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

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:

 This children’s home is now managed by a recently approved registered manager. Good progress is being made in many areas, but some shortfalls still exist and further work is needed for the home to be judged good.  In addition to the recently appointed manager, four of the seven staff members are new and still on probation. While the team is working effectively together, with support from the manager and experienced members of staff, further training and improved supervision is required to ensure that good practices are fully embedded. For example, the whole staff team would benefit from specialist training and/or clinical support to ensure that they meet the particular needs of the current young person, whose needs are very different from those of the previous young person. Furthermore, two experienced members of staff have only just started their level 3 diploma, which means that they will not complete it within the

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The children's home provision requires improvement because:

required timescale.  Some aspects of safeguarding require improvement. The manager has yet to complete a level 3 qualification in safeguarding children and young people. A chronological record should be kept of all child protection concerns reported to the social worker or formally referred to the Safeguarding Children Board. If young people do go missing, arrangements must be in place for them to have an independent return home interview. In addition, staff should be given clear guidelines about their continued responsibilities in respect of the safety and welfare of a young person after being reported missing to the police.  While improvements have taken place in respect of monitoring serious incidents and carrying out debriefs, further emphasis is required to reflect on the quality of care practices, what lessons have been learned and how staff can be supported to improve their practices in the future to benefit young

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The children's home provision requires improvement because:

people. Practice-related supervisions are taking place, but the frequency of these is very variable for all staff including newly appointed staff. This means that an opportunity is being lost to really support staff in the challenging work that they do, to ensure that new staff are retained and good practices are embedded.

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The children's home strengths

The home is making good progress in many areas. A full staff team, including a registered manager, is now in place and all staff are highly motivated to enable young people to achieve good outcomes. Staff have managed some very challenging behaviour and have worked hard to keep young people safe. They have worked effectively with placing authorities and have advocated well on behalf of young people. Careful decision making has taken place in respect of a new admission to the home and good relationships are being firmly established. The needs of young people are being addressed and staff are ambitious about what young people can achieve. In turn, young people are learning to feel emotionally resilient and more confident about their future. A social worker was very complimentary in her comments about how well the manager and staff are doing in supporting the young person, ‘I have been very impressed with the staff. They

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The children's home strengths

communicate really well with the young person and are establishing good boundaries.’

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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 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

32: Fitness of workers In order to meet this requirement the registered person must ensure that staff achieve the level 3 diploma for residential childcare within two years of their start date or by 1 April 2016. (Regulation 32 (4)(a) and (5) (a)(b)) 30/09/2017

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Requirement Due date

28: Fitness of manager In order to meet this requirement the registered person must ensure that the registered manager has appropriate qualification to manage the home effectively and lead the care of children. In particular, this includes completing a level 3 qualification in safeguarding children and young people. (Regulation 28 (1)(b)(i)) 30/09/2016

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Requirement Due date

32: Fitness of workers In order to meet this requirement the registered person must ensure that staff have appropriate experience, qualifications and skills. In particular, that specialist training and/or clinical support is provided to all staff to ensure that they can fully meet the needs of current young people. (Regulation 32 (3)(b)) 31/10/2016

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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 must use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided. In particular, when a serious incident occurs, such as a young person being missing from care, a full evaluation must be carried out to identify what lessons have been learned and what revised guidelines staff need to have so that practices can improve in the future. (Regulation 13 (2)(h)) 30/09/2016

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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 staff take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child's welfare. In particular, a chronological record must be maintained of all child 30/09/2016 protection concerns reported to the young person's social worker or formally made to the Safeguarding Children Board. (Regulation 12 (2)(a)(vi))

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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 children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. In particular, as outlined in the statutory guidance for children who run away or go missing from home or care, Department for Education, 2014, all young people must have an independent return home interview. (Regulation 12 (1)) 30/09/2016

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Requirement Due date

34: Policies for the protection of children In order to meet this requirement the registered person must prepare and implement a policy (‘the missing child policy’) setting out the procedures to be followed, and the roles and responsibilities of persons working at the home, in relation to a child who is, or has been, absent. In particular, the protocol in place needs to provide staff with detailed instructions about their continued responsibilities when a young person has been reported missing to the police, including when this has occurred several miles away from the children's home. (Regulation 34 (4)(b)) 30/09/2016

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Requirement Due date

33: Employment of staff In order to meet this requirement the registered person must ensure that all staff receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)) 30/09/2016

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Information about this children's home

The children’s home is owned by a private company that has several other children’s homes in the same region. It is registered for one young person with emotional and behavioural difficulties. The company has its own school but it is located too far away for young people in this setting to attend and so education is sourced locally. The home is well located close to a city and near the coast. The home provides a very homely environment in a domestic property that is not distinguishable from its neighbours.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 01/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 03/11/2015 Full Requires improvement 06/01/2015 Interim Declined in effectiveness 28/05/2014 Full Adequate

