Children's home run by PCT Care Services Limited in South Norfolk

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:

 Staff and managers are not seeking children’s views on the development of the home.  There is a lack of awareness of children’s educational levels and what they are learning about.  Children’s health needs are not all being met.  Managers are not monitoring children’s progress, or the practice and operation of the home.  The home’s internal care plans are not complete.  Risk assessments are not accurate or complete.  Damage, including to a fire door, has not been repaired.  There is no robust approach to helping children to keep themselves safe when using the Internet.  Records of physical interventions and sanctions are not evaluated, and staff and children are not spoken to after incidents.  Assessments of potential new admissions are not fully completed.  Supervision of staff is not regular.  Some staff have not had the training that they require to undertake the tasks that they are expected to undertake.

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The children's home provision requires improvement because:

 Staff are not aware of the content of the statement of purpose.

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The children's home strengths

 Children are engaging in education at a level at which they were not, before they came to the home.  There are good working relationships with external agencies.  Staff spend time with children and have good relationships with them.  Children’s behaviour is improving.  Levels of going missing from care are being reduced.  Staff and managers focus on the children.  Children are supported to move into the home.

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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 ‘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

7. The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard In order to meet the children’s views, wishes and feelings standard with particular reference to consultation with children over the use of areas of the home, the registered person should— (2)(a) ensure that staff— (iv) regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home’s care; 8 July 2016

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Requirement Due date

8. The education standard In order to meet the education standard the registered person should ensure— (2)(a) that staff— (vi) maintain regular contact with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child’s education and training and to maximise the child’s achievement; 8 July 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 should ensure— (2)(a) that staff help each child to— (i) achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans; 8 July 2016

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Requirement Due date

12. The protection of children standard In order to meet the protection of children standard, with particular reference to having accurate risk assessments which inform staff how to respond if children are missing from care, protecting children from risks associated with use of the Internet and the maintenance of the home, the registered person should ensure— (2)(a) that staff— (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 8 July 2016 the child; (ii) help each child to understand how to keep safe; (d) that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health;

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that 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 all of the information required under this regulation. This relates in particular to the effectiveness of any consequences of the use of the measure.

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Requirement Due date

And that within 48 hours of the use of the measure, that the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so, has spoken to the user about the measure; and has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and within 5 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)(vii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)) 8 July 2016

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Requirement Due date

13. The leadership and management standard In order to meet the leadership and management standard, with particular reference to plans, records and children’s individual progress, the registered person should— (2)(h) use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. 8 July 2016

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Requirement Due date

14. The care planning standard In order to meet the care planning standard, with particular reference to the home’s care plans, the registered person should ensure that children— (1)(a) receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; 8 July 2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees undertake appropriate continuing professional development and receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience.

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Requirement Due date

This relates to ensuring that staff have training in de-escalation and physical intervention and other areas relevant to the roles they take on, and that supervision takes place at a suitable frequency (Regulation 33(4)(b)). 8 July 2016 6. The quality and purpose of care standard In order to meet the quality and purpose of care standard, the registered person should— (2)(a)(i) understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose; (c) ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to— (i) meet the needs of each child; 15 July 2016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  Ensure that placements are only accepted where the responsible person is satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child's assessed needs as recorded in the child's relevant plans and where they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4).

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Information about this children's home

This children’s home provides care and accommodation for up to six young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home is owned by a private company.

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Requires improvement

Managers are not routinely seeking children’s views about developments such as changes of use of some parts of the home. There are some areas where their views are listened to, such as their free time. However, not including them in decisions about the future layout of areas of the home means that their views cannot inform developments and risks them feeling disenfranchised.

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Requires improvement

The organisation employs a teacher who works with children who are not in education. For one child, this has allowed him to re-engage with education after months without education before he came to the home. He is only engaging in two hours a day with the teacher, but this does represent an improvement for him. His placing authority is clear that this is all he can cope with at present, but it is a step towards active attendance at a registered education provision. The registered manager does not have sufficient knowledge of the work which he is doing in his education and the levels he is working at. This prevents her from being able to review effectively the time he has with the teacher. It also prevents staff from being able to follow up on the work that the young person has done and to encourage his education further.

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Requires improvement

Children’s health needs are not consistently met. In one case, a child’s internal care plan set out work which needed to be done through key-work sessions, but it had not been followed. This had not been identified by managers. Other areas of health are met. These include work on alcohol and drug misuse, which is provided through external agencies. A worker from one of these agencies had also spoken with staff, so that they were better informed to work with the child. In addition to this area of a care plan being unmet, the plan itself was not fully completed. This prevents staff from having comprehensive knowledge to provide effective individualised care. Children are making progress at the home, but the degree of this is limited without clear, individualised plans of which staff are aware.

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Requires improvement

The relationships between staff and children are generally good. Staff spend time with children and provide consistency for them. There have been some significant levels of disruption and challenging behaviour, but these are decreasing. A placing social worker said that they felt that staff understood the child from the word ‘go’ and have him ‘in their minds’.

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Requires improvement

Children do get chances to develop the skills which they will need in their adult lives, including cooking, looking after themselves and managing money. There are good transitions for children who move into the home. One placing authority spoke of the effort that was put into visiting a child in his previous placement and preparing him for the move. They said that there was a good introduction when he moved in and that they felt comfortable to leave him at the home. The child himself said that this had been helpful. Two children have left the home. In both cases, they went to contact with a parent and did not return. In one case this was very much in line with their plans, and it was only the timing that was unexpected. There remains some uncertainty about the other child, and the home is maintaining a place for him until this is resolved. Placing authorities say that the home supports contact for children whose families are a long way from the home.

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Requires improvement

A professional from another agency said that staff are doing all they can to maintain a child’s placement, and that they are ‘people who want him to succeed’.

