Children's home run by Potensial Limited

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 children’s home uses electronic keypads to secure exterior doors. These measures are not supported by risk assessments and written consents from those with parental responsibility.  The manager has recently become aware that some children and young people are not receiving the high level of personal care that they require to meet their hygiene needs. This means that some young people’s welfare and dignity may be compromised. The manager is currently investigating these concerns.  The staff team is newly formed, and members vary in terms of their skills and experience in working with children and young people. Only two out of nine staff have completed a level 3 qualification.  There are deficits in basic staff training. Four members of staff have not yet completed their food safety course, and two have not yet been trained in the home’s stated method of physical intervention.  Most staff have not undertaken specialised training to help them to work

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The children's home provision requires improvement because:

with children and young people who have been diagnosed with certain medical conditions. For example, six staff members have not received training in attachment theory. Only one person has received training to work with people with autistic spectrum disorder.  There are several inconsistencies between the home’s statement of purpose and the behaviour management policies, resulting in a lack of clarity about the home’s stance on physical intervention.  Staff recruitment practice meets regulatory requirements, but there is insufficient attention to detail when ensuring that there are no gaps in employment history and in recording the process of reference verification.  The registered manager has been required to support shifts and to build the staff team, and hence has not had sufficient time to keep the training matrix, staff recruitment audit sheets and some other paperwork up to date.

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The children's home strengths

 The children and young people in this home are safe and happy. They enjoy positive, warm and respectful relationships with their staff. They are thriving in the home and making good progress.  The children and young people enjoy a wide range of fun activities. They are well supported in their education, and demonstrate 100% attendance and steady progress in attainment. This means that the home has the capacity to help children and young people to reach their educational potential.  The home is well located in a relatively safe seaside town. It provides a good quality environment with plenty of space and ensuite bedrooms for the two current residents. There is a well-kept, attractive garden for the children and young people to enjoy.  Leaders and managers have worked hard to help the children and young people to make the difficult transition from their previous respite care resource to this home, where they are resident full time. These

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The children's home strengths

arrangements have been sensitive, flexible and generally effective.  The registered manager, who is leaving on 30 April 2016 to take up a new post, has worked hard to establish and improve the home since registration. Parents commented positively on her responsiveness to their suggestions.  The interim manager, who will take on the leadership of the home on 1 May 2016, is an experienced, registered and qualified social worker. She has submitted an application to Ofsted to be registered. This helps to ensure that there is no delay in the registration of a new manager for the home.  The interim manager is open and responsive to challenge. She responded very positively to this inspection, and had actioned a number of matters before the end of the visit. Parents have confidence in her commitment to providing safe, child-centred care and continuing improvement.

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered persons meet 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 persons 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 care standard, with particular reference to providing training and monitoring practice so that staff understand how to meet each child’s needs, including:

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Requirement Due date

 understanding specific disabilities and medical conditions  managing challenging behaviour  promoting personal hygiene and cleanliness  ensuring that children and young people maintain their dignity at all times

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Requirement Due date

(1) children receive care from staff who (a) understand the children's home's overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children; (b) use this understanding to deliver care that meets children's needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirement Due date

(2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to (b) ensure that staff (ii) protect and promote each child's welfare; (iii) treat each child with dignity and respect; (iv) provide personalised care that meets each child's needs, as recorded in the child's relevant plans, taking account of the child's background. (d) ensure that any care that is arranged or provided for a child (i) relates to the child's development (within the meaning 31 May 2016 of section 17(11) of the Children Act 1989) or health; and satisfies the conditions in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

(3) The conditions are (a) that the care is approved, and kept under review throughout its duration, by the placing authority; (b) that the care meets the child's needs; (c) that the care is delivered by a person who (i) has the experience, knowledge and skills to deliver that care.

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Requirement Due date

20(1) Restraint in relation to a child is only permitted for the purpose of preventing (a) injury to any person (including the child); (b) serious damage to the property of any person (including the child); or (c) a child who is accommodated in a secure children's home from absconding from the home.

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Requirement Due date

(2) Restraint in relation to a child must be necessary and proportionate.

