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Unique reference number SC384687 Inspector Wendy Anderson Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Responsible individual James MacDonald Registered manager Alison Thornhill Date of last inspection 25/07/2014 2 of 7 Inspection date 15/01/2015

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Previous inspection good Enforcement action since last inspection none

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This inspection

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

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This inspection

Managers have failed to address all of the shortfalls identified at the previous inspection undertaken on 25 July 2014. At that inspection two requirements and four recommendations were made. One requirement and recommendations are not met.

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This inspection

The Registered Manager has been in post since September 2008. Ofsted was informed by the Registered Individual on 10 December 2014 that the Registered Manager had been appointed to another role in the organisation and a new manager, who was previously the deputy manager at the home had been recruited. At the time of this inspection the Registered Manager had not resigned their registration and the new manager has not submitted their registration application.

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This inspection

Young people’s files do not consistently contain the required Looked After Children’s documentation from the placing authority. This was raised with the manager who said they had not received it. No evidence is available that the manager has requested this information. No records were available to evidence that a 72 hour placement meeting was held following the admission of a young person to the home at short notice. Placement plans for this young person contain very little information apart from a comprehensive referral document from the placing authority. Placement plans for other young people are unclear and not comprehensive. Therefore it is not possible to understand a young person’s care needs, how they will be met, or if they have made progress since coming to the home. These shortfalls mean that the needs of the young person are not clearly identified and thus there is not clear guidance or strategies in place for staff to work

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This inspection

Door alarms are fitted on young people’s bedroom doors and are only used during sleeping hours. Staff stated these are not always in use and are only used when there are new admissions, where the group is of mixed gender and there are 3 of 7 potential risks to young people. The Manager states the use of door alarms safeguards young people. However, Placement plans do not contain details or agreements from placing authorities regarding the use of this surveillance. A requirement regarding this shortfall was made at the last inspection and is repeated at this inspection.

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This inspection

The home has an appropriate policy and procedure, developed with the local Police, for dealing with young people who go missing. There has been a further decrease in the incidents of young people being absent, especially with those young people who have a history of going missing. Records maintained of these events continue to fail to capture all the required information. They do not consistently evidence that a de-brief meeting has been held with the young person on their return or shortly afterwards to establish where they went and why. In addition, they do not clearly record what time the young person returned, if welfare checks were carried out, or what the staff team will do to prevent a re-occurrence. A new pro-forma has been developed to capture this information but on the six incidents that have happened since the last inspection, all were blank with no information recorded. One incident was only recorded once the documents were requested by the inspector during the

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This inspection

inspection. When challenged about this, due to the date on the form being incorrect, the manager admitted this had only just been completed.

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This inspection

Since the last inspection, three incidents of physical intervention have been recorded. Two of these provide insufficient information on the behaviours which led to the intervention. This means it is not possible to effectively evaluate if the use of the intervention is appropriate or not. In addition not of the entries had been signed of or monitored by the manager.

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This inspection

Each young person has a behaviour check list that details any identified behavioural issues and is then used to develop behaviour management strategies. Of the two plans inspected, one did not contain information on alleged inappropriate sexual behaviours. This omission could place young people at risk and does not provide staff with any behaviour management strategies.

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This inspection

Risk assessments of young people placed since the last inspection are improved and now contain information on how the staff team will address the identified risks. However, risk assessments of the other young people have not all been reviewed or updated following any incidents or changes. This was raised as a recommendation at the last inspection and has not been met.

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This inspection

At the time of inspection not all young people placed are fully engaged in education or employment. Staff continue to provide young people with opportunities and support in this area. This lack of consistent engagement means the outcomes for young people are not as strong as they should be.

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This inspection

Monthly monitoring visits by an independent person regularly take place but these reports do not provide an effective monitoring tool in order to promote 4 of 7 improvement. They do not routinely gather feedback from staff, parents, carers or social workers. Interaction with young people is limited due to the time of day these visits take place. In addition these reports are not routinely sent to Ofsted.

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This inspection

There has been a decline in the monitoring of records by the manager and therefore improvement is not effectively promoted. There is a lack of evidence of documents and recording being monitored and/or shortfalls being addressed. The managers monitoring reports need to be reviewed to ensure they cover all the required areas. This needs to include a stronger emphasis on evaluation of the work undertaken with young people in the home.

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This inspection

Records are securely stored within the home but are not consistently signed and dated by staff. This could lead to staff following guidance and strategies which is not current when caring for the young people.

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This inspection

There is an appropriate safeguarding policy and procedure in place. All staff receive training in the area of safeguarding and child protection which is frequently refreshed to ensure it is current.

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This inspection

Two young people have moved from the home since the last inspection as staff were unable to safely manage their behaviour and the consequent negative impact on other young people and staff morale. Both moves were planned over a short time period which meant limited work was undertaken with young people to prepare them for the transition. One young person was only told they were moving on the day of their move due to concerns regarding their vulnerability and the potential for them running off. There has been one new admission to the home since the last inspection. They spoke very positively about their move and the staff team who care for them.

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This inspection

An appropriate complaints policy and procedure is in place which all young people and staff are aware of. Records of complaints made have improved since the last inspection. They now contain more information on the investigation process, the outcome of the complaint and if the complainant is satisfied with the outcome. Lessons learnt from complaints made are also recorded. The manager said this is still a work in progress. They are reviewing the recording format to enhance the details of the records.

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This inspection

Safer recruitment practices are followed in the home, which ensures that all staff are checked for their suitability to work with children and young people. The home has an appropriate recruitment and vetting procedure for staff which is now adhered to in practice.

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This inspection

Staff files scrutinised contain clear evidence of references being verbally verified. This follows safer recruitment practices and helps to prevent unsuitable people being employed in the home. 5 of 7 6 of 7

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Information about this children’s home

This children's home is registered to accommodate five young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties. The service is delivered and managed by a charitable organisation.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/07/2014 Full good 16/01/2014 Interim satisfactory progress 18/04/2013 Full outstanding 15/02/2013 Interim good progress Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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What inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspections 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

The purpose of this inspection is to assure children and young people, parents, the public, local authorities and government of the quality and standard of the service provided. The 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 relevant regulations and meets the national minimum standards.

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Information about this inspection

The report details the main strengths, any areas for improvement, including any breaches of regulation, and any failure to meet national minimum standards. The judgements included in the report are made against the framework of inspection for children's homes.

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