Children's Home run by Oracle Care Limited in Staffordshire

Inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children and young people’s welfare is not promoted, their care and experiences are poor and they are not making progress.

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The children's home provision is inadequate because:

 Young people do not make adequate progress.  The home does not challenge other agencies when their response is inadequate.  The home has poor relationships with some agencies including the police.  Young people are not supported with basic personal care tasks. This does not protect them or promote their welfare.  Young people do not receive sufficiently personalised care.  Staff fail to meet young people’s health and well-being needs.  Young people do not have access to the services and support they require.  Medication is poorly recorded and is not administered in line with written medical advice.  Risk assessments are poor, some other records lack detail, and case files are not kept up to date. This does not support staff to take effective action when young people are at risk.  The interior home is poorly maintained. The environment does not protect young people from avoidable hazards.  Management oversight and monitoring is poor.

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The children's home provision is inadequate because:

 Staff lack skills in key areas including behaviour management.  Young people do not receive consistent care. A high number of agency staff and staff from other homes are used to work in the home. This shortfall has been raised at the home’s previous two inspections. Effective action has not been taken to address staff shortages.  Some temporary staff are not safely recruited, putting young people at risk.  Supervision arrangements for temporary staff are wholly inadequate.  Plans to help young people gain independence skills and leave the home are poor.  The home’s statement of purpose lacks key information.

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The children's home strengths

 Significant work has been undertaken to improve the outside space at the home.  The organisation has very recently started to take steps to address some of the home’s shortfalls.

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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 (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.

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Requirement Due date

5. Engaging with the wider system to ensure children's needs are met

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the engaging with the wider system standard, with particular reference to access to services, the registered person must ensure that staff-

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Requirement Due date

(c) if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority's or a relevant person's performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child's needs are met in accordance with the child's relevant plans. 06/11/2015

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Requirement Due date

6. The quality and purpose of care standard

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the quality and purpose of care standard, with particular reference to welfare and personalised care, the registered person must-

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Requirement Due date

(ii) protect and promote each child's welfare

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Requirement Due date

(iv) provide personalised care that meets each child's needs, as recorded in the child's relevant plans, taking account of the child's background. 06/11/2015

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the health and well-being standard, with particular reference to health and access to services, the registered person must ensure-

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Requirement Due date

(1) (a) the health and well-being needs of children are met

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Requirement Due date

(2) (c) that each child has access to such dental, medical, nursing, psychiatric and psychological advice, treatment and other 04/12/2015 services as the child may require.

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the protection of children standard the registered provider must ensure that staff:-

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Requirement Due date

(2) (a) (i) assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child's relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

(d) that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child's health. 06/11/2015

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Requirement Due date

13. The leadership and management standard

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

(e) ensure that the home's workforce provides continuity of care to each child *

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Requirement Due date

(f) understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home

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Requirement Due date

(h) use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. 06/11/2015

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the care planning standard, with particular reference to transition, the registered person must ensure that arrangements are in place to-

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Requirement Due date

(1) (b) ensure children have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home 06/11/2015 (2) (b) (iii) plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child's placing authority.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children's home a statement ("the statement of purpose") which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1. (Regulation 16 (1)) 06/11/2015

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI of any revisions to the statement of purpose and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (3) (b)) 06/11/2015

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children's home. (Regulation 23 (1)) 06/11/2015

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the employment of any person on a temporary basis at the children's home does not prevent children from receiving such continuity of care as is reasonable to meet their needs. (Regulation 31 (1)) 06/11/2015

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure before any member of staff is employed to work at the home that full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. This is with particular reference to staff employed through a recruitment agency. (Regulation 32 (3) (d)) 06/11/2015

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4) (b)) 06/11/2015

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which are kept up to date. (Regulation 36 (1) (b)) 06/11/2015

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating the quality of care provided for children. (Regulation 45 (2) (a)) 06/11/2015

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating the feedback and opinions of children about the children's home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it. (Regulation 45 (2) (b)) 06/11/2015

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the system used to compile the quality of care review must provide for ascertaining 06/11/2015 and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (5)) * These requirements are subject to statutory requirement notice.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  Ensure that any sanctions used to address poor behaviour should be restorative in nature, to help children recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, other children, the staff caring for them and the wider community. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 46 paragraph 9.38)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should agree with their local police force, procedures and guidance on police involvement with the home. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 47 paragraph 9.40)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that any child who has been restrained should be given the opportunity to express their feelings about their experience of the restraint as soon as is practicable, ideally within 24 hours of the restraint incident, taking the age of the child and the circumstances of the restraint into account. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 49 paragraph 9.60)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that independent return interviews are carried out within 72 hours of the child returning to their home or care setting. This should be an in-depth interview and is normally best carried out by an independent person (ie, someone not involved in caring for the child) who is trained to carry out these interviews and is able to follow-up any actions that emerge. (Statutory guidance on children who run away or go missing from home or care, page 14 paragraph 32)

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Information about this children's home

The home provides care and accommodation for up to 3 children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home is owned and operated by a private provider. 

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

27/03/2015 CH - Interim Sustained effectiveness

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inadequate

Young people’s welfare is not promoted. Their experiences are poor and they are not making satisfactory progress.

