Children's home in South Staffordshire

Inadequate

There are serious failures that mean young people are not protected or their welfare safeguarded. Some young people’s care and experiences are poor and they are not making progress.

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The children's home provision is inadequate because:

 Some young people fail to reach their potential because they do not attend full time education.  Complaints’ procedures are not robust. Managers and staff fail to respond to and resolve a series of concerns raised by young people.  Managers and staff do not identify, manage or have the skills to address risks such as self-injurious behaviours and fire setting.  Fire safety routines and procedures do not promote safety and safeguard young people from the risks of fire.  Recruitment is not robust.  Leadership is poor with a clear lack of direction, positive role modelling, insight and oversight of the service.  Managers are not proactive in seeking out and maintaining working partnerships. Young people have few connections to agencies which can support their mental health and education needs.  Compatibility assessment of young people is unsatisfactory. Peer relationships are poor and can result in bullying. Staff are unable to

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The children's home provision is inadequate because:

meet the complex needs and challenging behaviours of some young people.  Plans to support young people for transition to semi-independence and imminent adult placements are unsatisfactory.  Leaders fail to drive and then maintain improvement. Shortfalls in recruitment, inadequate compatibility assessment and poor risk management remain from a previous inspection.

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The children's home strengths

 Appropriately structured routines help some young people with Asperger’s enjoy a range of activities.

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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 standard:

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the engaging with the wider system standard and to ensure children’s needs are met the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

(a) seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

(b) seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs;

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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

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Requirement Due date

(d) seek to develop and maintain effective professional relationships with such persons, bodies or organisations as the registered person considers appropriate having regard to the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the children’s home is to provide care and accommodation. 29/02/2016

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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 the registered person must ensure that children receive care from staff who —

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Requirement Due date

(a) understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

(b) use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential. 29/02/2016 (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

(a) understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

(i) understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

(v) help each child to understand and manage the impact of any experience of abuse or neglect;

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Requirement Due date

(vi) help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult;

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the education standard the registered person must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

(i) help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

(ii) support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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Requirement Due date

(iii) understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers; (iv) help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

(v) promote opportunities for each child to learn informally; 29/02/2016 (vi) maintain regular contact with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child’s education and training and to maximise the child’s achievement;

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Requirement Due date

12: The protection of children standard:

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the protection of children standard the registered person 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

(iii) have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

(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 from harm;

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

(e) that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. 29/02/2016

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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 enable, inspire and lead a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

(a) helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

(2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

(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;

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Requirement Due date

(b) ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate; 29/02/2016 (c) ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of 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

(g) demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

(i) research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and

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Requirement Due date

(ii) feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

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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.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must, after consultation with the fire and rescue authority, ensure, by means of fire drills and practices at suitable intervals, that persons working at the home and, so far as reasonably practicable, children are aware of the procedure to be followed in case of fire.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the requirements of the Regulatory Reform (Fire safety) Order 2005 (a) and any regulations made under it, except for article 23 (duties of employees), are complied with in respect of the home. (Regulation 25.—(1) (d) (2) (b)) 29/02/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety and that full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32.—(1) (2) (3) (d)) 29/02/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4 and ensure records are kept up to date. (Regulation 37.—(1)) 29/02/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must establish a procedure for considering complaints made by or on behalf of children. In particular, the procedure must provide that no person who is the subject of a complaint takes any part in its consideration or investigation, 29/02/2016 except at the informal resolution stage if the registered person considers it appropriate. The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation. (Regulation 39.(1)(2)(3))

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Information about this children's home

This privately owned home is registered for three children and young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The statement of purpose details the age range of children and young people from 10 to 18 years of age.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

25/03/2015 CH - Interim Sustained effectiveness

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inadequate

Staff fail to provide individual care to protect and promote young people’s welfare. Young people with a history of risks such as fire setting, self-injurious behaviour, sexualised behaviour and violence to others receive little support or guidance from staff, the home’s therapist or mental health agencies. There is little progress across many aspects of their lives. Young people report a stark difference in their experiences. Their outcomes, relationships and progress are variable and for some inadequate. For example, there are contrasts in young people’s educational attendance and achievement. Education is inadequate for one young person. Staff do not help young people with a poor history of school attendance. They arrive at the home with no personal education plan and this continues to be the case over an eight month period. Staff fail to meaningfully engage young people in educational activities, with as little as six hours of home tutoring per week.

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inadequate

A recent education placement failed due to a lack understanding and support for the significant barriers experienced by some young people. Incidents of aggressive and challenging behaviours quickly lead to poor engagement and breaks in attendance. Such arrangement provide little opportunity for young people to reach their potential. In contrast young people who have a consistent history of good school attendance continue this pattern after arriving at the home and for an extensive period. Staff provide transport to and from school and work well with education staff. Young people lead a very separate life from each other while in the home. Young people openly state they do not like, or are indifferent, to each other. They rarely speak to each other; they eat separately and usually sit in different communal areas. Staff do not promote a positive experience of group living and this does not prepare them for the group settings they will experience in their next placements

