Children's home SC432140

inspection

Two compliance notices were issued on 08 September 2015. A full inspection on 21 and 22 October 2015 identified these had not been met. A monitoring visit took place on 04 December 2015 and both compliance notices had been complied with.

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Inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean: children and young people are not protected; their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded; their care and experiences are poor; and they are not making progress.

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The children's home provision is inadequate because:

Systems in place to monitor the quality of care provided to children and young people are ineffective. The manager lacks sufficient skills in identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the home. The service fails to provide consistently good outcomes for children and young people.

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The children's home provision is inadequate because:

Requirements from previous Ofsted inspections have not been met and are repeated.

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The children's home provision is inadequate because:

Senior leaders do not recognise that some practices are unacceptable such as using wrist straps and reins as a form of restraint. There are no records to detail the use of these restrictive practices.

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The children's home provision is inadequate because:

Senior leaders do not follow safeguarding procedures. Records show no outcome or actions following the reporting of a safeguarding concern. Information is not stored centrally on children and young people’s care files. Staff are not aware of current safeguarding concerns relating to children and the young people they care for.

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The children's home provision is inadequate because:

Record keeping is poor. Records lack analysis and do not demonstrate the impact of events or actions on children and young people.

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The children's home provision is inadequate because:

There is no robust system to record complaints. The manager records complaints in his telephone log. There is a failure to record information about how each complaint is addressed and the outcome. As a result, important information including lessons learned is omitted from the manger’s monitoring systems.

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The children's home provision is inadequate because:

Risk assessments are ineffective. They fail to assist staff in preventing children and young people from harming one another.  Support for staff in terms of their performance management and development is weak. Supervision and staff induction are infrequent and only a small number of staff have had their performance and development reviewed annually. One member of staff is not qualified to a satisfactory level but is left with sole responsibility for a number of young people when on duty.

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The children's home provision is inadequate because:

There are insufficient staff to meet the needs of each child and the young people living in the home. The deputy manager recognises that, ‘we don’t have enough staff in post to meet the needs of young people’. There are no plans to improve levels of staffing.  The back gardens are not safe or inviting spaces for children and young people to play in. Broken and unused equipment such as dining chairs are scattered around. The gardens are unsightly and are in urgent need of attention. 

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The children's home strengths

 The number of physical restraints on children and young people is decreasing. Some social workers and families feel communication is improving. Staff send reports to families and social workers detailing information about children and young people’s experiences and welfare on a weekly basis.  New décor and soft furnishings contribute to a more homely feel. Some young people are enjoying their new bedrooms, which they have personalised.

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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

In order to meet the quality and purpose of the care standards, the registered person must ensure that children receive care from staff who:

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Requirement Due date

(c) ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to-

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Requirement Due date

(i) meet the needs of each child; and (ii) enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the back gardens are inviting and safe spaces that children and young people can enjoy independently. 17/03/2016

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the protection of children standard, the registered person must ensure - (2)(a) that staff:

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Requirement Due date

(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 (iv) manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other (v) understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person (vi) take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child's welfare

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Requirement Due date

(b) that the home's day-today care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. 03/03/2016 In particular, ensure that – the manager:  adheres to safeguarding procedures and follows up concerns effectively  ensures that robust recording systems are in place and that records are explicit and complete  communicates to staff the information they need to safeguard children and young people.

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Requirement Due date

a review is undertaken to ensure children and young people are protected from one another risk assessments are live documents and updated to include health information that puts children and young people at additional risk.

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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 should

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Requirement Due date

(1) enable, inspire and lead a culture that:

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Requirement Due date

(a) helps children aspire to fulfil their potential (b) promotes their welfare

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Requirement Due date

(2) (f) understand the impact 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 (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

In particular, ensure that the manager:  improves their knowledge of children and young people  improves their oversight of the home, can identify its strengths and weaknesses  establishes systems to monitor the quality of care provided ensuring they are robust, effective and have a positive impact to children and young people. 03/03/2016

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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 persons are required to:

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Requirement Due date

(c) ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child 03/03/2016 (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

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff have a suitable qualification, young people have continuity of care and; the number of staff employed meets the needs of the number of children and young people receiving a service consistently.