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Requirement Due date

(3) These Regulations do not prevent a child from being deprived of liberty where that deprivation is authorised in accordance with a court order.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the use of door keypads to prevent children and young people from leaving the home unsupervised is supported by individual and premises risk assessments. Ensure that there are signed consents in place from persons and organisations that have parental responsibility for the children and young people (Regulation 20(1)(2)(3)). 31 May 2016

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Requirement Due date

35(1) The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (‘the behaviour management policy’) which sets out (a) how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children's home; and (b) the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

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Requirement Due date

(2) The registered person must keep the behaviour management policy under review and, where appropriate, revise it. 31 May 2016 In particular, ensure that there is consistency between the statement of purpose and behaviour management policies regarding the use of physical intervention and that all policies comply with government guidance on the use of prone restraints (Regulation 35(1)(2)).

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Recommendations

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

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Recommendations

 Ensure that the staff fully understand the risks associated with any restraint technique used in the home. Techniques used for restraint that may interfere with breathing are not permissible in any circumstances. In particular, consider whether it is appropriate to include the potential use of prone restraints in the home’s physical intervention policy (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, April 2015, paragraph 9.56).

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Recommendations

 The registered person is responsible for ensuring that all their staff have been adequately trained in the principles of restraint and any restraint techniques appropriate to the needs of the children for whom the home is set up to care for as defined in the home’s statement of purpose. In particular, ensure that if the statement of purpose provides for physical intervention to be used, that all staff receive appropriate training in its use (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, April 2015, paragraph 9.57).

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Recommendations

 Ensure that recruitment, supervision and performance management of staff safeguard children and minimise potential risks to them. In particular, ensure that the applicants’ employment history is recorded in sufficient detail to identify any gaps, and that there is a clear and informative system for undertaking and recording reference verification (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, April 2015, paragraph 13.1).

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Information about this children's home

The children’s home is owned by a private national company. The organisation operates one other children’s home and a range of services for vulnerable adults. The home was registered in October 2015 for up to four children and young people who may have learning disabilities. This is one of two children’s homes operated by the company in the south west of England.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Requires improvement

Over the past six months, the staff team’s variable skills and experience have led to mixed outcomes for the children and young people. Adults from outside the home who have close connections with the residents have identified a number of shortfalls in the quality of care. The managers have ensured that these matters have been investigated, and the majority have been resolved.

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Requires improvement

The interim manager is currently investigating a further concern that was raised during the inspection. Some children and young people’s experience of the help that they receive with personal hygiene is said to be variable and, at times, unacceptable. This does not yet compromise health, but it has the potential to do so. A requirement has been made in relation to the quality and purpose of care.

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Requires improvement

Family members and external professionals confirm that they have confidence in the registered manager and her proposed successor. For example, parents requested that their child should be provided with a bath, rather than a shower, as part of his relaxation routine. The home installed a new bath specifically for this young person to meet this need. This shows that the home’s managers respond positively to concerns and requests and are working to establish good standards of care in the home.

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Requires improvement

The children and young people were helped and supported in their move to the home. They knew each other prior to admission, because they had stayed at the same short-break service. The transition was well planned, with the children and young people at the centre of the process. Several staff worked with the children and young people at the short-break service before they moved, so that they could learn about their needs.

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Requires improvement

The children and young people received well-designed guides, which the home offers in different formats to suit prospective residents’ communication styles. The guides contain contact details for Childline, Ofsted and the Children’s Commissioner, to help children and young people to seek help from outside agencies should they wish to do so.

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Requires improvement

Since the home opened, both of the children and young people have made progress in comparison with their starting points. They are safe and happy in the home, and have achieved a number of milestones.

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Requires improvement

Examples of the children’s and young people’s progress include:  Learning how to run a bath independently,  Choosing their own clothes  Accessing the local swimming pool  Winning the headteacher’s award for good behaviour  Hosting a birthday party with guests from outside the home  Reducing the need for medication, which has had a positive effect on alertness and ability to participate  Learning to show empathy towards other young people.

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Requires improvement

These achievements show that the staff have helped the children and young people to make good progress in many areas of their lives.

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Requires improvement

The home is currently not fully occupied, so there is plenty of space. The children and young people each have a small suite of rooms, including a bedroom, bathroom and an area for sitting and relaxing. Their rooms are personalised according to their tastes and interests. One child really enjoys constructing models, so he has access to suitable materials in his room. When the home is fully occupied, it will not be possible for all four residents to have individual suites, but the remaining bedrooms are spacious and attractive.