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Requires improvement

Although there are procedures in place to reduce the risk of fire, such as drills and tests, one fire door had been broken for over a week, preventing it from closing. Failing to identify the seriousness of this and to get it repaired do limit the effectiveness of the overall fire safety arrangements. There are a number of other areas which have been damaged, and require maintenance and repair. This does not provide a well-cared for, homely environment for children. There is no clear approach to protecting children from risks associated with the Internet, other than limiting their access to times when staff can supervise it. While this may safeguard children in the short term, it neither educates them in the risks associated with social media and the Internet nor helps them to learn how to keep themselves safe while using it.

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Requires improvement

Children’s risk assessments are not full and accurate. This limits the safeguards that staff can put in place for children, as they are not clear on the risks and measures that need to be taken to reduce them. The risk assessments neither identify all areas of risk nor set out measures to reduce all risks which are recorded. They do not contain information for staff on how to prevent and respond to children going missing from care, when this is a known risk, nor do they include information from children’s return interviews which may be relevant to keeping them safe. However, the frequency of going missing from care has fallen and consequently the risk to the child is reducing. The home, local safeguarding manager and placing authority have met to assess the level of risk that this child is exposed to through his behaviour. Following this, the placing authority for this child said that it feels reassured and satisfied with the steps being taken to

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Requires improvement

safeguard him. While this is positive, the lack of clear risk assessments does increase the potential for things to go wrong. The placing authority for a child who recently moved into the home said that staff were aware of the potential for this child to go missing. They had plans in place to respond to this, if necessary. This early planning and identification of risk helps to keep children safer.

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Requires improvement

There have been incidents of physical intervention in response to children’s behaviour. There have been sanctions and positive rewards to try to help children to understand appropriate behaviour. Records of physical intervention and sanctions do not contain evaluations of their effectiveness, or evidence that staff and children are spoken to after the incidents. This prevents the reflection which can help to identify effective intervention, and reduce the need for physical intervention and sanctions. Placing authorities and other agencies feel that staff take appropriate action in response to children’s challenging behaviour, including that of some children who can be difficult to manage. There have been times when the police have been called to the home. The police say that in the early days of the home’s registration the staff called them inappropriately, but this was raised with the registered manager and has been addressed. The general view is that

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Requires improvement

behaviour is now being managed appropriately and is improving. This will contribute to the stability and security of children’s placements.

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Requires improvement

There is information easily available for children on making complaints and accessing an advocate. It is displayed on the children’s noticeboard. Children are helped to take age-appropriate risks. One child has asked to be trusted with money to go out for a meal with his girlfriend. This was agreed, and he was able to show that he had used the money appropriately.

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Requires improvement

The management of the home has not been effective in monitoring the operation of the home, so that the shortfalls identified in this report had not been picked up and action had not been taken to address them. The registered manager has some awareness of areas of strength and development for the home, but the lack of monitoring has limited this. Further, there is no effective monitoring of children’s progress and development. Consequently, the effectiveness of plans for children is not assessed and their care is not reviewed using this information. Some care plans are not complete, and do not provide clear and comprehensive information for staff on how to work with and care for the child. Children are making progress, but the rate and extent of this is limited by the lack of clear, well-known and up-to- date plans. The home has not yet been operating for six months, so has not completed a review of the quality of care under Regulation 45 of ‘The Children’s

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Requires improvement

Homes (England) Regulations 2015’. There are assessments of potential new admissions, but these are not fully completed and so do not show the level of any potential impact on the other children in placement, nor do they identify how this will be managed. This leaves the potential for children in placement to be avoidably disrupted by new admissions. Managers are not providing supervision for staff frequently enough. One member of staff who started on 31 March 2016 has had only one supervision, and there are gaps for some other staff. For a new home with some inexperienced staff, a lack of regular supervision reduces the opportunities for managers to review staff practice and attitudes. Consequently, there is insufficient oversight of the effectiveness of staff care for children. Some staff have not had the training that they require for the roles that they take on. For example, there are times when staff without fire

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Requires improvement

training are identified as the fire responsible person on a shift, and when two of three staff on duty have not had training in physical intervention. This means that staff are not sufficiently prepared for their work. This could have a negative impact on children.

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Requires improvement

There are sufficient staff to provide an appropriate level of care for children. They say that they feel well supported by the managers. There have been some changes within the staff group, which is not unusual in new homes. Overall, the staff group does provide continuity for children. The statement of purpose is regularly reviewed and kept up to date. However, staff do not know the content of the statement of purpose and this will inhibit their ability to operate to it and provide the care which the home sets out to provide. There is a registered manager in post who has relevant experience for her role. She has a qualification at level 4 and is in the process of working towards her level 5. Placing authorities and other external agencies said that staff are accommodating, and that managers are involved with the care of children and described as having a focus on children. There are mostly good relationships with placing authorities and other agencies, so that there is

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Requires improvement

consistent care and good information sharing. Only one early placing authority questioned the effectiveness of the inter-agency working and communication. Some other agencies did speak of less positive practice when the home first opened, but the registered manager has been effective in addressing this. The registered manager makes appropriate notifications following significant events in the home.

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Requires improvement

There are opportunities for children to take part in activities in the area. Links with the local community are limited at present, but this is understandable due to the recent opening of the home.

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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.

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What the inspection judgements mean

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.

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What the inspection judgements mean

In a children's home that requires improvement , there are no widespread or serious failures that create or leave children being harmed or at risk of harm. The welfare of looked after children is safeguarded and promoted. Minimum requirements are in place, however, the children's home is not yet delivering good protection, help and care for children and young people.

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What the inspection judgements mean

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 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.

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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 ‘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 0300 123 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 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

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Information about this inspection

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Information about this inspection

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