Children's Home run by Castle Homes Care Limited in Cheshire West and Chester

Inadequate

There are serious and/or widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded and /or 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‟s needs are not being met across aspects of their welfare and development, in particular their safety and emotional well-being.

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The children's home provision is inadequate because:

 Poor recording fails to provide a factual record of young people‟s care experience.

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The children's home provision is inadequate because:

 Care planning and risk assessments are not robust or effectively reviewed to address the changing needs of the young people.

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The children's home provision is inadequate because:

 Staffing is not sufficiently stable to provide consistent care to young people.

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The children's home provision is inadequate because:

 Managements review and evaluation of the home‟s records are insufficient. This hinders improvements in how staff understand and respond to young people‟s needs and behaviour. Particularly with regard to behaviour management strategies and care planning.

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The children's home provision is inadequate because:

 Staff are not sufficiently qualified, skilled or competent to meet the needs of young people.

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The children's home provision is inadequate because:

 Some young people do not access education, this impacts on their progress and ability to reach their full potential.

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The children's home provision is inadequate because:

 Independent monitoring does not give an accurate picture of how the home is operating to safeguard and support young people.

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The children's home provision is inadequate because:

 Staff, including managers, do not recognise or respond to potential or actual safeguarding concerns within the required timescales.

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The children's home provision is inadequate because:

 Recruitment procedures fail to safeguard young people. In particular, consideration of gaps in employment and verification of references.

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the children's home strengths

 Young people benefit from staff support that encourages positive contact with family members and those significant in their lives.

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the children's home strengths

 Young people benefit from staff‟s enthusiasm to find and promote age appropriate community based activities that reflect their diverse interests and skills.

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the children's home strengths

 The home is suitably furnished. Young people are encouraged to contribute to the running of the home through regular house meetings.

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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 meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and 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; and 08/01/2016

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the education quality standard, the registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

(2) (a) that staff— (i) help each child to achieve the child‟s education and training targets, as recorded in the child‟s relevant plans; (iii) understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers; (x) help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child‟s relevant plans. 08/01/2016

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Requirement Due date

10: The health and well-being standard 08/01/2016 In meeting the health and well-being quality standard, the registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

(1) (a) the health and well-being needs of children are met; (b) children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being;

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Requirement Due date

(2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— (a)(i)that staff help each child to achieve the health and well- being outcomes that are recorded in the child‟s relevant plans.

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the positive relationships quality standard, the registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

(1) children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on— (a) mutual respect and trust; (b) an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and (c) positive responses to other children and adults. 08/01/2016

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the protection of children quality standard, the registered person must ensure:

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Requirement Due date

(2) (a) that staff— (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; (ii) help each child to understand how to keep safe; (iii) have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm; (v) understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; (b) that the home‟s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively 08/01/2016 from harm.

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the leadership and management quality standard, the registered person must ensure:

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Requirement Due date

(1) the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children‟s home that— (a) helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and (b) promotes their welfare. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— (a) lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home‟s statement of purpose; (b) ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate; (c) ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; (d) ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child; (e) ensure that the home‟s workforce provides continuity of care to each child; (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

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Requirement Due date

of care provided in the home; (h) use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. 08/01/2016

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the care planning quality standard, the registered person must ensure that children:

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Requirement Due date

(1) (a) receive effectively planned care in or through the children‟s home; and (b) have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. 08/01/2016 (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— (a) 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; (b) that arrangements are in place to— (c) that each child‟s relevant plans are followed;

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Requirement Due date

Ensure to make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children‟s home. In particular the registered person must ensure that a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child; and, may be safely self-administered by that child (Regulation 23 (1)(2)(c (3)(b)). 08/01/2016

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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. The registered person must ensure that at all times, at least one person on duty at the home has a suitable first aid qualification.(Regulation 31, (1)(2)(a)) 08/01/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy ("the behaviour management policy") which sets out how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children's home; and the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home. The registered person must keep the behaviour management policy under review and, where appropriate, revise it. (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b)(2)) 08/01/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child; are kept up to date; and are signed and dated by the author of each entry (Regulation 36 (a)(b)(c)) 08/01/2016 The registered person must keep in relation to a children‟s home, maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4;ensure that the records are kept up to date. (Regulation 37 (1)(2)(a)(b)) 08/01/2016

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Information about this children's home

The home accommodates two young people with emotional or behavioural difficulties. It is run by a private company, which has other homes in the area.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

25/03/2015 Interim sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

22/01/2014 Interim Satisfactory Progress

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inadequate

Some young people make limited progress in key areas of their lives due to weaknesses that impact directly on their welfare and development. In particular, their safety, emotional well-being and education.

