Children's Home run by Blackford Education (schools) Ltd in Somerset

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged as outstanding at the full inspection. At this interim inspection Ofsted judge that it has declined in effectiveness .

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home has declined effectiveness since the last full inspection on 12 January 2016 because on one occasion during this period they did not comply with the conditions of their registration. Since the previous inspection the registered manager permitted an additional young person to stay in the home for two weeks. The home is currently registered for one young person. As a result, the manager failed to adhere to the home’s statement of purpose, ethos and insurance. As a result of this breach in regulations a compliance notice is made. Further to this there were limited records kept of this admission. Consultation with the placing social worker of the young person already living in the home did not take place and the local authority was not informed of the admission. A requirement is therefore made to ensure that detailed and recorded consultation takes place between the home and the local authority where the home is located.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Minimal consultation took place with the young person already living in the home. He told the inspector that the decision had already been made and it did ‘annoy’ him. While the young person accepted this decision there was no evidence of the young person’s key worker advocating for this young person. A recommendation will therefore be made to ensure advocacy is consistently promoted. The placing social worker of the young person that temporarily stayed in the home reported that they were ‘aware’ of the move, but said they ‘couldn’t be 100% sure of how they learnt of this move’. Neither were they aware that the home was not suitably registered, or of the local authority’s responsibility in consulting with other placing social workers prior to admission. The registered manager acknowledged that other than a daily diary log there is no other record kept of the young person’s temporary admission to the home. This failure to record details of admissions, and

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

consult with the local authority results in two requirements. A discussion with the registered manager of the children’s home that the young person moved from indicated that staff moved with him and supported him. Records held within the home do not support this and for the majority of this period there would appear to be insufficient staffing. However, it is noted from discussions with the young person that lives in the home, that overall this experience was positive. Indeed it is testament to the maturity and empathy of this young person, and the excellent relationship he has with his core staff team that overall this was a positive experience. Records kept within the home indicate that there were no incidents of concern during this period. The registered manager maintained an adequate level of care and support to both young people. This was despite having insufficient staffing on a number of occasions, and having had no contact with the young person’s social

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

worker. However, he was swift to produce an impact risk assessment covering this period, and used key worker sessions effectively to reflect on the experience. While the impact of this admission on the young person whose home this is was minimal, a requirement is made to ensure there is effective communication between the home and the local authority and there is sufficient staffing at all times. For the young person who lives in the home, he has continued to make progress since the previous inspection. He has lived in the home for a number of years and continues to have an excellent relationship with the staff team. He is attending school and is on track to achieve a number of qualifications. The young person is supported by a small dedicated staff team that are caring and compassionate. There have been no changes to the core staff team and they continue to be qualified and skilled. A key strength of this team is their ability to

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

work with the young person as he transitions to adulthood. With the exception of the incident when a young person temporarily moved in to the home, decisions are made in consultation with the young person and their family. In doing so the young person is empowered, feels valued and respected. The registered manager is particularly skilled in encouraging the young person to take part in activities that are both physically and socially rewarding, for example surfing and orienteering. Safeguarding concerns are very rare. Those that have taken place are shared with the appropriate professionals; they are well written and provide an excellent level of analysis. The registered manager uses a range of monitoring tools to review and manage the home, and a well-constructed development plan highlights objectives for the coming year. The young person benefits from living in a house that provides a homely environment and contains décor and furniture of a very good quality. Photographs

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

and holiday memorabilia provides evidence of good outcomes for this young person.

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Information about this children's home

The home is registered to provide accommodation for one young person and is run by a private provider.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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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

6: The quality and purpose of care standard *

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who understand the children's home's overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)) 29/04/2016

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Requirement Due date

6: The quality and purpose of care standard *

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff understand and apply the home's statement of purpose; treat each child with dignity and respect; make decisions about the day-to-day arrangements, for each child, in accordance with the child's relevant plans, which give the child an appropriate degree of freedom and choice. (Regulation 6 (2)(b)(i)(iii)(ix)) 29/04/2016

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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 seek to involve each child's placing authority effectively in the child's care, in accordance with the child's relevant plans (Regulation 5 (a)) 29/04/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure records are kept up to date. In particular a clear record is kept of a child moving in and out of the home. (Regulation 37 (2)(b)) 29/04/2016

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Requirement Due date

41: Notification with respect to children admitted into, or discharged from, a children's home

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify, without delay, the local authority for the area in which the children's home is located of 29/04/2016 every admission of a child into the home and every discharge of a child from the home. (Regulation 41 (1))

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child. (Regulation 13 (2)(D)) 29/04/2016

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Requirement Due date

* 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):

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Recommendations

 The registered person must ensure that children must be consulted regularly on their views about the home's care, to inform and support continued improvement in the quality of care provided. Children should be able to see the results of their views being listened to and acted upon. This relates in particular to when new young people are admitted to the home (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 22, paragraph 4.11)

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What the inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspection we make a judgement on whether the home has improved in effectiveness, sustained effectiveness, or declined in effectiveness since the previous full inspection. This is in line with the Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection.

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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 focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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Information about this inspection

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 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

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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