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inadequate

or as young adults. Arrangements for tracking the outcomes of complaints is inadequate. Complaints are not recorded in the home’s records unless the young person fills in a form. This exacerbates some young people’s perception that they are not listened to or their concerns taken seriously. For example, one young person consistently expresses dissatisfaction with having to live at the home. The concerns have been expressed to the manager and a range of agencies including the placing authority social worker, an independent advocacy agency, police and now Ofsted. Concerns include conduct of the manager and staff, operation of the home and standards of accommodation. Young people clearly feel able to express their views but do not feel listened to. Living a long way from their family and friends further frustrates their emotional stability and ability to represent views to people outside of the home. The manager and staff are not proactive in identifying impartial and independent

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inadequate

agencies to facilitate young people’s views. Changes in some placing authority’s advocacy arrangements mean some young people do not have access to an independent voice. There are also stark contrasts in health outcomes for young people. Some young people’s physical health and medical needs improve as a result of staff supporting hospital consultation and monitoring medication. However, other young people’s emotional and psychological well-being continues to be poor. Staff and the home’s therapist have little impact on young people’s engagement with primary and mental health agencies. As a result, young people with history of self-injurious behaviours and attachment disorder receive little intervention regarding significant emotional and mental health concerns. Staff identify some positive emotional health outcomes. For example, some young people who previously enjoyed their own solitude now socialise with staff and go

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inadequate

to the gym. However, these same young people remain emotionally fragile and have not been helped to develop self-coping skills. Young people do not have pathway plans. They are unsure of their futures and generally ill-prepared for their pending transition into independence and adult placement. They seldom practice life skills, such as budgeting or cooking their own meals. There are inherent contradictions and a lack of priority in how staff support young people to become independent and manage their own safety. One young person spends time at the local pub alone. However, this young person is still to learn road safety and therefore has to be escorted by staff. Another young person spends long periods of time away from the home with staff being unaware of how his time is spent. There is no focus on using this time to develop the skills and maturity that is essential for young people to make a meaningful transition to

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inadequate

adulthood. For example, being able to pursue independent hobbies and making sound social support networks. Judgement grade

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inadequate

Young people are not safe because safeguarding practice and strategies are not robust. Managers and staff fail to identify and understand significant risks such as self- injurious behaviours, violence to others and fire setting. They lack training, insight and fail to manage the physical environment to keep young people safe. For example, long trailing wires remain in bedrooms of young people who have a history of using ligatures to injure themselves. Door alarms to alert staff to young people leaving their room during the night do not work.

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inadequate

The registered manager underestimates the impact of risks associated with serious incidents of young people going missing from the home. The home’s location risk assessment fails to identify how unlit roads, potholed tracks and open fields increase risks for young people when they go out or go missing, particularly at night.

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inadequate

Fire safety procedures do not protect young people or impact on their behaviour. Young people cannot address their fire setting behaviours because their history is not taken into consideration by the manager and staff. Individual risk assessment of young people with a history of fire setting and arson is not in place. This is despite the strong smell of smoke in a young person’s bedroom and them setting fire to materials on the home’s cooker. In addition, the manager and staff fail to respond and address some young people’s consistent refusal to respond to fire drills.

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inadequate

Delay in making repairs to the home presents further avoidable risks to young people. Staff fail to identify and remove electrical equipment which is plugged into electrical sockets adjacent to water leaks in the lounge.

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inadequate

Poor record keeping and arrangements for use of the home’s transport further exemplifies the owner’s and manager’s lack of rigour and sense of accountability for young people’s safety. For example, weekly vehicle checks identify faults, including lamp bulbs and seatbelts not working. The absence of additional evidence means it unclear is these faults are addressed.

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leaders and managers

Matching young people to the home’s statement of purpose, the staff skill set and compatibility with other young people is extremely poor. This results in the more long term young people feeling intimidated, bullied and then relieved when some young people move on. Other young people do not have their needs met. They make little progress because staff do not have the insight, training and access to agencies to meet a range of complex needs. Leaders and managers have an unrealistic evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of the service. For example, the manager and staff believe that young people are fundamentally safer since being at the home. However, there is little evidence due to the lack of strategic risk management by the manager and staff. In addition, the lack of pre-admission planning and poor partnership working has resulted in a young person having no or very little education throughout their

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leaders and managers

placement. Young people’s needs remain unmet due to inadequate partnership working. The manager’s ability to source alternative education resources and her challenge to placing authorities have little impact. Poor partnership working and challenge also results in inadequate pathway planning. The manager does not seek advice from fire safety services when admitting young people with a fire setting history or about their refusal to take part in fire safety procedures. Recording is poor. Young people’s development, achievements and their journey of growing up is not meaningfully reflected in their records. A lack of rigour is also evident in the recruitment files for staff. Interview processes, references and background checks lack impartiality and verification. This places young people at risk.

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leaders and managers

The registered manager although recently registered has managed this home since January 2015. She has extensive experience and holds a diploma in management studies as a suitable qualification. All staff are qualified or in the process of completing training in caring for children and young people. Training in self- injurious behaviours is not in place and this impacts on staff ability to effectively respond to young people’s needs. The manager fails to make use of independent monitoring visits to the home. Key concerns such as poor dynamics, complaints from young people, going missing during the night and lack of education have all been raised by the independent visitor but are not addressed. The manager acknowledges how some young people struggle in placement; but there is no clarity regarding the actions needed to address these shortfalls and encourage progress.

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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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