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Requirement Due date

A person may only manage a children’s home if-

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Requirement Due date

having regard to the size of the home, its statement of purpose, and the number and needs (including and needs arising from any disability) of the children

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Requirement Due date

the person has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills to manage the home effectively and lead the care of children.

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Requirement Due date

33: Employment of staff The registered persons must ensure that all employees

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year.

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Requirement Due date

35: Behaviour management policies and records

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home a record is made which includes

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Requirement Due date

 the name of the child  details of the child's behaviour leading up to the incident  the date, time and location of the use of the measure  a description of the measure and its duration 03/03/2016  details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure

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Requirement Due date

 the name of the person who used the measure (the user), and of any other person present when the measure was used

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Requirement Due date

 the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure

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Requirement Due date

Within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that any use of mechanical restraint such as a wrist strap is recorded explicitly and monitored by the responsible persons.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 35 (3) (a) (i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation.

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to statutory requirement notice.

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Information about this children's home

The home is situated in the grounds of a special school for children and young people aged between 4 and 18 years of age who have learning disabilities. Care is provided in three homes that are registered for a maximum of 25 children and young people. Children and young people receive assessed packages of care including 52- week care, 39-week care and short breaks.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

15/01/2015 CH - Interim sustained effectiveness

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Inadequate

There continues to be serious and widespread failures in this home. Leaders and managers lack sufficient skills to manage the home. Despite this, inspectors recognise that some progress has been made to improve the experiences of children and young people including refurbishing some parts of the accommodation.

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Inadequate

Children and young people do not have the opportunity to build secure relationships with the carers looking after them. The staff team moves between the three homes and the school frequently to cover shortfalls in staffing numbers. These changes impact on children in that they prevent them from enjoying and sustaining meaningful relationships with those who care for them.

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Inadequate

Records about children and young people are not stored in one central place. Multiple recording systems held by the manager are not made available to the staff team. Staff do not always know relevant information about the children they are caring for, preventing them from being able to deliver high quality care to children and young people.

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Inadequate

Two of the home’s back gardens are in a poor state of repair, unsafe, and uninviting for children to play in. There is no play equipment or seating areas for children to enjoy. Broken and unused equipment such as dining chairs are scattered around. The manager does not have an action plan or programme of maintenance in place to improve play areas.

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Inadequate

The manager has undertaken a review of all children and young people’s care plans. Care plans have improved. They now provide a better level of information about children and young people. However, the level of detail required as evidence of the progress children and young people make is insufficient. Care plans are not explicit about how staff are supporting children and young people to achieve a better quality of life. Health passports are new and have been introduced to detail the health needs of children and young people. They assist staff in understanding how to meet the children and young people’s health care needs. The system is not as yet well embedded in practice as staff are not recording new health information as it arises.

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Inadequate

Since the previous inspection, some children look healthier and are more engaged with staff and visitors to the home. A parent said, ‘they are making more choices and saying more words’. The introduction of an accredited independence skills programme is at an early stage. Some children and young people have started to take part in the programme and a photo log of achievements is being kept.

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Inadequate

Since the previous inspection, there are more activities on offer to children and young people. These include horse riding, swimming, cinema visits, trips out on the train and going to the seaside. A member of staff identified as an activity co- ordinator is leading this new venture. Staff encourage children and young people to make choices and give feedback on activities offered to them.

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Inadequate

Communication between staff, families and professionals is improving. Weekly reports to families and social workers provide an overview of the child and young person’s experiences in the home. A social worker said, ‘there has been a vast improvement in terms of information and communication’.

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Inadequate

Children and young people’s access and attendance in education is good as they live in the residential provision linked to their school. Transitions from home to school are therefore short and well managed with a short walk to school. Some young people have the opportunity to walk home freely from school which increases their independence. The verbal handover of information back from education to care staff at the end of the school day, observed by inspectors, was not well executed.

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Inadequate

It is evident that staff have focused on improving the internal environment to make the homes feel more comfortable. Significant shortfalls concerning the premises, identified at the previous inspection, have been resolved. New carpets have helped to eradicate unpleasant smells. There is new décor and pictures which make rooms feel cosier. Staff no longer wear a uniform when caring for children and young people.

