Children's home run by Care Assist Children’s Services Limited in West Lancashire

Inadequate

There are serious and/or widespread failures that mean that children and young

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The children's home provision is inadequate because:

 Young people’s needs are not being met across aspects of their welfare and development, in particular, their safety and emotional well-being needs.  Young people’s health needs have not been supported, specifically in regards to sexual health and substance abuse.  Poor recording fails to provide a factual record of young people’s care experience.  Care plans and risk assessments are not robust or effectively reviewed to address the changing needs of the young people.  Young people are at significant risk of child sexual exploitation, and no strategies are in place to support the young people in this area.  Young people are not suitably supported to maintain appropriate and safe contact with important people in their lives.  Staff have failed to follow their own safeguarding procedures when young people have been identified as at high risk of missing from care, child sexual exploitation or criminality.

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The children's home provision is inadequate because:

 Management review and evaluation of the home’s records are insufficient. This hinders improvements in how staff understand and respond to young people’s needs and behaviour.  Staff do not recognise or respond to potential or actual safeguarding concerns within the required timescales.  Safer recruitment procedures have not been adhered to and fail to safeguard the young people and to minimise any potential risks to them.  Health and safety have been compromised, as fire evacuations have not taken place on a regular basis, as required by the home’s own policies.

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The children's home strengths

 Young people are making progress in their education placements.

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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 persons 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 In order to meet the wider system to ensure children’s needs are met standard, the registered person must ensure that (5)(c) If the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority's or a relevant person's performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, the registered person must ensure that staff challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child's needs are met in accordance with the child's relevant plans. 19 August

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Requirement Due date

6: The quality and purpose of care standard In order to meet the quality and purpose of care standard, the registered person must ensure that 6(1) The quality and purpose of care standard is that 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. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to (a) understand and apply the home's statement of purpose; (b) ensure that staff (i) understand and apply the home's statement of purpose; (iii) treat each child with dignity and respect; and (iv) provide personalised care that meets each child's needs, as recorded in the child's relevant plans, taking account of the child's 19 August background.

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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 (1)(a) the health and well-being needs of children are met; and (b) children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being. (2) In particular, the registered person must ensure (a)(i) that staff help each child to achieve the health and well- being outcomes that are recorded in the child's relevant plans. 19 August

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Requirement Due date

12: The protection of children standard* In order to meet the protection of children standard, the registered person must ensure that 12(1) The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure (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 the child; (ii) help each child to understand how to keep safe; (iii) have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm; (v) understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; (vi) take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child's welfare; and (vii) are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home's

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Requirement Due date

child protection policies; (b) that the home's day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively 19 August from harm; (e) that the effectiveness of the home's child protection policies is monitored regularly.

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard* In order to meet the leadership and management standard, the registered persons must enable, inspire and lead a culture in relation to the children's home that (a) helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and (b) promotes their welfare. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to (a) lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home's statement of purpose; (b) ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate; (c) ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; (d) ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child; (e) ensure that the home's workforce provides continuity of care to each child; (f) understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home; (h) use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. 19 August

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Requirement Due date

14: The care planning standard* In order to meet the care planning standard, the registered persons must ensure (1)(a) that children receive effectively planned care in or through the children's home; (2)(b) that arrangements are in place to (i) ensure the effective induction of each child into the home; 19 August (ii) manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and (iii) plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child's placing authority; (c) that each child's relevant plans are followed.

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Requirement Due date

25.—(1) After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must (d) ensure, by means of fire drills and practices at suitable intervals, that persons working at the home and, so far as reasonably practicable, children are aware of the procedure to be followed in case of fire. 19 August

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Requirement Due date

32 (1) The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety. 19 August

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Requirement Due date

33 (4) The registered person must ensure that all employees (a) undertake appropriate continuing professional development; and (b) receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. 19 August

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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. (2) The registered person must keep the behaviour management policy under review and, where appropriate, revise it. 19 August

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Requirement Due date

40 (4) The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if (a) a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation(b); an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child, which 19 August the registered person considers to be serious.

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Requirement Due date

44 (4) The independent person must produce a report about a visit (‘the independent person's report’) which sets out, in particular, the independent person's opinion as to whether (a) children are effectively safeguarded; and (b) the conduct of the home promotes children's well-being. 19 August

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Requirement Due date

46 (1) The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of premises used for the purposes of the children’s home at least once in a calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c) (the protection of children standard) (2) When conducting the review, the registered person must consult, and take into account the views of each relevant person. 19 August

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to statutory requirement notice.

