Children's Home run by Phoenix Childcare Ltd in Devon

Requires improvement

The children's home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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because:

 The home has not had a registered manager in post since the end of March 2015. While a manager has been appointed and has been in day-to-day charge of the home since the end of July, an application has not yet been received by Ofsted.  Key management responsibilities have not been carried out to a good standard. A serious incident in early August was not notified to Ofsted at the time it occurred and was only reported when it was discovered by the independent visitor later that month. This incident has not been effectively reviewed and it is not clear what lessons have been learned and what improvements were made to the quality of care provided in the home.  Staffing arrangements are not effective. There have been several changes in the staff team since the previous inspection. Apart from the manager, newly appointed members of the staff team do not have previous residential childcare experience or qualifications. Induction training is not consistently

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because:

provided in a timely way. The manager has not received sufficient supervision to support him in his role.  Supporting young people’s education is not consistently good. Staff members had not ensured that young people had access to a suitable computer to help them to complete homework. In addition, the Inspector was required to highlight the importance of the manager and members of the staff team discussing with young people what additional support they needed as they work towards taking their GCSE examinations.

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The children's home strengths

The home provides a homely and comfortable space and its location provides good access to a wide range of community resources which are regularly used by young people. One young person has lived in the home for two years. She has made good progress and has a very good relationship with two long standing members of staff. A parent and her social worker were both complimentary about how well she had done and how supportive all adults who work in the home are in preparing for a planned move to a residential college placement.

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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

8: The education standard In order to meet the education standard, with particular reference to providing young people with access to a computer and additional support as they work towards their exams, the registered person must ensure that: (2)(b) each child has access to appropriate equipment, facilities and resources to support the young person's learning. 31/12/2015

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Requirement Due date

10: The health and well-being standard In order to meet the health and well-being standard, with particular reference to the regular consumption of takeaway food and promotion of healthy eating, the registered person must ensure that: (1) (c) young people are helped to lead healthy lifestyles. 31/12/2015

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard In order to meet the leadership and management standard, with particular reference to specialist training in self-harm, the registered person must: (2)(c) ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each young person. 31/12/2015

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard In order to meet the leadership and management standard, with particular reference to the manager's effective oversight of staff recruitment, serious incidents and sanctions, the registered person must: (2)(h) use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. 31/12/2015

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Requirement Due date

25: Fire precautions After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must ensure by means of fire drills and practices at suitable intervals, that persons working at the home and, so far as reasonably practicable, young people are aware of 30/11/2015 the procedures to be followed in case of fire. In particular, fire records should evidence the names of all participants. (Regulation 25(1)(d))

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Requirement Due date

33: Employment of staff The registered person must ensure that each employee completes an appropriate induction. In particular, this includes the manager and all staff and induction must be provided in a timely way. (Regulation 33(1)(a)) 31/12/2015

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Requirement Due date

33: Employment of staff The registered person must ensure that all employees receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. In particular, this refers to the manager who is new in post. (Regulation 33(4)(b)) 30/11/2015

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Requirement Due date

40: Notification of a serious event The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if there is any incident relating to a young person which the registered person considers to be serious. This refers to the serious incident that occurred on 02/08/2015 what was not notified at the time. (Regulation 40(4)(e)) 30/11/2015

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Information about this children's home

The home is operated by a private provider of education and social care for children and young people. It provides care and accommodation for up to two young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties and/or a learning disability.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

19/03/2015 CH - Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Requires improvement

The overall experiences and progress of children and young people living in the home does not meet a consistently good standard. There have been many changes in the home since the previous inspection in March 2015. This includes the registered manager leaving and four new appointments of members of the care staff team being made, who do not have residential childcare experience or qualifications. As a result, young people are not benefitting from consistently good care and support from members of staff who have the benefit of experience and qualifications. Young people do not always receive good support in their education. The computer available to them in the home was not working properly at the time of the inspection. A young person’s concern about this and the impact it was having on her homework was only responded to when the inspector raised it on the first day of the inspection. This was rapidly and easily resolved on the second day of the