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Requires improvement

The provider has experienced difficulties in identifying a suitable training provision to enable staff to complete appropriate professional qualifications. This has resulted in two staff who have been in post for more than one year, only just commencing their level 3 diploma which will mean that they will not achieve the qualification within the required two year timescale. While other areas of training, including induction training, have improved, the registered manager who has been in post since January 2016, has not yet completed a level 3 qualification in safeguarding children and young people. He has completed level 2 safeguarding training. Following a change in occupancy in the home four months ago, the manager has requested some specialist training for his staff. While he is complimentary about the range of skills that his staff have, the current young person has very different needs to the previous young person living there. This training has not yet been

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Requires improvement

provided. This is important to address to ensure that needs are fully met and that all staff have appropriate opportunities to develop quality care practices. The staff team has worked hard to ensure that young people receive suitable education. Where there has been a delay in providing formal education, staff have worked creatively to provide young people with a wide range of interesting educational opportunities. This has been a positive experience for young people who have not been attending school or receiving education prior to being admitted to the home. Staff have supported young people to complete assessments and feel more confident about taking their next step. A detailed placement plan is in place and staff are very clear about the objectives of the current young person. Young people are supported to achieve healthy lifestyles. They have good access to local health services, including specialist

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Requires improvement

practitioners. The manager is currently liaising with the placing authority to secure therapeutic support. Staff are good role models, encouraging healthy eating and regular physical exercise. The staff team works hard to develop trusted and secure relationships. They treat young people with respect and dignity and place young people’s well-being at the centre of their practice. Young people are positive about the home, feeling that they get on ‘very well with the manager and staff’ and that it is a ‘really good home’. Judgement grade

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Requires improvement

Some aspects of safeguarding require improvement. For example, the manager has yet to complete a level 3 qualification in safeguarding children and young people. The inspector was informed that this had been booked to take place on 28 September 2016. The staff team members maintain a record of their child protection concerns, through such reports as ‘significant conversations’. However, child protection concerns may arise through other means, such as observations. Currently, a chronological record is not maintained. This means that not all child protection concerns are captured in one area. The inspector clarified the importance of such a record which evidences all matters reported to the social worker or formally referred to the Safeguarding Children Board. Currently, arrangements are not in place with the placing authority for young people who have been missing to have an independent return home interview. This

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Requires improvement

is important as it gives young people an opportunity to disclose their reasons for running away, thereby allowing due consideration to be given to how the risks of this reoccurring can be minimised in the future. While there is a detailed and personalised missing from care protocol in place, it does not give staff clear guidelines about their continued responsibilities in respect of the safety and welfare of a young person after being reported missing to the police. This is especially important if an incident of going missing should occur when staff and young people are several miles away from home. The staff team has a good understanding of the risks that the internet may pose to young people. The staff team works effectively with the placing authority in managing risks and with young people in developing their awareness of dangers that exist and how they can keep themselves safe. Behaviour is well managed. Staff understand how young people’s past experiences

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Requires improvement

and present emotions impact on their behaviour. Staff are good at de-escalating situations and understand the importance of not being confrontational. Staff use a range of incentives and this positive approach works well. Robust recruitment procedures are in place to ensure that new staff are carefully selected and vetted and young people are asked to contribute their opinion.

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Requires improvement

A new manager was appointed to manage this home in January 2016 and has subsequently been approved as the registered manager. This is a positive development as the home was without a registered manager for almost two years. Since then, good progress has been made in establishing a nurturing and child- centred approach. The manager is keen to act and for his staff team to act as ‘good parents’. It is recognised that further work is needed, but the manager and staff are feeling confident about the future and aspire to achieve consistently good standards. Leaders and managers are aware of the shortfall in terms of supporting staff to gain professional qualifications, within the required timescales. This has now been addressed with a new training company. The manager has started a level 5 diploma in leadership and management for residential childcare and two members of the staff team have started a level 3 qualification. Assurances have been given

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Requires improvement

by a senior member of staff that in future, staff will be supported to commence their training as soon as they complete their probationary period. Since the interim inspection in March, four new staff have been appointed. Staff are working effectively together as a team, with experienced staff mentoring new staff. While the manager is the only male member of staff, the team is diverse in terms of age and cultural heritage, which is beneficial to the young person. While practice-related supervisions are taking place, their frequency is variable for all staff, including new staff. A new system is being introduced which includes the senior member of staff sharing the responsibility for staff supervision with the manager. It is important that the senior member of staff has appropriate training to deliver good-quality supervision. Following a previous requirement, management oversight of serious incidents has

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Requires improvement

improved. Records now include evidence of debriefs with staff and young people. What is required now is further emphasis on reflecting on the quality of care practices, what lessons have been learned when specific incidents have occurred and how staff can be supported to improve their practices in the future to benefit young people.

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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 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. 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 adults make to the lives of children and young people. They read case files, watched how professional staff work with children, young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care given to children and young people. Wherever possible, they talked to children, young people and their families. In addition, the inspectors have tried to understand what the children's home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people who it is trying to help, protect and look after. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service and to consider how well it complies with the Children's

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Information about this inspection

Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’. the guidance raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted, which is available from Ofsted's website: 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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