Children's Home run by Phoenix Learning & Care Holdings Limited in Somerset

Inadequate

There are serious and/or widespread failures that mean that children and young people are not protected and their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded.

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The children's home provision is inadequate because:

 The registered manager fails to protect young people. Staff do not complete a comprehensive assessment of risk prior to young people going on any activity outside the home. Staff fail to ensure that safeguarding plans already in place are adhered to and they fail to be alert to signs that a young person plans to go missing. This failure has resulted in a young person, who is at serious risk of child sexual exploitation, going missing twice during outings that were supervised by staff and authorised by the manager.  Young people’s records are not kept up to date. Details of addresses where it is known that young people may be staying when they go missing are not documented on files. This failure results in important information not being passed to the police in a timely manner.  Young people are not undertaking a minimum of 25 hours of educational activity every week. The provider, who also operates the school, which

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The children's home provision is inadequate because:

provides tutors, fails to ensure that a tutor always arrives at the home to undertake the scheduled educational activity.  Leaders and managers fail to provide strong leadership to the staff team. This shortfall has led to poor practice from some staff members who lack direction; and to a lack of communication between managers and staff.  Staff fail to give young people feedback on the suggestions that they make at house meetings or to inform them whether their requests and suggestions have been actioned, or if not, why not.  Staff do not gain permission from young people to search their bedrooms, and young people are not always present during the searches.

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The children's home strengths

 Young people make progress at the home in managing their emotions and their behaviour.  Young people develop strong, trusting relationships with the staff which enables the young people, who previously were mistrustful and emotionally withdrawn, to make progress in most aspects of their lives. Young people say that staff really care about them and want them to do well. This enables young people to develop an increased sense of self-esteem and self-worth.  Staff have worked hard to improve the house and to ensure that it offers a homely and well-maintained environment for young people to enjoy living in.

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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

The education standard The registered person must ensure that staff help each child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible. (Regulation 8(2)(viii)) 26 September

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard The registered person must ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate; in particular, that the registered manager provides strong leadership and direction to the staff team and addresses any issues among staff immediately. (Regulation 13(2)(b)) 4 August 2016

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard * The registered person must ensure that staff assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking in to account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, making arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child, and that staff take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. In particular, they must ensure that staff follow guidance in risk assessments, risk assess all activities and remain vigilant at all times to potential risks and clues that young people are planning to go missing. (Regulation 12 (2)(i)(vi)) 4 August 2016

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Requirement Due date

*This requirement is subject to a statutory compliance notice

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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 young people are consulted whenever possible about plans to search their rooms and, if appropriate, that they are present during the search. Ensure that young people are able to see the results of their views being listened to and acted upon. In particular, if the young people make a request during a house meeting, the response to this request must be recorded at the following meeting. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.11)

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Recommendations

 Monitor and review the patterns and trends of staff turnover, and be able to understand and, where possible, address any negative trends. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.19)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that case records for each child are maintained and are kept up to date. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3)

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Information about this children's home

This children’s home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four young people who have experienced child sexual exploitation. It is operated by a private company that also operates a school nearby.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

10 February 2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Inadequate

Managers do not ensure that all the young people receive at least 25 hours of education each week. This is partly due to young people refusing to attend their home tutoring sessions and partly because the school, operated by the provider, sometimes fails to provide a tutor for the scheduled education sessions. Managers and staff are unable to evidence that they have been creative in trying to find a way to encourage young people to engage in and value education. The young people are home tutored due to their identified care needs, as it is not appropriate that they attend mainstream school in the community. Some young people make some progress from their educational starting points, despite these shortfalls and have undertaken examinations this summer. Other young people have left school and have secured work experience until they start college in the autumn term. The young people are encouraged by staff to give their suggestions, views and

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Inadequate

concerns at house meetings. The staff do not always feed back whether these suggestions have been actioned or, if not, why not. For example, at one house meeting one young person asked for some paint for her room. At the next meeting, there was no response from staff to her request and her room has not been painted. The staff do not always communicate with each other. This has a negative impact on young people. One young person said, ‘I had money yesterday and staff said I did and today other staff say I haven’t got any. It’s mixed messages.’ The staff search young people’s bedrooms without the permission or knowledge of the young people. This is not in line with the home’s room search policy. This action upsets and breaks down trust between staff and young people. One young person said, ‘Staff did a room search without me when I was at a funeral. They shouldn’t have done that.’ Young people report that they are learning independent living skills, such as

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Inadequate

budgeting, cooking and opening a bank account. These are not recorded in placement plans, so it is difficult for staff to assess the progress that the young people are making and what still needs to be learned. Placement plans are updated regularly, and staff spoken with were clear about how they meet the care needs of the young people. Relationships between young people and staff are nurturing and positive. One young person said, ‘I like it here, and staff care and chat to you when you are in a bad headspace.’ The health care needs of young people are met. The staff succeed in helping young people to eat healthily, take exercise and maintain a healthy weight. Other young people have been helped to overcome personal health issues and to reduce their medication. The young people benefit from sexual health education, and the staff provide information regarding the dangers and risks from taking drugs and

