Children's home SC451511

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 home’s weekly and monthly summaries focus on negative behaviour, making it difficult to identify other areas where the children may have developed.  It is not clear from records what difference the support that staff provide is making to children’s lives.  The impact of staff support cannot be accurately measured or scrutinised to improve the quality of care provided.  Risk assessments do not reflect the current risks to children, as they are not updated after incidents.  Staff are not ensuring that children have access to an independent return interview when they have arrived home after a missing incident.  Physical intervention and sanctions have not been evaluated for their effectiveness, or the child’s views have not been recorded.  Records of staff using prone and supine restraints are vague and do not evidence why other holds were not successful or how long the child was held in this position. Neither do such records demonstrate that the child’s

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The children’s home provision requires improvement because:

health was monitored during the hold.  Recruitment procedures are not rigorous enough to ensure that only safe adults work with children.  There has not been a registered manager in post for 26 weeks.  Leaders and managers have been ineffective in addressing many of the concerns raised in the home’s previous two inspections.  Supervision records are limited and where practice concerns are identified it is not clear how these will be monitored and within what timeframes improvements should be made.

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The children’s home’s strengths

 The home provides a relaxed, fun, and nurturing environment, where children are settled and relaxed.  Children experience positive and meaningful relationships with staff and enjoy spending time with them.  Children benefit from the close working relationships between education and residential staff, which has meant that children receive consistent support.  Children are learning to express themselves positively and are beginning to trust adults and feel able to confide in them.  Children are improving their social interactions and feel more confident and able to develop relationships with their peers.  Children’s health and emotional well-being are promoted to a good standard.  Children participate in a wide range of activities at the home and in the local community.  Staff provide sensitive support to enable children to visit their families, and in some cases have assisted children in improving their relationships with

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person 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 must comply with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the protection of children standard, the registered person is required to: (2)(a)(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 (vii) be familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. In particular, to ensure that children have access to an independent interview on their return home after a missing incident. (Regulation 12 (2)(a)(i)(vii)) 11 July 2016

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the leadership and management standard, the registered person is required to:

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Requirement Due date

(2) (h) use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home (f) understand the impact that 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. In particular, to ensure that records demonstrate children’s progress in all aspects of their lives. (Regulation 13 (2)(f)(h)) 11 July 2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that: (3)(a) 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: 11 July 2016 (i) the name of the child (ii) details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure (iii) the date, time and location of the use of the measure (iv) a description of the measure and its duration (v) details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure (vi) the name of the person who used the measure (‘the user’), and of any other person present when the measure was used (vii) the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure (viii) a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure. (b) within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to

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Requirement Due date

do so (‘the authorised person’): (i) has spoken to the user about the measure (ii) has signed the record to confirm it is accurate. (c) within five 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. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii), (b), (c))

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendation:  The registered person is responsible for maintaining good employment practice as set out in regulations 31-33. They must ensure that recruitment, supervision and performance management of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them (Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards, page 61, paragraph 13.1).

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Information about this children’s home

This home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to seven children who may have emotional or behavioural difficulties. At the time of this inspection, four children were living at the home. This home is operated by an independent provider.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

12 January 2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

16 March 2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Requires improvement

The home provides a relaxed, fun and nurturing environment, where children are settled and relaxed. Children experience positive and meaningful relationships with staff and enjoy spending time with them. They share a genuine warm regard for each other and this has had a positive impact on children’s confidence and social skills. Staff value education, and support children to attend the provider’s school. Children benefit from the close working relationships between education staff and residential staff, which has meant that children receive consistent support. As a result, children’s attendance and engagement in education has improved. There have been occasions when children have been reluctant to attend, but staff have used successful strategies to support children to re-engage in education. Staff and managers are able to monitor children’s participation, behaviour, attainment and educational progress through the provider’s online system. This means that staff

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Requires improvement

are able to provide targeted support to assist children in developing their skills and, as a result, children have improved their numeracy and literacy levels. Through affectionate and nurturing relationships with staff, children have been able to develop their social skills. Children are learning to express themselves positively and are beginning to trust adults and to feel able to confide in them. Children are improving their social interaction and feel more confident and able to develop relationships with their peers. However, there has been a deterioration in behaviour by two children living at the home. Staff understand the triggers and environmental factors which have affected the children’s behaviours. However, it is not evident how staff are reviewing strategies to support children to ensure that they remain effective. The home’s weekly and monthly summaries focus on negative behaviours, making

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Requires improvement

it difficult to identify other areas where the child may have developed. Areas in the reports specifically for progress are repetitive, with the same entry detailed month after month, which may indicate that the child has not developed further. Individual targets are not clear, while placement aims, long-term and short-term goals are not specific to the individual. Key sessions also do not link in with the placement aims or goals. This means that it is not clear what difference the support that staff provide is making to children’s lives. It also means that staff cannot accurately measure or scrutinise the impact of their support to improve the quality of care provided. Staff promote children’s health and emotional well-being to a good standard. They ensure that children attend their routine medical appointments and seek medical advice when necessary. Children have weekly therapy sessions through an

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Requires improvement

independent therapist employed by the provider. This supports children to reflect on their experiences and to build resilience. Staff are knowledgeable about the needs and circumstances of each child and recognise that they each have their own complexities. As a result, staff use planned and considered strategies, which allows them to engage well with the children and to provide support and reassurances to lessen their anxieties. An example of this is staff creating a visual display in a child’s room to aid their understanding of when they will next be able to see their family. Children participate in a wide range of activities at the home and in the local community. This assists them to extend their social experiences, and provides opportunities for them to experience play and have fun. As they get older, children are encouraged to take on more responsibilities and to develop their independence skills. One child is developing their budgeting and financial skills through

