Children's home SC426684

Requires improvement

The children's home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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The children's home provision requires improvement because:

 The leadership and management of the home is adequate. There are shortfalls in some of the incident records, as some do not routinely show good and effective evaluation and reflection on each incident. This does not ensure lessons are learned and practice is improved following significant incidents.  Staffing levels have not been reviewed following those incidents where the safety of staff and the child has been compromised.  Some staff recruitment files are not kept up to date and do not fully demonstrate robust recruitment practices.  Placement plans are not routinely signed by staff to show they have read them.  Action taken by the home to promote a child’s good health is not strong.  A child who had significantly reduced his misuse of drugs and alcohol in a previous placement has again begun to place his health and welfare at risk by misusing these substances.  Risk assessments designed to support staff in how to manage a child’s

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The children's home provision requires improvement because:

dangerous behaviour are variable. In particular, those relating to lone working and substance misuse need improvement.  Although a child’s school attendance is good, the day-to-day arrangements in the home do not support the child to get to school on time. Consequently, the child is often late.

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The children's home strengths

 The home provides a welcoming, nurturing environment where children feel cared for.  Children feel safe in the home.  Children are developing good relationships with the staff team who listen to him, take account of their wishes and feelings and spend time with them.  Parents and professionals recognise that the children are happy living at the home and are developing confidence.  Individual children’s challenging behaviour and rising anxieties are mostly well managed. Restraint is rarely used.  The home’s response to a child who goes missing is strong and promotes their safety.  The home communicates well with parents and partner agencies and prompts other professionals to improve their services to meet individual needs.  Children’s progress and experiences are well monitored.  The manager has introduced improved documentation that supports staff to report more effectively on children’s progress and experiences.

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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

8. —(1) The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— (a) that staff— (x) help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans.

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Requirement Due date

This is specifically in relation to promoting the educational achievement of children, in particular by ensuring that the routine of the home promotes their participation in education by enabling children to arrive in school on time. 29/03/2016

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard

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Requirement Due date

Reg 13- (1) The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that – (a) helps children to aspire to their potential; and (b) promotes their welfare. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to - (h) use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. This relates to the manager’s reflection on and evaluation of serious incidents to drive improvements in practice. 29/03/2016 23: Medicines

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that medicine which is prescribed for a child is administered as prescribed to the child for whom it is prescribed and to no other child; and a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child. In particular, ensure that records indicate when prescribed medicines are refused (Regulation 23 (2)(b)(c)) 29/02/2016

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Requirement Due date

44: Independent person: vists and reports

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Requirement Due date

44 (7) The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person’s report to- (a) HMCI. (Regulation 44 (7) (a)). 31/03/2016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  ensure that, where there are safeguarding concerns for a child, their placement plan, agreed between the home and the placing authority, includes details of the steps the home will take to manage and assessed risks on a day to day basis. In particular, provide clear guidance for staff in how to protect children when they misuse substances and alcohol (The Guide, page 42, para 9.5)

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Recommendations

 plan staffing levels to ensure that they meet the needs of children and can respond flexibly to unexpected events or opportunities. In particular, review staffing levels following serious incidents to ensure that the safety of children and staff is not compromised by solo working (The Guide, page 54, para 10.15)

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Recommendations

 maintain good employment practice. Ensure that recruitment of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. In particular, ensure that staff recruitment files demonstrate robust recruitment practice including up-to-date and relevant information obtained through DBS and recruitment checks (The Guide, page 61, para 13.1)

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Recommendations

 ensure that staff are familiar with the home's policy on record keeping. In particular, ensure that staff know and follow the procedure for reading and signing a child's placement plan. (The Guide, page 62, para 14.4)  keep the home’s Statement of Purpose under review, to ensure it includes up-to-date information about the home’s management and staffing (The Guide, page 14, para 3.5).

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Information about this children's home

 The home is privately owned. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three children with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

17/06/2015 CH - Interim improved effectiveness

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requires improvement

The home currently accommodates one child. Although there is some very good practice that is supporting the child to have positive experiences in a nurturing setting, good boundaries are not consistently implemented and some practice shortfalls mean that the child’s progress is some areas is slow. For example, the child’s progress in achieving good standards of health is not satisfactory. Staff do not routinely offer or encourage the child to self-administer medicines prescribed for a diagnosed health condition. This does not demonstrate they are helping him to manage a long-term condition. They do not routinely record when he has refused prescribed medicines. Although staff work with partner agencies to encourage the child to attend medical appointments that would enhance his overall health and welfare, they have had limited success in this. Consequently, the child is not yet receiving the treatment he needs to promote his