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Information about this children's home

This home provides care and accommodation for up to four young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties. The home is owned by a private organisation.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

15 March 2016 Interim Declined effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

7 December 2015 Full Requires improvement

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Recent inspection history

2 February 2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Inadequate

Care provision in this home is inadequate because the home does not adequately safeguard young people or promote their development and progress. This has an impact on their welfare and safety. Since the last inspection, one young person’s placement ended and the local authority supported the young person to move to another children’s home. Staff were unable to meet her individual needs and there were concerns about the number of missing from care episodes, which had significantly increased. Although the manager had informed the young person that her placement had ended, she remained at the home for two further months, which affected her relationships with staff and other young people. One staff member said, ‘It was sad as she had so much potential. What made it more difficult was she was told she was being moved, but nobody told us. She then would not engage with us. Her behaviour escalated, but she stayed with us for several more weeks. It wasn’t fair.’

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Inadequate

Staff have not taken appropriate action to address the emotional and psychological health of young people. Health plans contain limited and conflicting information and do not clearly identify young people’s health needs. They also fail to identify other specialist support services available to young people. For example, one young person directly requested support concerning sexual health. However, there is no evidence that this has taken place. There are further examples of records indicating that young people have refused to attend planned medical appointments. There is no further information to show what action or strategies are in place to support young people to address their basic health needs. One young person continues to use cannabis on a regular basis, and there is no evidence that action has been taken, such as involving the support of specialist services to address the ongoing risks of regular cannabis misuse. This fails to

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Inadequate

promote young people’s physical and emotional well-being. Staff fail to support a young person’s cultural needs. During key-working sessions with a young person in April 2016, he requested additional equipment to support his daily bath-time routines, in line with his cultural needs. Staff indicated that they would obtain the items, but then failed to purchase these. During discussions with staff, they reported that it was their view that the young person did not need any additional items, but they acknowledged that no further discussions had taken place with the young person. This does not demonstrate that staff are working with young people to recognise and value their cultural needs. Young people’s contact with family members has not been promoted safely or in accordance with their statutory care plans. Despite one young person’s local authority care plan stating, ‘no unsupervised contact to take place’, staff have

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Inadequate

allowed the young person to visit her local area and to visit her family on a regular basis, including an overnight stay that was authorised by the registered manager. This does not demonstrate that staff are working within the local authority’s care plans and places young people at risk. Furthermore, a young person requested telephone contact with his mother, who had returned to her country of origin. During his looked after review, in April 2016, it was agreed that an international phone card could be purchased to enable this contact to take place. Staff failed to follow up this action and have not supported the young person to maintain direct contact with an important person in his life. Some young people’s records omit important information about their previous history and current needs. Furthermore, local authority documentation is not routinely obtained, and placement plans, risk assessments and behaviour

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Inadequate

management plans lack sufficient detail. For example, current and previous issues relating to criminal behaviours, child sexual exploitation and cannabis misuse have not lead to a consideration of the risk to the young people, or of any risk to others. This does not ensure that appropriate actions are taken to address such risks. Furthermore, young people are not benefitting from having clear, structured pathway plans in place to support their future move to independence. This does not demonstrate effective care planning. Improvements since the last inspection are evident in education arrangements for young people. Staff are working with education providers to coordinate and implement bespoke education and training plans. They endeavour to ensure that young people benefit from a routine and structure that support education attendance and promote concentration and engagement. As a result, young people

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Inadequate

have completed their formal education plans.

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Inadequate

Safeguarding practice in this home is poor, and does not promote the welfare and safety of young people. Managers and staff have failed to follow child protection procedures to address serious safeguarding concerns. For example, a young person informed staff that he was carrying a knife on his person, as he felt unsafe and concerned about gangs of local youths in the area. He also returned to the home without his mobile phone and bike, and informed staff that local drug dealers had taken them from him until he repaid his drug debts. Staff did not take any action and thus failed to follow their own safeguarding policies and procedures. This has significant implications for the young person’s safety and does not demonstrate safe practice in the home. Furthermore, there has been no assessment of the risks in the local area, which is required under regulation. Staff do not demonstrate a good understanding of what constitutes bullying in the

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Inadequate

home. For example, one young person was distressed about how another young person living in the home had treated her and caused deliberate damage to her property. When she reported this to staff, they failed to recognise the impact that this had on the young person. When raised with staff at the inspection, a member of staff said, ‘It was not bullying, but young people messing about.’ This demonstrates that staff are not taking young people’s concerns seriously or addressing behaviour in the home appropriately. Episodes of missing from care have significantly increased and there are ongoing concerns about child sexual exploitation. A variety of records, such as the missing from home logbook and the home’s daily logbook, provide different accounts of incidents, including how many actual days young people have been missing from care. In particular, on one occasion, a young person was reported missing for 14

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Inadequate

days. However, inconsistencies in the home’s records make it difficult to determine how long the young person was missing for, or what action, if any, staff took. This does not demonstrate a safe and robust response to serious safeguarding issues or monitoring and evaluation of significant incidents. Young people do not always benefit from clear and consistent boundaries or effective behaviour management strategies. Staff have not always recorded the disciplinary measures used to manage young people’s behaviours. For example, young people were having activities stopped, and monies deducted from their pocket money, but behaviour management records do not reflect this. On other occasions, records indicate that young people have all received sanctions of supervised spends. These range from one week to two weeks. However, there is no rationale for the decisions made. For example, one young person returned ten

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Inadequate

minutes late and was sanctioned with supervised pocket money for one week. Another young person was missing from the home for three days and received the same sanction. This is not proportionate and is punitive. Additionally, such records do not provide a clear overview of the behaviour that leads to such measures, the proposed timeframe, or the young person’s views. The manager did not evaluate the appropriateness or effectiveness of the measures used. Consequently, staff continue to use ineffective behaviour management strategies, and young people are not learning to reflect on and improve their behaviour. A previous requirement raised regarding safer recruitment procedures has not been addressed. For example, some references had still not been verified or obtained, and gaps in employment had still not been explored. These significant shortfalls in recruitment practice do not ensure a safe and suitable staff team.