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Inadequate

alcohol. The home provides an intensive 18-month therapeutic programme for young people who have been subject to child sexual exploitation. Appropriately qualified therapists provide a therapeutic pathway depending on the individual needs of each young person. Much of this work relates to improving self-esteem and self- worth, which enables young people to understand how they became involved in child sexual exploitation. The young people who are nearing completion of the programme have made progress, and social workers comment ‘I have been impressed. My young person has made progress with communication, expressing her feelings, saying what she wants.’ Another social worker said, ‘The therapy side is good, and I have seen my young person make progress.’ Young people benefit from comprehensive admission procedures. Staff visit young people and get to know them prior to their admission. The manager undertakes a

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Inadequate

comprehensive impact risk assessment to ensure that the mix of young people is appropriate. Young people report that they all get on well. All staff attend planning meetings to ensure that transitions run smoothly. Young people are offered a young people’s guide to the home that gives them all the information that they need about the home and details the rules and expectations. The staff work hard to ensure that the house offers a homely and welcoming environment for young people. The staff ensure that any damage is quickly repaired. Young people report that they like their bedrooms and are able to personalise them with photographs of their families and personal possessions. The staff promote diversity and religious and cultural tolerance in the home. For example, they have helped one young person to access a nearby mosque and to make contact with a cleric. The staff and young people learn about Islam and help

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Inadequate

other young people to celebrate the festival of Eid. Bullying is not tolerated at the home, and staff act swiftly to help to resolve any differences between the young people.

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Inadequate

Managers and staff fail to protect young people from unsafe situations. In one instance, a young person known to be unable to keep themselves safe from serious risk of sexual exploitation, was allowed by staff to know where she was going shopping, and to control the location and activities of the shopping trip against the control measures documented in a general risk assessment. The staff failed to notice that the young person had packed a large holdall for the shopping trip with six changes of clothes, indicating that she planned to go missing. Details of the addresses that the young person might go to were not recorded on the files. This meant that the staff on duty were unable to provide these addresses to police until the next day, missing an opportunity to find the young person, who remains missing. This repeated a previous failure by staff to protect the same young person, in April 2016, when staff did not follow instructions in a risk assessment, during a trip to

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Inadequate

the cinema, which stated that the young person should not be out of sight at any time. The young person was missing for one week, during which time she put herself at serious risk and returned to the home needing hospital treatment. Young people are offered a return to home interview from an independent person, following a period of being missing. Staff are curious to know where they are and what they have been doing. Incidents of missing for all young people are reduced. Staff follow the procedures when a young person goes missing and liaise with the police and relevant agencies. One young person said, ‘Staff always follow me when I go missing. They do care.’ The staff encourage positive behaviour from young people and encourage them to learn from incidents. Behaviour management plans are detailed and young people are encouraged to contribute fully to them and to inform staff about how they think that they are best helped. Incidents of physical intervention are minimal. The

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Inadequate

young people are able to earn rewards for positive behaviour, such as beads and charms for a bracelet that they are able to take with them as a reminder of the progress that they have made at the home.

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Inadequate

The registered manager is appropriately qualified, has been the registered manager of the home for two years and has extensive knowledge of working with young people who have been subject to sexual exploitation. Recently, she has not been able to provide strong and effective leadership in the home. This is due to a period of absence and, since her return, she has had a lack of management time because of the need for her to undertake shifts due to staff shortages. Two members of staff are suspended and another two have resigned. Bank staff, agency staff and core staff team members are covering the staff shortage until the newly recruited staff begin work. The remaining staff are tired and feeling that they lack leadership, leading to two serious failures to protect a young person. One member of staff said, ‘Staff are exhausted and becoming involved in the young people’s chaos… We don’t feel well supported at the moment.’ One placing social

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Inadequate

worker said; ‘My young person has struggled with the recent dynamics in the staff team. I was disappointed when the staff team had so many personal issues.’ Leaders and managers fail to ensure that risk assessments are up to date and that staff are following the control measures set out in these documents. Information is chaotically stored, and previously robust systems of communication between the manager and staff are breaking down. A core staff team of senior care staff has worked at the home for some time and is currently providing stability and consistency for the young people. They are very knowledgeable about the needs of the young people and how they should be met. This stability is ensuring that most young people continue to make progress and to achieve positive outcomes. Staff report that they are regularly supervised and during these sessions, have voiced their concerns about the absence of the manager and the additional

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Inadequate

management responsibilities that they have undertaken in her absence. Staff report that they receive all of the training that they need to support young people effectively. The manager is supervised by the company care and referral manager, who is currently working in the home to support her to improve the shortfalls in records and systems identified by the independent visitor and arising from supervision sessions. The manager has established good working links with the police and other agencies. One social worker said, ‘Communication is good generally.’ Staff regularly communicate with parents and effectively support supervised contact between the young people and their families.

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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

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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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