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requires improvement

good health. The child, who had begun to reduce his level of cigarette smoking in the early weeks of placement, has returned to regular smoking. Action taken by the home to dissuade him from smoking is not strong. For example, staff ensure the child receives promised pocket money from relatives so he has enough money to buy cigarettes when he has already spent his pocket money. Staff escort the child to the shop but do not go in with him. This enables the child to regularly buy and use cigarettes and stimulant beverages which are harmful to his health. This does not give a strong message to the child about the importance of a healthy lifestyle. The arrangements for supporting the child’s education are only adequate, even though the home has done much to promote his education. A teacher explained: ‘It’s early days but he has more support now than in his previous placement. They bring him and collect him and it’s a long way. They ring us when they are going to

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requires improvement

be late and we know them well now. Sometimes he can be more tired since he moved to live there and his attendance has slipped although that is more to do with his time-keeping.’ Although the child’s school attendance is good, the day-to- day arrangements in the home do not support him to get to school on time. This is because staff do not wake him sufficiently early to allow for the journey to school. Consequently, the child, who is already on a reduced timetable, is often an hour or more late for school. This does not ensure he has the opportunity to receive the education to which he is entitled, in accordance with his assessed needs. Staff are steadily building constructive and supportive relationships with the child. They are attentive to his needs and encourage him to engage in activities and games, with them. They are sensitive to his wishes and feelings and help him, in a beneficial and positive way, to deal with his anxieties and feelings emerging from

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requires improvement

previous experiences. This helps him to feel valued and well cared for, to develop new interests and skills and to become more confident and relaxed. The child said: ’They always listen to me. I get on well with them all. I’ve got a copy of the complaints procedure and I know how to complain but they listen to me anyway and try to help me. They are going to help me with anger management. That’s what I need most. I’m seeing someone from YOS as well. And they are helping me with independence skills. This is the best home I’ve been in.’

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requires improvement

Parents and professionals say this home has made a big difference to the child’s happiness and they recognise the skills of the staff team in managing his behaviour and supporting the development of his confidence and self-esteem. For example, one said: ‘I see the difference in him, in his posture and confidence. He is much happier now and I can see he is safe.’ The home supports the child to maintain contact and re-establish damaged relationships with families and significant people very well. This engenders a sense of belonging, helps to establish a supportive network for the child in the future and promotes good relationships with family members. A relative commented: ‘He was really happy when we went there for tea last week. It was good to see. He made us a curry and baked a nice cake. He used to be unhappy and angry where he lived before. The home is lovely and the staff are all very nice.’ Staff help the child to prepare for future independence by involving him in

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requires improvement

shopping, cooking and general household chores.

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requires improvement

Risk assessments designed to support staff in how to manage the child’s dangerous behaviour are variable. The risk assessment relating to substance misuse does not provide staff with clear guidance about action to take when the child misuses drugs or alcohol. Consequently, in one such incident the safety of the child and staff member were compromised. There was no recorded evaluation of this incident. Risks relating to the child’s known, challenging and dangerous behaviour have not been fully considered in the lone working policy. This has placed staff and children at risk. For example, a staff member locked herself in the office, with no escape route when faced with a child’s escalating aggression. This does not ensure the child’s or the staff member’s safety. Nor does it promote a safe, measured and consistent approach to unacceptable behaviour. The home does not take full account of known risks to children’s health and safety

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requires improvement

in its placement planning. For example, despite known, high risks of children misusing drugs and alcohol, staff are not vigilant in supervising how children spend their money. This does not help to deter children from buying cigarettes, alcohol and illegal substances. Consequently, dangerous behaviour that had reduced in a previous placement, has once again emerged. Some staff recruitment files are not kept up to date. For example, some files do not contain up to date photographs of newly appointed staff and in at least one file, information relating to a Disclosure and Barring Service check was not held on the file. Although up to four references are obtained from people who can comment on the applicant’s suitability, the content of the references is insufficient to demonstrate that the applicant is suitable. References are routinely verified but records of verification conversations are minimal and do not demonstrate suitability

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requires improvement

checks are robustly pursued. The home’s response to the child going missing is strong. Staff have searched for him, working closely with families, friends, the police and other professionals which has secured his safe return. On his return, staff welcome him back and the home and ensure the child receives an independent return interview which promotes his future safety. It is clear that the child is going missing to be with friends rather than running away from the home. As the child has become more settled in the home, the number of missing incidents has reduced and this has increased his overall safety. The child feels safe in the home and values the way staff respond to challenging behaviour without using restraint. He said: ‘I feel really safe here. I don’t know why. I just do. They treat me really well.’ The child is positive about engaging in planned work aimed at helping him to manage his anger in a more socially acceptable way. Other professionals recognise

