Children's home in Charnwood

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged Good at the full inspection. At this interim inspection Ofsted judge that it has Sustained effectiveness.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Through a period of crisis and a dip in performance since the last inspection, the registered person has delivered a service that has maintained stability and progress for the young people in placement. There were serious incidents, including safeguarding and behaviour management concerns arising from historical low staffing and deployment. There have now been significant changes at this home. The registered manager resigned and left in early October 2015. A new manager started work in mid-October and has submitted an application to register with Ofsted. The entire previous staff team had left by November. Protection of young people has been poor, but is now much improved. Ofsted has no current concerns about young people‟s safety, or the ability of staff keep them safe. In a period of extreme short staffing in early autumn last year, under a temporary manager, after the resignation of the registered manager, untrained,

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

agency staff took responsibility for behaviour management. A young person was restrained to enforce compliance and harmed. The registered person took prompt action once this was known and conducted an investigation under the direction of the local area designated officer, including why two agency staff were working alone. The investigation concluded poor management, poor recording, poor staff deployment, and failure to inform parents. There are some areas of shortfall that require improvement. The registered person has not yet submitted a review of the quality of care. The new manager has recognised historical shortfalls in care and safeguarding practice, made improvements and identified areas for development. Leaders and managers are increasingly effective in monitoring the quality of care and professional practice, but need to make a longer and wider review that makes clear how the organisation has used opportunities for learning from incidents and allegations. This review

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

must be submitted to Ofsted, include stakeholder consultation, and recognise the whole journey for the service and the young people since the last reporting period over 12 months ago. Staffing competency and sufficiency has been a problem at the home. The new staff team has less than five months experience and are developing skills as a team. There is still a reliance on recruited „bank‟ staff to fill gaps, as the team is still too small to ensure permanent staff on each shift. There are occasions when no member of staff on duty, including the shift leader, has completed their probationary period. Not all new staff have yet training in helping children who go missing from care, or safeguarding. These are core skills for staff working with young people who have emotional and behavioural difficulties. The registered person has a range of further training and recruitment planned to meet this staffing need.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Some records are confusing. In his „fresh start‟ the new manager has begun new record systems dating from his tenure rather than maintaining the original record of the registered history of the home. Formal resolutions to complaints are not easily evident in the home‟s current complaint records. The new register of children‟s admission and discharge is not a complete record of all children at the home since registration. The registered person has taken effective action in response to the two requirements made at the last inspection. The rota is now a good record of who has worked and when. Staff now have more comfortable sleeping in arrangements. The integral garage, previously used by staff, has been converted into an attractive games room, providing good space for young people‟s activities. Staff and managers respond effectively to safeguarding concerns. The LADO has no concerns about current safeguarding practice. Risks to young people, from child

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

sexual exploitation (CSE) while missing, have reduced. Some young people have shared some carefully planned elements of external CSE training with staff. Both young people felt they understood it more afterwards. Staff say they are honest with young people and build positive relationships with placing authorities, family and friends to build trust and reach negotiated safe arrangements for home visits. Young people have realised they do not have to keep running and begin to envision a future for themselves. One parent told staff they had, „never seen (their daughter) so happy.‟ The new manager has worked to drive good outcomes for existing young people through the period of total re-staffing of the home since November 2015. No agency staff are used, only known „bank staff.‟ Staff report good support from the manager and the deputy and have a clear plan for training and progression. Young people are in or are enrolled to begin full-time education at school or

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

college, are preparing for GCSEs and making plans for next steps in work. They have local friends and enjoy ordinary levels of independence in the community after college time. Where young people struggle in education, staff have worked with them to learn better coping mechanisms than walking out. They help young people to develop the vocabulary to talk to teachers about this when pressure is building up. Increased self-esteem is evident when young people take better care of themselves, and take more pride in their appearance. Previous lack of confidence is strengthened through enjoyment of hobbies and new activities, like horse riding. All young people have a clear plan towards independence and moving on. Staff maintain motivational approach to keep young people focused on proving their abilities. Partnership working with others to support and improve the experiences of young people since the last inspection is effective. The registered person has successfully

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

challenged one local authority about decision making about future placements without consultation with the young person. Young people now have the resources and services they need to progress, including advocacy and therapy at school. The home has stabilised and young people‟s outcomes are now good. Young people are making steady progress, their education and emotional stability are becoming more secure and their plans for the future are positive. Good placement stability has been established for young people over 12 months.

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Information about this children's home

This children‟s home is operated by a small private provider. It offers care and accommodation for up to three young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties. It is next door to another home of the same size and shares a manager with that home.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

24/02/2015 CH - Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

28/03/2014 CH - Interim Satisfactory progress

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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

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 must ensure that staff:-

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Requirement Due date

2(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 (g) demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on— (i) research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and (ii) feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and (h) use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. 31/05/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months. (Regulation 45(1)) 31/05/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the following items (and records), which may be kept in electronic form, are kept in an accessible manner, and include all elements of this regulation (Regulation 38, (a)-(o)) 31/05/2016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation:

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Recommendations

 Ensure any registered manager placed in charge of a children‟s home or staff member in a deputy or supervisory role such as „shift leader‟ has substantial relevant experience of working in a children‟s home and have successfully completed their induction for the home in which they are employed. (The Guide to Quality Standards, page 54, paragraph 10.21)

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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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