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Requires improvement

Relationships between the children and young people and staff show warmth and mutual respect. The staff clearly demonstrate their interests in the children’s and young people’s activities during the day. They understand the importance of consistency and structure in the home, which helps the children and young people to feel safe and secure.

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Requires improvement

The staff are sensitive to subtle changes in the children’s and young people’s moods, and take prompt action to implement a range of strategies to avoid an escalation in anxiety or aggression. One strategy is to provide the children and young people with individual schedules on the wall so that they can understand their daily routines. These structured programmes help them to progress through the day in a calm and confident manner.

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Requires improvement

The children and young people can speak to staff if they are worried or have concerns to raise. They are consulted about their choices on a daily basis, in terms of their diet, possible activities and what they wish to do at various times in their schedule. Some young people are given ‘choose strips’, which they use when they start to become anxious. This is an effective strategy that helps the young person to make choices about how they can be supported to remain calm, and consequently reduces the number of incidents in the home.

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Requires improvement

Children and young people are registered with doctors, dentists and opticians. They can access specialist healthcare when required. Healthcare plans are detailed and identify specific issues and developing needs well.

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Requires improvement

The home has a safe storage system for the children’s and young people’s medication. Both residents have their own medication in a locked cabinet in their bedroom or bathroom, which avoids the need to administer prescription-only medicines and home remedies in a busy office. Medication recording systems are sound and well managed. Any controlled medicines are stored in the staff office.

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Requires improvement

The children and young people have their own well-designed, nutritious menus. During the inspection, everyone was helping to prepare homemade meatballs and spaghetti, which one young person particularly enjoys. The following night, there was paella on the menu, the ingredients of which were tailored to the children’s and young people’s preferences. One young person particularly enjoys sampling the ingredients and helping the staff to cook.

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Requires improvement

Both children and young people attend school every day, and are making good progress. The staff help and support them to make the most of their educational potential. The children and young people have access to the necessary equipment in the home to promote their learning. For example, both have electronic tablets and access to the internet, subject to suitable safeguards. One young person uses his tablet as a whole communication system between the home, school and his parents. This is a very effective system that helps to ensure consistency in his care.

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Requires improvement

The children and young people have access to a range of interesting and fun activities. Staff said that they enjoy working in a small home because they can take the children and young people to local wildlife parks and go swimming at will, which might be more difficult in a larger home. Children and young people enjoy easy access to the seaside, and engage in plenty of physical activity to help them to stay healthy.

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Requires improvement

The home looks after some children and young people who may not be able to live independently when they reach adulthood. The care plans contain clear and well- structured information about each child’s or young person’s level of independence and the assistance that they require.

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Requires improvement

The manager and staff promote good-quality contact with families and friends, and encourage active involvement with activities and daily care. The children and young people are encouraged to invite friends to the home, and both have done so successfully. They both have memory boxes in their rooms, which help them to remember their time in the home and with their families. Judgement grade

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Requires improvement

The home’s measures for keeping children and young people safe require improvement because there is a keypad entry system that prevents the residents from leaving without staff supervision. Both of the children and young people lack any awareness of risk, and could be in danger from traffic and other hazards if they were to leave the home without staff supervision. The use of keypads is not supported by a clear statement to this effect in the relevant risk assessments.

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Requires improvement

In addition, the home had not sought written consent to this restriction of liberty from adults with parental responsibility for the children and young people. This is contrary to the home’s statement of purpose, which says that consents from the social workers and parents are already in place. A requirement has been made.

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Requires improvement

The interim manager acted quickly to respond to this requirement. The use of door keypads to help to protect the children and young people was incorporated into one young person’s care plans during the inspection, and parents later confirmed that they had been given a document to sign to give their consent to this measure.

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Requires improvement

The home’s staff recruitment system is generally sound, but requires some minor improvements to make it fully robust. For example, the auditing system for checking the content of staff files has not been used effectively because it is not always completed.

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Requires improvement

Some issues raised on medical questionnaires have not been risk assessed. One member of staff had recorded their employment history in whole years and not months, so there was no evidence that it was complete. References are verified, and this is confirmed with a signature and date, but the details of the conversation with the referee are not recorded. A recommendation has been made.

