical intervention has been minimal. There has only been two occasions when this has been necessary as a very last resort. This is a testament to the skill of the staff team is de-escalating challenging behaviours.

p.10

inadequate

There is not a high incidence of young people going missing from this home. There are however a number of unauthorised absences, albeit for short periods of time. On the two occasions when young people have gone missing since the last inspection, staff have known what do in each individual circumstance and followed the agreed plans to ensure that young people are located and returned safely without delay.

p.10

inadequate

The leadership and management of this home is judged as inadequate because managers have not taken sufficient care to ensure that new admissions to the home are carefully matched with existing residents, or that staff have sufficient knowledge and training to meet all identified needs. In addition, monitoring and quality assurance processes fail to identify significant shortfalls impacting on the safety of young people.

p.10

inadequate

A young person with a known history of harmful behaviour was admitted despite not meeting the criteria as set out in the home’s Statement of Purpose. Management decision making in relation to this admission did not give sufficient consideration to the needs and vulnerabilities of other young people living in the home. In addition, not all social workers for the young people already living in the home were consulted. In this instance, the poor decision has had a significant negative impact of the welfare and well-being of young people. Managers are aware of this shortfall. Effective impact assessments are now being completed before any new young person moves into the home.

p.11

inadequate

The homes staff are trained in mandatory areas. All have recently completed training in relation to suicide awareness and self-harm. Staff have not however, received specialist training in respect of the high risk behaviours which one young person presented with. This limits staff understanding and insight into such complex issues and is likely to limit the effectiveness of practice. In addition, due to a delay in the completion of the internal investigation regarding the safeguarding issue which arose in June 2015, the manager has been unable to fully reflect and help staff learn from this incident.

p.11

inadequate

External quality assurance reports highlight the strengths of the home and some minor shortfalls. It is of concern however, that the independent visitor failed to identify the significant safeguarding incident which occurred in June 2015. As a result, the report covering this month does not provide a robust analysis of how effectively young people have been safeguarded or provide any recommendations as to how practice could be improved in this area. External monitoring of the home is ineffective because it fails to recognise significant shortfalls that reduce the safety and well-being of young people.

p.11

inadequate

Despite identified shortfalls, there are a number of management strengths. The Registered Manager is experienced and suitably qualified. She is very caring and is held in high regard by her staff team and a number of professionals working with young people living in the home. Staff morale is good, and a consistent staff team are providing stability for the young people currently living in the home. Staff feel well supported by the management team. They are regularly supervised and they attend regular team meetings. As a result, practice is monitored and staff development is supported.

p.11

inadequate

The home’s Statement of Purpose has recently been updated. The document provides parents and placing authorities with clear information about how young people will be helped and supported while living in the home. Young people are also provided with a guide so that they know what to expect when they come to the home.

p.11

inadequate

Internal monitoring systems include regular consultation and the collection of feedback from young people, parents, staff and professionals in respect of the quality of care provided. The system also provides for an analysis of patterns and trends within the home and an analysis of the progress young people are making. A new report template is being developed so that action plans can be devised to promote improvements in the home.

p.11

What the inspection judgements mean

The experiences and progress of children and young people are at the centre of the inspection. Inspectors will use their professional judgement to determine the weight and significance of their findings in this respect. The judgements included in the report are made against Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection.

p.13

What the inspection judgements mean

An outstanding children's home provides highly effective services that contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help and protection and care. Their progress exceeds expectations and is sustained over time. A good children's home provides effective services that help, protect and care for children and young people and have their welfare safeguarded and promoted. In a children's home that requires improvement , there are no widespread or serious failures that create or leave children being harmed or at risk of harm. The welfare of looked after children is safeguarded and promoted. Minimum requirements are in place, however, the children's home is not yet delivering good protection, help and care for children and young people. A children's home that is inadequate is providing services where there are widespread or serious failures that create or leave children and young people being

p.13

What the inspection judgements mean

harmed or at risk of harm or result in children looked after not having their welfare safeguarded and promoted.

p.13

Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people living in the children's home. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference adults make to the lives of children and young people. They read case files, watched how professional staff work with children, young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care given to children and young people. Wherever possible, they talked to children, young people and their families. In addition the inspectors have tried to understand what the children's home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people who it is trying to help, protect and look after. This 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 Children's

p.14

Information about this inspection

Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. the guidance raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted, which is available from Ofsted's website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.14

Information about this inspection

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, workbased learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for looked after children and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

p.15

Information about this inspection

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.15

Information about this inspection

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.15

Information about this inspection

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

p.15