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Inadequate

Staff duty rosters fail to reflect accurately the actual staff on duty, and lack transparency. This prevents a clear audit trail of who is working in the setting, and when and where they are working. In June 2016, there were two copies of the same rota, identifying different staff on duty on the same days. The registered manager was on the rosters for two days a week and it was unclear whether he was actually working at the home. The record indicates that he was ‘on call’ so not present, but the second record indicates that he worked a sleep-in shift. Thus, the home’s own records provide conflicting information and it is therefore difficult to establish which staff are on duty. The lack of transparency of who is on duty potentially places young people at risk and compromises the continuity of care. Health and safety in the home have been compromised. Regular fire drills have not always taken place within the recorded timescales, to ensure that young people

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Inadequate

are supported to understand the dangers of fire and to know how to evacuate safely. This is in breach of the home’s own health and safety policies and does not demonstrate that staff are working within their procedures, to maintain young people’s safety.

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Inadequate

There is currently no registered manager in post at the home. He resigned from his role, with immediate effect, the day before the inspection. The provider had already started to identify failings in the management of the home. In the previous two weeks, he had recruited an outside consultant to work initially with the registered manager and then with staff, to improve practices in the home. The action taken by the provider following a declined judgement at the last inspection has not been effective, despite there being a detailed action plan devised with the registered manager and responsible individual, which clearly identified expected timescales and strategies. Actions were not completed. All of the requirements and recommendations from the last inspection remain outstanding. The staff are unclear about the ethos and philosophy of the home as described in the statement of purpose. Staff said, ‘In the last few months, it’s been

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Inadequate

changed a few times,’ ‘I don’t really know what’s in it anymore,’ and ‘I’ve never looked at it.’ There have been further failings in management oversight and monitoring of the home in order to identify areas of weakness and to take decisive action to resolve these. As a result, young people’s progress and safety are compromised Staff have not received formal supervision for a significant period. Staff reported that the manager would have ‘a general discussion in passing and class this as supervision’. There are limited records in staff’s files and the staff involved have not signed the ones that are there. Staff reported that they have refused to sign records as ‘they were not a true and accurate reflection of the informal discussion’ and ‘it was not a planned supervision session, but a quick chat.’ This does not provide staff with an opportunity to reflect on their practice or to identify any further training that they may need. It does not provide an opportunity to ensure

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Inadequate

that they are promoting the best outcomes for all young people. Team meetings have not being taking place on a regular basis, and the more recent ones focused primarily on staffing issues in the home and the low morale within the team. Staff reported that team meetings are ‘about the staff problems, not the young people,’ that they ‘usually end up in arguments’ and that ‘the records never reflect what has actually been said.’ Some staff refer to a ‘blame culture’ in the home. This has led to a lack of trust between some colleagues and does not demonstrate that the approach used is one of an effective and consistent team. The result is that the staff are not applying firm and predictable boundaries in the home, to promote young people’s safety and welfare and to meet their needs. Records do not provide an insight into the young people’s lives or their journeys through care. For example, there are limited comprehensive records held of the

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Inadequate

direct work that staff undertake with young people. Thus, there is limited information with which to measure young people’s progress or to identify the effectiveness of the support provided. The majority of serious, significant events, involving young people living in the home have not been reported to Ofsted as required. For example, there has been significant increase in young people going missing from the home and deemed as at high risk of child sexual exploitation. A failure to share information with all relevant people compromises the safety and welfare of young people. Furthermore, the regulator is unable to carry out its monitoring function to ensure that all appropriate action is being taken by the provider to safeguard young people. Internal quality assurance does not take place regularly, and, as a result, the quality and standard of care have fallen to an unacceptable level. The manager has

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Inadequate

not reviewed records in the home or evaluated incidents that have occurred. Consequently, he has missed opportunities to identify shortfalls and to highlight patterns and trends. Areas for development are not highlighted, and there is no meaningful development plan from which to address areas of concern. This means that leaders and managers are not taking effective action to ensure the continued development of the service and improved outcomes for young people. There are serious deficits in the home’s external monitoring and auditing systems. This process has failed to identify any of the shortfalls highlighted at this inspection. This lack of rigour has not helped the home to protect young people sufficiently and to maintain good enough standards of care.

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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 that 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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