Children's home 1222092

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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because:

 Effective working relationships with other safeguarding bodies have yet to be established.  Records do not demonstrate the actions that staff have taken to ensure that young people’s health needs are being met. Staff are unclear whether appointments have been made or attended.  The home’s statement of purpose indicates that young people are being cared for by staff with the skills and experience to provide them with therapeutic care. However, staff have not received any specialist training to support this claim, and young people do not have access to therapy in the home.  Weaknesses in staff recruitment processes do not protect against unsuitable individuals gaining employment in the home.  Young people’s placement plans do not always reflect the practice of care in the home.  Young people’s behaviour management plans are not always adhered to by staff or reviewed when required.  Missing-from-home risk assessments fail to identify the individual risks and

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because:

needs of young people, to ensure their safety.  Despite the completion of monthly reports by an independent person, no reports have been sent to HMCI since the home was registered.  Management oversight has failed to identify the above shortfalls prior to this inspection.

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The children’s homes strengths

 Young people’s educational attendance has improved significantly since they were placed in the home.  Young people report good relationships with staff and feel that staff care about them.  Social workers and family members speak positively of the home and the progress that young people are making.  Young people’s risk-taking behaviours, such as going missing or offending, have reduced significantly.  A variety of activities is made available to young people, and they are willing to engage in some of these with staff.

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that 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 person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

5: Engaging with the wider system to ensure children's needs are met The registered person must ensure that staff seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child's needs and seek to develop and maintain effective professional relationships with such persons, bodies or organisations as appropriate having regard to the range of needs of children (Regulation 5(b)(d)). 30 June 2016

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Requirement Due date

10: The health and well-being standard In order to meet the health and well-being standard, the registered person must ensure that: the health and well-being needs of children are met; specifically, that clear records are maintained of contacts made with health professionals, appointments attended and the outcome of these (Regulation 10(1)(a)). 30 June 2016

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard In order to meet the leadership and management standard, the registered person should ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child and use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home (Regulation 13(2)(c)(h)). 30 June 2016

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Requirement Due date

16: Statement of purpose The registered manager must ensure that the home is at all times conducted in a manner which is consistent with its statement of purpose (Regulation 16(5)). 30 June 2016

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Requirement Due date

32: Fitness of workers The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children's safety; specifically, that the principles of safer recruitment are followed and full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2 30 June 2016 (Regulation 32(1)(3)(d)).

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Requirement Due date

44: Independent person: visits and reports The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person's report to HMCI (Regulation 44(7)(a)). 30 June 2016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:  Ensure that expectations of standards of behaviour are clear and unambiguous and that staff consistently encourage an enthusiasm for positive behaviour through the use of positive behaviour strategies in line with the child's plan (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 39, paragraphs 8.11 and 8.13).

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Recommendations

 Ensure that the procedures to be followed and the roles and responsibilities of staff when a child is missing from care or away from the home without permission are clear; specifically, that reporting times are clear, consistent across the young person's plans and individualised to their personal circumstances (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.28).

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Information about this children's home

This children’s home is one of a number operated by a private organisation. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to two children and young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties and/or learning disabilities.

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Requires improvement

Young people living in the home have made good progress since their admission. They have moved some distance from their hometowns and they have taken this opportunity to have a fresh start. Although they do push the boundaries in the home, they are clear about what staff expect of them. Young people have positive relationships with staff. They believe that staff really care about them and want them to make the right decisions. One young person said, ‘Staff are okay. They will stick up for you.’ Young people enjoy spending time with each other or out in the community, but they will also engage in activities with staff. For example, they play pool or go for a walk. Family members are similarly positive about the home. One commented, ‘I think staff are doing a great job. My son is more settled here than in other homes that he has lived.’ They are also positive about staff communication and value their support with facilitating contact. This sometimes involves travelling a considerable

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Requires improvement

distance and staying overnight. Young people appreciate that staff have made contact arrangements work well for them. This ensures that young people are able to maintain these relationships, despite living apart. Whenever possible, young people receive information about the home prior to moving in. The young people’s guide contains helpful information and details about the home. One young person had the opportunity to visit the home prior to moving in. This helps to reduce the inevitable anxiety of a placement move. Both young people attend the organisation’s in-house educational provision. This offers a vocationally based alternative curriculum. Young people have the opportunity to take part in a range of practical activities, including wind and motor sports. They can also achieve nationally recognised qualifications. This programme stimulates the interest of young people who have become disaffected with