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Requires improvement

independent management of their activities and pocket money. Children have regular opportunities to share their views through group and individual sessions. Recently children were also asked for their opinions on what qualities they would like to have in their new registered manager. Staff recognise the importance of children having regular contact, when appropriate, with their families. They provide sensitive support to enable children to visit their families, and in some cases have assisted children in improving their relationships with them. This allows them to maintain their sense of belonging within their families. There have been no new admissions to the home since the previous inspection. One young person has moved on to supported living. Staff understood the importance for the other children and young people of saying goodbye, and provided sensitive support to provide a positive ending. There has not been a registered manager in post for 26 weeks. Leaders and

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Requires improvement

managers have not addressed many of the concerns raised in the home’s previous two inspections. This means that concerns regarding the quality of risk assessments, the provision of return home interviews and recordings of restraints and sanctions have not been remedied. As a result, children cannot be confident that the quality of service they receive is improving, that their rights will be promoted or that staff are fully knowledgeable in keeping them safe. Judgement grade

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Requires improvement

Children say they feel safe in the home and can identify a staff member whom they would confide in. Staff assist children in completing ‘my safety booklets’ to encourage them to reflect on how ‘safe’ they feel and what staff can do better. Staff support children to take age-appropriate risks. This enables them to grow in confidence and promotes their continued development. However, risk assessments do not reflect the current risks to the individual, as they are not updated after incidents. As a result, risk assessments do not advise of risks, such as violent and aggressive behaviour while traveling in a car, running into and out of traffic, and of using sexually explicit language. The quality of risk assessments was identified as a concern in the previous report. Insufficient action results in staff not being adequately informed of the action they must take to protect children.

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Requires improvement

The home’s child protection policy has now been updated to inform staff of their responsibility to ensure the safety of a child after a disclosure has been made. Staff follow safeguarding procedures and report all concerns appropriately. Each child has an individual missing profile, which is used in conjunction with the home’s missing person’s procedures to advise staff of the strategies they must take to prevent children from going missing and what to do if a missing incident occurs. When a missing event occurs, staff are proactive in trying to establish the child’s whereabouts and to support them to return home safely. However, staff are not ensuring that children have access to an independent return interview when they have arrived home. This has been a recommendation in the previous two inspection reports and forms part of the home’s missing procedures. Through not following this guidance, staff are not promoting the child’s rights and are missing

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Requires improvement

an opportunity to identify why the child left the home without permission and how they can prevent this happening again in the future.

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Requires improvement

Staff use their positive relationships with children to underpin behavioural expectations in the home. All members of staff are trained in the method of restraint used by the organisation which runs the home. Emphasis is placed on de- escalation and distraction techniques to defuse potentially challenging behaviour, and physical intervention is only used as a last resort. However, there have been two incidents in the past three months where staff have resorted to holding a child in the prone position on a bed. The reports regarding these incidents were vague and did not evidence why other holds were not successful or how long the child was held in this position. Records do not demonstrate that the child’s health was being monitored. This is important as during the use of a supine restraint the child’s head was turned which may have been hazardous.

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Requires improvement

Other incidents that required physical intervention and sanctions have not been evaluated for their effectiveness, or the child’s views have not been recorded within the required timeframes specified within regulation. These concerns were identified at previous inspections but actions to address them have not been sufficient. The manager has identified poor practice in regard to restraint as an issue, but evidence of addressing this within supervision was limited and did not identify poor recording as an issue.

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Requires improvement

Recruitment procedures do not evidence the action the manager has taken to verify the reasons that prospective employees left their previous employment with children or vulnerable adults. As a result, their procedures are not rigorous enough to ensure that only safe adults work with children.

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Inadequate

There has not been a registered manager in post for 26 weeks. The home’s previous deputy manager was appointed as the interim manager and has now been employed in this position permanently. An application for registration has now been submitted. She has a level 5 qualification and has significant experience in residential care. A new deputy manager has also been appointed from within the wider organisation. They have taken action to improve the quality of the environment to make it more homely, and to redesign the home’s placement plans. These will be implemented shortly, with the aim of improving how information is recorded to demonstrate children’s development. The quality of the independent visitor’s reports has also improved and they regularly make recommendations to support the home’s development.

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Inadequate

However, leaders and managers have been ineffective in addressing many of the concerns raised in the home’s previous two inspections. The limited actions of managers to improve the service were identified at the previous inspection and this remains a serious concern. Managers have not taken action to improve the quality of the recordings of sanctions and restraints. They have also failed to address inadequate risk assessments. This means that children and others involved with the service cannot be assured that they will experience an improving service. Managers did not challenge on behalf of children to ensure that they have access to independent interviews when they return home from being missing. This means that children cannot be confident that their rights will be promoted and managers will challenge and advocate on their behalf.

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Inadequate

The manager has good working relationships with external colleagues to provide appropriate support to meet children’s needs. However, the manager does not consult and obtain feedback from others on the quality of the service provided. This means that children’s families and professionals are not actively involved in defining or measuring the quality of the service, nor are they able to contribute to the future planning of the home.

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Inadequate

Staff are committed to providing children with positive experiences in a nurturing and caring environment. Staffing levels are high, ensuring that they receive the level of support they require. The staff team have regular supervisions and team meetings, which provide them with opportunities to reflect on their practice and children’s development. However supervision records are limited, and where practice concerns are identified it is not clear how these will be monitored and within what timeframes improvements should be made. Therefore, children and others involved in the service cannot be confident that these concerns will be sufficiently addressed. Staff undertake a variety of training to meet the needs of the children they support. The manager is aware of deficits in staff skills and has arranged training to address this. All staff have completed or are undertaking the qualification as required by regulation, and are expected to complete it within the

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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 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. 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, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for children looked after 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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