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Requires improvement

inspection. The inspector also asked that the manager and staff further consult with the young person who expressed she may need additional support in order to do well in her GCSE examinations. Young people’s healthy eating is not consistently well promoted. There is a routine of young people being offered a takeaway each Friday night. Young people often plan separate meals and for one young person their menu plan does not provide a good range of healthy food. This young person told the inspector she would like members of the staff team to support her to eat more healthily. Young people have access to a range of health care services and specialist help to support their emotional well-being. They live busy lives, attending school and pursuing a wide range of recreational opportunities such as going to the gym, singing and youth club. The staff team are effective in supporting young people to see their families regularly. Young people are supported to develop the skills and

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Requires improvement

confidence they need to successfully manage their lives as young adults.

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people are helped and protected

Help and protection for young people living in this home requires improvement. While there are some good practices and outcomes, this is not consistent. A serious incident involving a young person self-harming occurred in the home on the second of August 2015. The manager and members of the staff team did not fully reflect on this incident. It is unclear what lessons were learned and what improvements have been made to the quality of care provided as a result. Since this incident, the staff team have not had any additional training in supporting young people who self-harm and five out of seven members of staff have not had any training in this area. Nor do these five members of staff have experience or expertise to support young people with this need. This includes the current manager of the home. While some practical steps to help staff members manage stressful situations safely have been taken in the past, none were taken as a result of this most recent

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people are helped and protected

incident. For example, consideration has not been given to staff using ligature cutters. In addition, this incident was not reported to Ofsted at the time. It is unclear whether this is because it was not deemed serious enough or it was overlooked. The manager has not provided any oversight of the recruitment process of new members of staff on his team. Since the manager has been in post from the end of July, four new residential carers have started working in the home. At the time of this inspection, the home did not have any documentary evidence that safer recruitment procedures had been followed. The manager had not asked for this to be provided so had not satisfied himself that the newly appointed members of the team had been thoroughly checked. This information was requested during the inspection and was satisfactory. There are regular fire drills in the home. However, records do not include the

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people are helped and protected

names of young people, although, it is understood that they do sometimes participate. The manager felt that the format of the record was at fault, as it did not give room for the names of young people to be added. Sanctions are used occasionally. Their use between December 2014 and June 2015 (prior to the current manager being in post) has not been effectively monitored. For example, three occasions during this period a young person was denied a takeaway meal for unrelated poor behaviour. An incident occurred at the beginning of November which resulted in a young person slapping a member of staff. The record refers to the police being notified. The manager has not reviewed and commented on this incident, including the appropriateness of the police being notified. Young people feel safe living in the home. There are staff members they can speak to and they are aware of their right to make a complaint and the procedure to

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people are helped and protected

follow. Young people do not participate in risks associated with going missing or misusing drugs or alcohol. Physical restraints are used minimally. The staff team have access to on-line and face to face training in child protection and safeguarding procedures. They are aware of the procedures to follow and have good links with the local authority.

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Inadequate

A registered manager has not been in post since the end of March 2015. A new manager has been appointed and started working at the home at the end of July, but, his application has not yet been received by Ofsted. The inspector was told that the application was in the process of being submitted. The manager has suitable experience as a manager of a children’s home and has appropriate qualifications. However, since being in post he has not completed induction training. Neither has he attended specialist training in self-harm. The impact of this is a lack of reflection on the incident in August and a subsequent lack of implementation of lessons learned. The manager has also not had the benefit of regular supervision. The company’s expectation is that new members of staff receive practice-related supervision every two weeks during their probation. During the manager’s 16 weeks in post he has only had four supervisions. This has meant that weaknesses in the quality of care

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Inadequate

provided and other matters, such as the lack of progress of his registered manager’s application, have not been discussed and dealt with. New staff appointments have recently been made due to one member of staff leaving and a second young person being admitted. This has meant that four out of the six staff (excluding the manager) are new appointments and inexperienced in residential childcare. The manager has created a rota to provide either an experienced member of the staff team, the senior or himself on duty with anyone who is still in their probation period. The care staff team are all receiving regular supervision and most benefit from timely induction training. However, one member of staff has worked in the home for more than three months, two of which have been as a core member of staff, without having completed induction training.

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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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