Children's Home run by Family Care Associates Limited in Shropshire

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:

 Placement planning is not fully completed for all children. This leaves staff unclear as to the collective response to concerning health needs.  Medication administration records contain a high number of mistakes.  Some areas of the home require improvement to the decor.  Behaviour management records include mistakes in cross-referencing between the systems used. Some records are not dated correctly.  No recruitment information is available to show that staff are safe to work with children.  Monitoring of the home does not include discussion with external parties.  Supervision records do not always validated meetings take place.  Training records require updating and need to show clearly that staff are taking a robust range of courses to meet the needs of the children.

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The children’s home strengths

 Children enjoy positive relationships with the staff team and talk enthusiastically about their key workers.  Children are consistently listened to and their views acted on.  A good range of activities keep children busy and help them to develop social skills as well as promoting a healthy lifestyle.  Children enjoy the large garden area and personalise their rooms well.  Children have decreased their concerning behaviours such as going missing.  When safeguarding concerns are raised, staff ensure that appropriate agencies are involved and that thorough investigations are completed.  Staff work with children in line with restorative justice practice and challenge poor behaviours.  Staff feel well supported by the management and receive detailed annual appraisals to further their development.

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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

In order to meet the quality and purpose of care standard, the registered person must ensure that— 1 (a) children receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home. 30/09/16

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the health and well-being standard, staff must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

1(a) the health and well-being needs of children are met. 30/09/16

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the protection of children standard, the registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

2 (d) 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. 30/09/16

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32(3)(d)) 30/09/16

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Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person, if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires. (Regulation 44(2)(a)) 30/09/16

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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 medicines are administered in line with a medically approved protocol. Records must be kept of the administration of all medication, which includes occasions when prescribed medication is refused. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.15)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that children should be in full-time education while they are of compulsory school age, unless their personal education plan contained within the care plan or other relevant plan states otherwise. The home must aim to support full-time attendance at school unless the child’s relevant plan indicates that this is not in their best interests. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.14)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that records of restraint enable the registered person and staff to review the use of control, discipline and restraint to identify effective practice and respond promptly when any issues or trends of concern emerge. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 49, paragraph 9.59)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that the registered person has a workforce plan that can fulfil the workforce-related requirements of regulation 16, schedule 1 (paragraphs 19 and 20).The plan should be updated to include any new training and qualifications completed by staff while working at the home, and used to record the ongoing training and continuing professional development needs of staff – including the home’s manager. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)

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Information about this children’s home

This is a privately owned children’s home for up to four young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

20/02/15 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Requires improvement

Children enjoy being at the home and are cared for well by a staff team that is both enthusiastic and caring. Children say that they would talk to a range of staff if they were unhappy about their life at the home. However, poor record-keeping and insufficient planning have an effect on the level of care offered, with concerns relating to placement plans, medication and daily records. Staff have an awareness of the different needs of the children and can talk positively about how they have moved on since arriving at the home. However, only half the children have placement plans completed by the manager. Staff depend on documentation relating to children looked after for the remainder, but this too is not fully complete. One child has been in placement for over two months without a clear plan that gives staff direction, despite concerns regarding the child’s health and a high level of apparent social anxiety.

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Requires improvement

Children enjoy different sports and activities, and they participated in football, swimming and shopping trips enthusiastically during the inspection. Although there is no formalised plan for the summer holidays, it is clear that different day trips and activities have been discussed and staff are willing to keep children busy.

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Requires improvement

Contact arrangements for children help them to maintain regular communication with their families. One mother said that the home is good at organising visits and ‘staff help me to feel like I’m still part of his arrangements’. Incorrect contact information was found at the start of the inspection for one child. This was corrected during the inspection. Children are able to keep in touch through the home’s phone as well as visits, helping them to feel part of family life.

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Requires improvement

Health planning is sporadic: for some it is well considered while others do not have any. Some, who have concerning health issues, do not have detailed information about their conditions, and staff are therefore unable to work effectively with them to ensure that their needs are met.