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inadequate

Contrary to the admissions policy and procedures, not all young people have benefited from a comprehensive referral, compatibility risk assessment or a thorough appraisal of their needs. Young people have moved into the home without a clear plan or arrangements to in place to meet their needs. Consequently, some young people have been inappropriately placed and staff do not fully understand their needs.

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inadequate

Some young people‟s records omit important information about their previous history and current needs. Furthermore, local authority documentation is not routinely obtained and placement plans, risk assessments and behaviour management plans lack sufficient detail. For example, current and previous issues around aerosol misuse did not consider the risk to the young people, or any risk to others. This does not ensure that appropriate actions are in taken to address risks.

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inadequate

Educational progress varies. While one young person had engaged in education and was working towards qualifications, other young people were not making measureable process or reaching their full potential. Staff did not have a clear understanding of young people‟s education needs and their academic levels. The home did not have education plans in place and young people did not benefit from a clear structure or routine to support their attendance and learning. This was specifically evident for young people who refused to attend their education setting. Young people remained in bed and staff showed no clear expectations around their attendance. Staff did not demonstrate high aspirations for young people‟s learning and did not actively prepare and support them to re-engage with their education. One young person said‟ I don‟t have to go to school, no one is really that bothered, I prefer to stay in bed.‟

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inadequate

Staff are unable to support the emotional and psychological health of young people because they lack the knowledge and training necessary to enable them to promote positive changes through effective engagement. Health plans contained conflicting information and did not clearly identify young people‟s health needs and any strategies available to support them. For example, Outstanding appointments were not followed up and did not show any action had been taken to address all health requirements. This fails to promote young people‟s physical and emotional well-being. Arrangements for managing medication were also not effective. On occasions, staff had administered medication, but had not completed the required documentation. This is a breach of the homes own medication polices and does not ensure that young people are provided with medication as prescribed.

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inadequate

One young person is very clear that she does not want to live in the home. Staff have been unable to help her to come to terms with the reasons she has been moved away from her family and friends. They have been unable to build positive relationships with her to encourage her to cooperate with her plans. She said, „I hate it here, I will make in my mission to terrorise the staff until I get moved.‟ This places her at increasing risk of harm, criminalisation and poor mental health.

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inadequate

Staff talk to young people about the activities or interests they enjoy. They have encouraged them to engage in lots of new activities, like playing badminton for the first time and baking a three tier chocolate cake. A young person said‟ We looked at a recipe and then went to the shop to buy all the ingredients. It was messy, but I liked it and it tasted great, even if I say so myself.‟

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inadequate

Staff promote and support family contact for young people, when it is appropriate to do so. Despite the distance from placement to home staff organise direct contact and have organised transport and hotels to ensure contact can still take place. This has ensured young people have on going contact with important people. This improves young people‟s sense of identity and enhances their emotional well-being.

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inadequate

Young people‟s welfare and safety are being compromised due to poor safeguarding practice. Managers have offered placements to young people without identifying, assessing and addressing their full range of needs and the impact on others living in the home. For example, impact risk assessments were completed without up to date information. Other known historical concerns about aggressive behaviours and criminality have not been effectively assessed. This further compromises all young people‟s safety.

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inadequate

Young people do not always benefit from clear and consistent boundaries or effective behaviour management strategies, including physical restraint, which have increased for some young people. Staff had not recorded the disciplinary measures used to manage children‟s behaviours. For example, young people were having activities stopped, and on occasions their television and television aerials removed, but behaviour management records did not reflect this. Additionally, such records do not provide a clear overview of the behaviour that led to such measures, the proposed time frame, or the young person‟s views. Neither had the manager evaluated the appropriateness or effectiveness of the measures used. Consequently, staff continue to use ineffective behaviour management strategies and young people are not learning to reflect upon and improve their behaviour.