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Inadequate

Records in place to safeguard children and young people are poor. Inspectors found it difficult to establish how well staff carry out their safeguarding responsibilities. Concerns reported to social care professionals, such as the local authority designated officer, have no recorded outcome. Where safeguarding concerns are known to the manager, these have not been communicated to the staff team or information transferred to the child or young person’s care file. A number of staff said, ‘we have never come across a safeguarding concern’ despite there being some live concerns for young people they are caring for.

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Inadequate

Incidents of children and young people harming one another continue to occur. Compatibility and risk assessments are ineffective as they do not set out strategies to reduce this harmful behaviour. Staff are directed to keep some children and young people at ‘arm’s length’. This strategy fails to address the issue that children continue to harm each other. Records fail to identify how staff should support children and young people to reduce this behaviour.

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Inadequate

Senior leaders and managers have not identified health care risks. One young person has no plan to manage a new health risk. The manager said, ‘we are treating him the same as any other child with no extra monitoring’. This strategy is not part of the health care plan and puts the young person at risk.

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Inadequate

The manager fails to identify the use of a wrist strap or reins as a form of physical restraint. There is no record of their use and managers have no plans to cease this practice. The manager does not monitor the impact of use of this restrictive practice on children and young people.

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Inadequate

Staff are now using strategies to de-escalate challenging behaviour, rather than physically intervening with the use of a restraint. This is an improvement on previous practice and a much more positive approach to caring for children and young people. The manager identified one unwarranted physical intervention which he challenged appropriately. However, this level of analysis is not consistently applied.

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Inadequate

The manager has improved his communication with professionals whose role it is to safeguard children and young people. Body maps identifying bruising to children and young people are reported in a timely manner. This is an improvement in practice and increases the safety of children and young people in the home.

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Inadequate

Senior leaders and managers are failing to improve shortfalls in practice in a timely manner. Repeated requirements from previous inspections identify managers’ failure to make sustained improvement. The manager does not maintain well- ordered records relating to care and the quality of the home. This means that his system to monitor the performance of the service is inadequate. The manager does not demonstrate a suitable level of understanding of the complex needs of children and young people in the home. There is a lack of impetus to fully assess children in relation to their history, background and experiences. There is no consideration as to how past experiences impact on their current behaviour and emotional well-being.

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Inadequate

Monitoring by the manager is weak. Records and monitoring reports lack impact and analysis. The manager does not use the monitoring process to identify shortfalls in practice. Children and young people’s case records do not include information that is held by the manager. This includes conversations with social workers that have not been transferred to care files. Staff providing direct care do not have information disseminated to them. Attendance at recent team meetings was at 53% of the staff; this further reduces opportunities for the manager to disseminate key information to care staff.

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Inadequate

The manager does not value complaints , by understanding that learning can be taken from them in order to improve the service. There is no system to log complaints, actions taken, and their outcome. The manager has poor recording systems in place, which means information is not readily available and easy to retrieve in his absence.

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Inadequate

The manager fails to identify the shortfalls in the staffing arrangements. There are insufficient staff recruited to meet the needs of children and young people receiving the service. Staff work additional shifts to cover this staffing shortage, as do teaching assistants from the school, who provide cover in the care homes. There is no consideration as to how this impacts on the nature and quality of care being provided or the boundaries between home and school.

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Inadequate

The induction, performance and development of staff are not priorities of the senior leadership team. Some staff have not had an induction into their new role or had supervision to manage their performance. The supervision policy is ineffective as staff do not follow it or adhere to timescales. Staff do not get their performance appraised every year.

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Inadequate

There is no clear system in place to establish the type of training programme staff attend. As a result the quality and quantity of training cannot be assessed for effectiveness by the manager. There is documented evidence that all staff have attended safeguarding and behaviour management training. Eighteen staff are not first aid trained and the manager has not considered how this shortfall could impact upon children and young people, should an accident or injury occur.

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Inadequate

The manager has an application with Ofsted to register as the manager of the home. He has suitable qualifications for his role.

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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 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

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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