Children's home run by Approach-Development (NE) Ltd in Redcar and Cleveland

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged as Requires Improvement at the full inspection on 22 December 2015. At this interim inspection Ofsted judge that it has Declined In Effectiveness . Ofsted brought forward this inspection due to receiving a complaint and as a result of concerns which had been notified by the provider. There were no children residing at the home at the time of the inspection.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the last inspection, the home has gone through an unsettled period due to staffing shortages and the use of unqualified volunteers. The lack of a registered manager and a full staff team has meant that children have not progressed overall due to the inconsistencies in practice that have resulted from this lack of leadership and qualified staff.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Throughout the inspection, there was evidence of discrepancies in records. In addition, there was evidence that policies and procedures in terms of reporting incidents were not being followed consistently. Records of a notified incident did not outline what happened nor did it detail any actions taken. A further incident was noted in daily records that had not been notified to Ofsted. The impact is that the regulator is unable to determine if appropriate action is taken.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

An incident, reviewed by the inspector, demonstrated a lack of understanding about safeguarding and the procedures to be followed. There were discrepancies between the provider and manager about what action had been taken to keep children safe when using social media and electronic devices. In addition, there were no restrictions on access to the internet which left children vulnerable to inappropriate online activity.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children were also at risk from adults who visited the home. The inspector found evidence that demonstrated visitors to another business operated on the same site had unrestricted access to the home. One social worker confirmed they had approached an unknown male who was in the kitchen. This male was not accompanied. This practice puts children at risk of harm from people who have not been through an appropriate process to check their suitability to ensure children‟s safety.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

There are insufficient qualified and experienced staff. As a result, the registered provider supplements the staff team with volunteers. A member of staff said, „I am concerned that poor staffing levels means that children are not safe.‟ Children with a high level of emotional need are supported and cared for by staff who lack appropriate knowledge to provide appropriate care. This has produced uncertainty for staff in terms of who their team is and has impacted their ability to develop cohesive team work. This in turn has led to a lack of consistent practice for children.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Recruitment records do not comply with procedural guidance in relation to appropriate checks. There are no induction records or training plan to verify that induction had taken place. Records of supervision are insufficient to guide practice and contain no element of reflection. As a result, staff do not have sufficient guidance to manage the needs of the children and are not held accountable for their actions. This results in children experiencing their behaviour being managed ineffectively and inconsistently. This leads to confusion around boundaries of behaviour.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children‟s risk assessments are poor. For example, there is a failure to update and compile risk assessments in response to incidents and allegations. This means that steps are not put in place to reduce the risk and young people‟s behaviour is not effectively challenged.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children that previously lived at the home did make some academic progress and demonstrated an increase in attendance for both children. One child had joined a homework club after school. This increased their opportunity to achieve in education. Children have also taken part in a range of leisure activities such as meals out, cinema trips and a trip to a water park. This increases children‟s social and emotional wellbeing.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The physical environment of the home is good. Bedrooms showed a level of personalisation and the home is decorated and furnished to a high standard, providing a warm and homely atmosphere. There is a very large fish pond in the garden which remains an area of risk due to the insecure netting applied to the area surrounding the pond. Children can easily access the deep pond creating a hazardous area.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

There is a continued failure by the registered individual to monitor and scrutinize the practice and records of the home. There has been no report prepared that reviews the quality of care being provided as required by regulation. The resulting impact is that the registered individual does not have a clear, competent view of the practice and how to address shortfalls.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

There is a system of visits by an independent person. These have improved in content but still do not contain the person‟s opinion that children are effectively safeguarded and that the conduct of the home promotes children‟s well-being, which is a requirement of the regulation. Action plans are attached to the back of each report but remain incomplete and therefore it is difficult to assess progress made from each visit. The provider is not effectively using this independent challenge to make positive changes to the care being provided.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The two young people resident at the last inspection have now left. Their transition from the home was unplanned due to concerns held by the local authority in relation to the responses to incidents notified. The registered provider and acting manager have not progressed sufficiently with the requirements and recommendations of the previous full inspection. The full timescale for improvement had not been reached, however, there was insufficient progress in all areas to indicate that those regulations would be met. There was a development plan in place in response to the previous inspection but none relating to future development.

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Information about this children's home

This children‟s home is managed by a private company. It may accommodate up to 5 children with emotional and behavioural difficulties. If a child or young person is sharing a room, they must be brothers or sisters who agree to this and written consent from social workers must be recorded.

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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

11: The positive relationships standard In order to meet the positive relationship standard with particular reference ensuring young people‟s behaviour is managed consistently and staff respond appropriately without bias. Together with staff responding robustly to incidents of bullying The registered person must: (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— (a) that staff— (i) meet each child‟s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child‟s relevant plans; (iii) encourage each child to take responsibility for the child‟s behaviour, in accordance with the child‟s age and understanding; (v) communicate to each child expectations about the child‟s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those 8/04/2016 expectations in accordance with the child‟s age and understanding; (vii) help each child to develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful

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Requirement Due date

relationship; (xi) de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children; (xii) understand and communicate to children that bullying is unacceptable ;

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Requirement Due date

12: The protection of children standard * To meet the protection of children standard with particular reference to having available risk assessments that cover known risks to young people 12. —(1) The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— (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; (iv) manage relationships between children to prevent them from 8/04/2016 harming each other; (v) understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are

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Requirement Due date

assigned to them by the registered person; (vi) take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child‟s welfare; and (vii) are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home‟s child protection policies;

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Requirement Due date

And with particular reference to adults visiting and living within the home

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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

13: The leadership and management standard In order to meet the leadership and management standard with particular reference to:  Lack of a registered manager  the insufficient number of qualified members of staff available to work in the home; and the lack of consistency with staff team members  the lack of appropriate induction and training for staff to assist them to work together  the lack of robust quality assurance measures to ensure 8/04/2016 that the registered manager is regularly monitoring the quality of care  the lack of consultation with young people about the quality of care; and  the registered manager not learning lessons from the outcome of audits, reviews and consultation The registered person must : (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

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Requirement Due date

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 of care provided in the home;

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the care planning standard with particular 8/04/2016 reference to ensuring each young person has a plan detailing how they should be cared for and this is in their file, together with young people being involved in the way information is written about them to ensure they understand what their plans say. The registered person must;- (1) The care planning standard is that children— (a) receive effectively planned care in or through the children‟s home; (f) that staff help each child to access and contribute to the records kept by the registered

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children‟s safety. Specifically the process is clear and robust and records are kept to evidence this. (Regulation (32)(1)). 8/04/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that each employee completes an appropriate induction (Regulation (33) (1)). 8/04/2016 44: Independent person: visits and reports

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must produce a report about a visit (“the independent person‟s report”) which sets out, in particular, the independent person‟s opinion as to whether—  children are effectively safeguarded; and  the conduct of the home promotes children‟s well-being. Specifically this report needs to be accurate and to be evaluative rather than describing the service. (Regulation (44) (4)(a)(b)) 8/04/2016

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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;  the feedback and opinions of children about the children‟s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it;  any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children. (Regulation (45)(2)(a)(b)(c)) 8/04/2016

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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):  For children's homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. Children's homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislations (alarms, food hygiene etc.); however in doing so, homes should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than 'institutional' impression. Specifically the net around the fish pond needs to be more secure and pipes in the downstairs toilet need to be protected. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 15 paragraph 3.9)  The registered person must specify the procedures to be followed and the roles and responsibilities of staff when a child is missing from care or away from the home without permission and how staff should support the child on return to the

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Recommendations

home. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 45 paragraph 9.28)

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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

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Information about this inspection

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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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