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inadequate

During the inspection, one young person said she had sustained a number of bruises caused during a restraint. She also alleged that a staff member had assaulted her. The young person stated that she had reported this to staff, but no action had been taken. When this was brought to the attention of the manager, she took immediate action to follow safeguarding procedures, notifying the local authority officer and the allocated social worker. However, this was eight days after the event and therefore delayed a swift investigation.

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inadequate

Poor relationships between staff and some young people were observed throughout the inspection. This was evident from young people‟s persistent uncooperative and demanding behaviour, and staff‟s lack of sufficient challenge and redirection. Young people made comments such as, „I run this house, not staff‟, and „they are all new (staff) and don‟t know me‟. Staff had little impact on young people‟s behaviour, allowing music to be played at an intolerable level, inappropriate language and other anti-social behaviour. The increase in the use of restraint further impeded their development of positive relationships with staff. On occasions, staff felt it necessary to call the police to the home to assist them to manage young people‟s behaviours. As a result, young people have been criminalised. They spent time in police custody and were subsequently charged with offences. This further reduced their trust and confidence in staff to keep them

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inadequate

Safer recruitment procedures are not consistently followed. For example, some references have not been sufficiently verified or lacked information that enabled the manager to make an informed choice. Gaps in employment have not been routinely considered. These significant shortfalls in recruitment practice do not ensure a safe and suitable staff team.

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inadequate

Young people live in a home that is not effectively managed. The home does not meet the aims and objectives of the Statement of Purpose because staff do not have sufficient skills, experience and qualifications to create a safe environment. There are failures in senior management oversight and monitoring of the home to identify weaknesses and take decisive action to address this. As a result, young people‟s care, progress and safety have been compromised.

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inadequate

Care planning for some young people is poor and fails to promote the continued progress of young people. Internal behaviour management plans; health plans and risk management plans are not reviewed effectively to identify the changing needs of young people. They also fail to address the issues of risk and how these should be managed safely, to promote consistency of care..

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inadequate

The home does not demonstrate how outcomes for all young people have improved over time. Although a parent confirmed good levels of communication between them and the home, social work professionals voiced concerns about the ability of the home to support the safety and progress of some young people. One Independent reviewing officer said „Staff appear to be frightened of young people and do not address their unacceptable behaviours. When there are incidents of challenging and unacceptable behaviours, these are not shared as part of the reviewing process; this makes it difficult to make decisions that impact on young people‟s lives.‟

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inadequate

High levels of staff sickness and a number of staff vacancies have affected the team‟s ability to provide young people with continuity of care. This is further compounded by the use of employees from other homes and inconsistent agency staff.

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inadequate

The majority of the team is unqualified. Both new staff, who have not completed their induction period and agency staff undertake direct work, and on occasions are left alone, with young people, following a brief introduction to their care plan. This does not equip them with the necessary knowledge and understanding for them to support young people effectively. Supervision for permanent staff takes place on a regular basis. They said „it does take place monthly and can be requested at short notice if needed. The manager is approachable and will listen.‟

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inadequate

The Manager is working on a shift pattern with staff that did not include any direct management hours. This does not enable her to have a clear overview of staff‟s care and safeguarding practice, or monitor how they follow safeguarding policies and procedures. On one occasion, a young person‟s aerosol misuse went unnoticed.

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inadequate

The manager‟s auditing of the home and the independent monthly monitoring visits are not completely effective. They have failed to identify the shortfalls raised at this inspection. For example, the information provided by the placing authority that is held on a young person‟s file relates to a previous placement and does not identify the young person‟s current needs. There are also several pieces of paperwork including accident forms and incident reports missing. More robust systems are needed to ensure the safety and well-being of all young people living at the home.

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inadequate

The manager‟s record of staff training demonstrated that a minority of staff are trained in appropriate skills and approaches that underpin the ethos of the home. This limits the effectiveness of the team to provide consistent, knowledgeable and dynamic care that improves children‟s lives.

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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. procedures set out in 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

regulates and inspects to 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

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Information about this inspection

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

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Information about this inspection

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

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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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