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requires improvement

that this home has a different and more supportive approach to managing children’s aggressive behaviour. Restraint is rarely used and this helps the child to feel safe. He explained: ‘They don’t like using restraint. They talk to me. They give me space to calm down. I get really angry and flare up and they give me space and then I calm down. They talk to me about it and are helping me get better at managing it. It helps the way they talk about things.’ Judgement grade

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requires improvement

The manager has extensive experience of working in children’s social care. He has managed four children’s homes over a period of six years. Under his management, these homes have had varying levels of success in their overall effectiveness. He was appointed to this home in March 2015 and registered with Ofsted in July 2015. Since his appointment, this home has significantly improved. The manager is fully committed to the home’s ethos of parenting children through play, acceptance, curiosity and empathy. He supports staff in their learning and understanding of children’s emotional development and the impact of early trauma and attachment difficulties. With his guidance, staff continue to develop their skills in parenting children with emotional and behavioural disabilities. Staff receive regular one to one supervision each month and speak highly of the support and supervision they receive from the manager. They know and follow the

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requires improvement

ethos of the home well and they demonstrate commitment to providing a nurturing and friendly environment. Staff receive all mandatory training as part of their induction process. They benefit from additional specialist training that helps them to understand and meet the particular needs of the child in placement. The importance of setting up arrangements for the professional supervision of the manager was stressed at the time of the manager’s s registration with Ofsted. It was not actioned until after the first child was placed in the home. Consequently, the child was in placement for almost two months before the manager received his first professional supervision. This does not demonstrate the organisation’s commitment to providing the manager with the best possible support and supervision in his decision-making and management of the home. Since the last inspection, there has been one child living at the home for a period

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requires improvement

of two months. Although this was an emergency placement, the manager carefully considered how the home could meet the child’s needs before his admission. An individual placement plan was drawn up, based on full information obtained at the point of placement. Although the home has a system that requires staff to sign the placement plan when they have read it, few staff have done so. Consequently, the home cannot demonstrate that staff are fully aware of the plan for the child. The child’s progress and experiences are well monitored. Monthly summaries are informative, detailed and provide a good analysis of the child’s overall progress. They are routinely shared with the placing authority. The child is starting to build relationships with staff but is not yet making good progress across all aspects of his development. The leadership and management of the home is adequate. There are shortfalls in some of the incident records. Although the incidents are mostly well recorded and

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requires improvement

detailed, they do not routinely show good and effective managerial evaluation and reflection on serious incidents. This does not demonstrate that lessons are learned and practice is improved following significant incidents. For example, the evaluation of an incident in which a member of staff who was lone working locked herself in the office when a child’s aggressive behaviour escalated, does not show that the staff member’s safety was fully considered following the incident. Staffing levels have not been reviewed following those incidents where the safety of staff and the child has been compromised. For example, a member of staff, working alone, allowed a child who could not sleep, to stay up unsupervised through the night to watch television while she retired to her bedroom. This practice does not ensure the child’s safety. It does not ensure that children cannot access unsuitable material on television, screened during the night. The records do

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requires improvement

not demonstrate that this matter has been explored with the staff member; nor do they show reflection on the appropriateness of one member of staff being on duty over a 24 hour shift. The home receives monthly visits from an independent visitor who completes a valuable assessment of the operation of the home and children’s progress. The manager acts on any recommendations for improvement made in these reports. Copies of the reports are not routinely forwarded to Ofsted each month, although some are. This impedes the regulator from maintaining an on-going overview of the home’s practice and children’s experiences and progress. The statement of purpose provides a good overview of the services offered at the home. However, it does not contain up to date information about the home’s management and staffing. This does not ensure commissioners, parents and others have accurate details of the staff involved in looking after their children.

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requires improvement

The home works well with partner agencies and challenges others to provide children with the services they are entitled to. Other professionals and parents report the home communicates well with them and they recognise the commitment and skills of the staff team. One requirement relating to promoting children’s education was made at the last inspection and has been partially met. The home has worked with the virtual head and the Principal of the child’s education provider to ensure the child’s education was not overly disrupted when he moved to this home. A professional said, ‘They have been pro-active since the beginning. They were very involved in helping him to stay at this school when he moved home. They always ask about his day. Communication is pretty good.’ A shortfall in practice remains because the home does not wake the child up sufficiently early to enable him to get to school for the start of the school day.

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requires improvement

Two recommendations from the previous inspection have been appropriately addressed. The child is looked after by a small team of staff he knows well. The home is committed to ensuring new staff enrol on a suitable qualification on completion of their probationary period.

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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. procedures set out in 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

regulates and inspects to 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

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Information about this inspection

Policy Team, 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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