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inadequate

A significant number of temporary staff, and staff based at other houses owned by the provider, work in the home. This has resulted in a lack of continuity for young people who receive inconsistent care and the quality of their relationships with staff. As a result, young people are not appropriately supported or their behaviour managed effectively. For some young people, this has been a significant factor in the decision to move them from the home in an unplanned way. This fails to ensure that they have a positive experience of moving on. One professional comments, ‘staff movement and changes of managers have affected the young people… it has been difficult to follow through strategies because of this’. An Independent Reviewing Officer states, ‘at the last review all the staff that knew the young person had left…I don’t think they have made any progress’. Another professional also highlights concerns regarding the consistency of care and

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inadequate

suggests, ‘consistency could have meant that the young person’s placement could have been maintained.’

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inadequate

Some young people are preparing to leave the home and move into adult care. These moves are poorly planned. Young people are not prepared to leave the home in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with their placing authority. Specifically, young people make inadequate progress in developing independence skills due to poor support from staff. For some young people this means that they do not develop key skills in basic care tasks such as showering and brushing their teeth. As a result, their welfare is not promoted.

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inadequate

Young people’s health and well-being needs are not met. For example, young people are not supported to attend routine health appointments. In addition, the arrangements for handling, recording, and administering medication are poor. Records lack clarity and medication is not administered in line with the prescriber’s instructions. This has the potential to place young people’s health at risk. Furthermore, young people do not have access to the specialist mental health services that they require. The home’s response to this is poor. Staff and managers do not challenge services effectively to ensure that young people’s needs are met.

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inadequate

Young people’s progress in education is mixed and has been affected by poor attendance. Inconsistent care and the lack of access to specialist support, impacts on this. This view is echoed by education professionals. One stating, ‘the young person needed support and didn’t get it’.

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inadequate

Significant investment has been made in the home’s garden and driveway, which have improved dramatically. In contrast, the interior is poorly maintained. This fails to ensure that young people live in a pleasant environment and does not protect them from avoidable hazards.

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inadequate

Risks to young people are not adequately known or understood. Risk assessments are poor and do not satisfactorily assess whether young people are at risk of harm. They do not take into account information in other plans, omitting key information, and do not make suitable arrangements to reduce the risk of harm. They are ineffective. Other case records are generic, are not kept up to date and give conflicting advice to staff. This does not support staff to take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about young people’s welfare.

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inadequate

Young people are not provided with personalised care that meets their needs. For example, clear routines are not in place for young people who require them. This limits the progress they can make and has the potential to create anxiety. Furthermore, the care provided does not adequately take account of young people’s backgrounds. For example, some staff do not consider this sufficiently when young people display challenging behaviour. There is a lack of effective oversight from managers, who fail to ensure that all staff have the skills to meet the needs of each young person - specifically, skills in de-escalation. The result of these shortfalls is poor support to young people when they display challenging behaviour. This reduces the progress young people make, increases their involvement with the police, and has the potential to limit their opportunities in the future. There are ineffective relationships between the home and the local police.

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inadequate

The manager has failed to ensure that procedures and guidance on police involvement with the home are in place.

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inadequate

Physical restraint records do not allow the young person who has been restrained to express their feelings about their experience of the restraint. This reduces their opportunities to raise any concerns they may have. Some staff use sanctions in response to negative behaviour. At times, these are not restorative in nature. This does not help young people recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves and others.

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inadequate

Young people rarely go missing from the home. On one occasion, staff failed to take effective action when the young person returned. In addition, young people do not have access to an independent return interview within 72 hours of returning to the home. This reduces safeguards for young people and limits their opportunities to discuss their feelings and concerns.

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inadequate

Recruitment checks for temporary staff are inadequate and do not effectively safeguard young people. Of the three staff files reviewed, none evidenced that verification is sought or the reason why the employment or position ended. Furthermore one staff file did not include a full employment history. These shortfalls are unsatisfactory arrangements for the practice-related supervision of temporary staff, all of which could work alone and unsupervised with young people. These shortfalls do not protect young people from potentially unsafe adults.

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inadequate

The home has had three different managers in the last year. This has affected young people, staff, and the oversight of the home. A new manager has recently been appointed, starting in the home in August. She is suitably experienced and qualified and is currently applying to register with Ofsted.

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inadequate

Managers have failed to address some of the requirements made at the last inspection. Specifically, to ensure the home’s workforce provides continuity of care, keeps records up to date, and to ensure young people can access the services they need. This has had a negative impact on young people, affecting the support they receive and the progress they make.

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inadequate

Monitoring and review systems are ineffective and fail to identify and address key shortfalls. Consequently, they do not support continuous improvements in the quality of care provided. For example, managers produce reports following formal ‘quality of care reviews’. These reports are poor. They do not evaluate the quality of care provided to young people. They fail to seek or evaluate the feedback and opinions of young people about the home, its facilities and the care they receive. In addition, the system does not effectively ascertain or consider the opinions of parents, placing authorities or staff. Subsequently, managers do not understand the impact that the quality of care has on young people’s progress and experiences. They are therefore unable to use this information to develop the service effectively.

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inadequate

The home’s statement of purpose lacks detail in relation to how their child protection and behaviour management policies can be accessed. In addition, it does not provide sufficient detail regarding the therapeutic support offered by the home. Specifically, how the effectiveness of any healthcare or therapy provided is measured, the evidence demonstrating its effectiveness, and details of how this information can be accessed. This reduces accountability and the information available to young people, their families, and professionals. In addition, updates of the statement of purpose are not sent to HMCI, Ofsted. This reduces oversight of the home between inspections.

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inadequate

The provider has started to take steps to address a number of the shortfalls identified at this inspection. However, it is too early to see the impact of these changes.

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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.

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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

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What the inspection judgements mean

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

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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

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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 .

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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,

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Information about this inspection

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

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Information about this inspection

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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

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