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Requires improvement

education and encourages them to succeed. Both young people are making the most of this opportunity and are attending regularly. The arrangements for ensuring that young people’s health needs are addressed are currently ineffective. Records do not accurately reflect the current situation. Staff were unsure if appointments had been made or attended, or what the outcomes of these were. This is confusing and has the potential to result in duplication or issues being left unaddressed. Similarly, inconsistencies in young people’s documentation have the potential to lead to confusion and young people receiving an inconsistent approach. For example, one young person’s placement plan stated that they should have no free time outside the home and be reported missing to the police immediately, while other documents illustrated that free time had been agreed. Staff were also unclear about how long this was for or what arrangements had been agreed with

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Requires improvement

the young person about the management of this. The repercussions of not adhering to the arrangements were unclear to the young person. An incident had occurred immediately prior to the inspection. Staff had imposed sanctions as a result. However, the young person was unhappy about this, as he had not been aware of these repercussions at the outset. Staff help to equip young people with the skills that they will need when they move on from the home. However, due to inconsistent practice, young people have been allowed to remain in bed during the time allocated for staff to engage them in this work.

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Requires improvement

Staff and young people are clear about the standards of behaviour that are acceptable in the home. Staff have not needed to engage in a restraint since the home opened. One social worker commented, ‘At [Name]’s last placement there were daily restraints, and since being placed here there have been none whatsoever. Staff are able to de-escalate a situation by using humour, which [Name] responds well to.’ The use of sanctions is also minimal. Young people have individualised incentive programmes, whereby they are able to earn additional monies for meeting their daily targets. However, these are currently ineffective. For example, on some days when a young person’s behaviour has been particularly challenging, he has managed to gain almost maximum points and on other days when a young person has been unable to attend education due to other commitments, outside of his control, he has lost points for non-attendance

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Requires improvement

in education. This gives a confusing message to young people and does not motivate them to succeed. Young people report feeling safe living in this home. They believe that staff try to keep them safe, although they accept that they do not always appreciate their actions, for example, staff following them when they walk out of the home without permission. While there have been some incidents of young people not returning on time or walking off, there have been no incidents of missing that have required reporting to the police. This is a significant improvement for both young people, who had previously put themselves at risk by going missing on a regular basis. However, despite a previous history, staff did not liaise with the local missing-from-home co-ordinator on the young people’s admission to the home. Similarly, no individualised risk assessments have been agreed, to ensure that staff take account of the individual needs and safeguarding

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Requires improvement

issues specific to each young person, should they go missing in the future. Staff complete safeguarding training as part of their induction to working for the organisation. However, despite this, they did not take the most appropriate course of action to ensure the welfare of a friend of one young person, who presented herself very early in the morning. Although the staff member returned the young person home, they did not make contact with other residential staff to alert them to her whereabouts, either at the time when they discovered her or on transporting her home. Some weaknesses are evident in staff recruitment processes. Managers complete a range of pre-employment checks prior to staff starting work in the home. However, they do not adhere to the principles of safer recruitment. For example, further investigation has not taken place when references indicate a discrepancy in the dates when the individual was in employment. In addition, references are not

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Requires improvement

always requested from an employer for whom the individual has previously worked with young people. This process is not sufficiently robust to safeguard young people.

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Requires improvement

The registered manager has been in post since the home was registered in February 2016. Consequently, this is the home’s first inspection. The manager has the necessary skills, qualifications and experience to manage the home. She also has management responsibility for another home in the organisation. A deputy manager is employed in this home to support her. However, the current deputy manager is new to this home, having been in post for only two weeks. Two staff members have left since the home opened three months ago. There is currently one staff vacancy. Two staff members have yet to obtain their level three qualification. The home’s current statement of purpose is misleading. It implies that staff are providing therapeutic care to young people. However, some staff have yet to obtain the standard qualification for residential care workers. In addition, the majority of staff have received no training in a range of topics that are pertinent to

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Requires improvement

the young people that they care for. These include attachment issues, drug and alcohol awareness, self-harm, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and internet safety. Appropriate training would increase the ability of staff to support young people with these matters. Social workers speak positively about staff communication. One social worker commented, ‘They send me monthly reports and communicate with me via email or telephone on a regular basis.’ However, staff have not always been proactive in engaging with other professionals, for example, in following up the transfer of appointments with the youth offending team, from one area to another. This is despite there being a recent incident of relevance. There is an appropriately targeted development plan in place, but this requires an update, as some staff members who had been allocated specific responsibilities, no longer work in the home. The amount of feedback from users of the service is also

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Requires improvement

minimal and has yet to influence the development of the home. Ofsted also received no responses to its service user survey link sent to the organisation for distribution. An independent person completes monthly reports on the operation of the home. However, these reports have not been sent to HMCI as required. The manager’s own monitoring is not sufficiently robust, as it has failed to identify the issues identified as part of this inspection. The home is warm and welcoming. It is located in a pleasant residential area and is indistinguishable from other residential properties.

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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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