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Requires improvement

The manager does not believe that the use of physical intervention would help to improve the young people’s behaviour, and, consequently, there have been no restraints since the home opened, and none has been necessary. This ethos lays the foundations for good practice in behaviour management, but there are a number of discrepancies between policy and practice which must be resolved:  The home’s physical intervention policy states that all staff must be trained in the use of restraint, but this has not happened.  The physical intervention policy refers to the potential use of prone restraints. Such restraints have the potential to interfere with breathing and are therefore contrary to government guidance.  There is a discrepancy between the statement of purpose and the positive behaviour management policy about the methods of restraint that may be used within the home, so that two different models of intervention are cited.

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Requires improvement

These discrepancies mean that these important policy documents lack consistency and do not reflect the philosophy and practice within this home. The manager acknowledged that changes are needed. The company has a new draft behaviour management policy, but this has not yet been agreed and implemented. A requirement and two recommendations have been made.

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Requires improvement

The children and young people live in a safe and suitable environment. The home has effective fire safety measures in place, with regular and well-recorded weekly and monthly checks. The children and young people have individual risk assessments, which help the staff to manage their daily care and behaviour.

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Requires improvement

Since the home opened, there has been one child protection referral to the local authority designated officer for child protection. The registered manager has worked effectively with the local authority designated officer and can discuss any concerns informally and ask for advice. All staff have received training in safeguarding children and have access to the local child protection procedures and consultation with senior managers, should they need to report any concerns.

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Requires improvement

The children and young people are relaxed and comfortable with the staff, and their behaviour is generally very good. The manager is working hard to build a strong team that works to consistent and appropriate boundaries when responding to the children and young people’s behaviour. The home has not found it necessary to use consequences and sanctions.

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Requires improvement

The home has an effective system for recording significant incidents. The manager has some ideas about ways in which to improve the recording format for incidents, and plans to meet with the staff to review the form.

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Requires improvement

The home has good working relationships with the police and encourages informal contact with local officers, to increase understanding of their respective roles.

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Requires improvement

The impact and effectiveness of leaders and managers require improvement because of the deficits in staff training and experience. The newly formed and relatively inexperienced staff team was not, at the outset, fully trained and prepared for working with children and young people with learning disabilities and associated communication difficulties.

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Requires improvement

For example, some of the staff had previously worked solely with adults. Only one person has received formal training in autistic spectrum disorder, and some staff have not completed basic induction subjects such as food safety or training in record-keeping.

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Requires improvement

Only two out of the nine staff hold the level 3 diploma for residential childcare (England) or equivalent. Although the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 state that each individual staff member has two years from the date of their appointment to attain this award, the fact that so few employees came into the role with this qualification means that the balance of the team’s skills and experience as a whole requires improvement.

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Requires improvement

Staff say that, apart from the identified deficits, they receive good-quality training, and there is a formal system for recording and monitoring their professional development. At the time of the inspection, this training matrix was not up to date, but this was amended and sent to the inspector the following day.

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Requires improvement

The registered manager has resigned from her post to take up another job, and is leaving on 30 April 2016. Both she and the proposed manager took an active part in the inspection. The interim manager has already submitted her application to Ofsted, which should help to minimise the amount of time that the home is without a registered manager.

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Requires improvement

The registered manager ensures that staff receive regular and effective monthly supervision. The discussions are productive and structured, with a focus on practice. If staff raise any points for development and improvement, the manager is open to these and takes action when required. There are regular team meetings to help to support consistent care.

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Requires improvement

The registered manager and the interim manager are aware of the home’s strengths and areas for development and have taken action to bring about some improvements. They are aware that there is further work to be done and responded positively to this and to other external inspection findings. For example, the independent visitor had identified during one of her visits that the home had no development plan, and this had been actioned by the time of this inspection.

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Requires improvement

Managers have also responded constructively to any concerns raised by parents and have, for example, adjusted some children’s and young people’s accommodation to take their needs into account. Managers have made good judgements, based on compatibility risk assessments, on the mix of young people in the home.

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Requires improvement

The statement of purpose is effective and reflects the main principles of practice. It requires updating with the new management arrangements, and some minor amendments identified during this inspection.

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Requires improvement

The home’s leaders and managers have worked hard to establish positive relationships with other professionals, such as teachers, police officers and social workers. There have been some historical concerns raised within the neighbourhood about having a children’s home nearby, but, because the home has not caused any difficulty in the community, these have now dissipated.

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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 children looked after 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 that 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 whom 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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