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Requires improvement

There are good links with professionals who support both staff and children to develop strong emotional resilience.

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Requires improvement

Medication records are poor, especially considering the low level of administration necessary in the home. Medication has been missed and signed off incorrectly, possibly putting children’s well-being at risk. Most children attend school on a regular basis and have improved their attendance rates since being admitted. Staff work well to support those attending, with different placements and holiday dates. Regular communication with schools helps to further develop their achievements as they work alongside the education plans. Staff promote the benefits of education, although for a minority of children, school attendance can be an area of concern. Despite this reluctance to attend, staff continue to work with the school to look a different ways are enhancing individual learning.

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Requires improvement

The home is spacious and areas are available for both communal time and visits with family. Children enjoy the large garden and personalise their own rooms well. Some communal areas require attention, carpets need attention because of loose threads and staining. Recent damage to a large noticeboard is to be rectified swiftly to enable children to live within a pleasant environment.

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Requires improvement

Children are consistently listened to. Daily records and monthly meetings show that their views are both sought and acted on. Children are encouraged to attend their reviews and ensure that their wishes are considered when plans are developed. Information regarding external advocacy and complaints is available in documentation around the home, and given to each child on admission.

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Requires improvement

Children who have left have moved into stable environments and are reported to be doing well. Good ‘Here and now’ documents are produced for those leaving, highlighting positive aspects of their time at the home. A recent admission to the home was managed well, including with the social worker and a family member arriving with the child to settle them in and share information.

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Requires improvement

Regular health and safety checks are completed, including fire checks and a good range of risk assessments to support the well-being of both the children and the staff. Children say that the home is a safe place to be because they know all the staff and the home is ‘a long way from areas where there might be trouble’.

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Requires improvement

When child protection concerns are raised, they are responded to by contacting the all the relevant professionals, this includes social workers and the designated officer for the local authority to ensure that children are safe. Clear chronologies show that the welfare of children is central to all investigations.

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Requires improvement

Risk assessments and procedures are in place if children go missing or self-harm. No such incidents have occurred since the last inspection. One social worker said that this was ‘a great leap forwards from where (the child) was at previously’.

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Requires improvement

Behaviour management structures include reward charts that are well understood by children and include individualised targets that highlight aspects of their behaviours that they wish to improve. When consequences are necessary because of negative behaviours, these are discussed with the child, and focus on restorative justice and giving the child a greater understanding of the effect that their behaviours have on others.

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Requires improvement

Restraints are applied as a last resort and records show that staff have attempted different techniques before physical intervention. Some behaviour management records do not cross-reference between the main log and more detailed reports, and some are incomplete. Some records of consequences have not been dated and do not show the effectiveness of the intervention. These recording errors do not fully ensure the safety of children at all times.

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Requires improvement

Although children occasionally do not get on with each other, staff promote discussion and break down negative situations that may lead to bullying. Discussions relating to group dynamics form part of staff meetings, with initiatives to improve relationships developed and used to decrease conflict.

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Requires improvement

Staff say that recruitment checks are fully completed before they start at the home. However, the deputy manager was unable to evidence any recruitment checks on staff to show that those employed at the home are safe to work with children.

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Requires improvement

The home’s manager has applied for registration and is awaiting checks to be completed. He has over five years of experience of residential management and is currently trained up to a National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) level 4 in children and young people’s services, leadership and management. The staff team has a range of qualifications, with most trained up to NVQ level 3 in caring for children and young people. Those not qualified to this level are enrolled on relevant training.

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Requires improvement

Monitoring systems support the manager’s awareness of the development of children and the performance of the home. A detailed business development plan assesses necessary objectives for the home, including achievable targets, such as training and improvements to the fabric of the building. This helps improve the care provided.

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Requires improvement

Monthly monitoring by an independent visitor takes place and checks necessary documentation, including the areas for improvement that have received attention. However, the visitor has not recorded any consultation with external parties, such as families, over the past six months, so is failing to gain full awareness of the way the home is working with children.

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Requires improvement

Social workers and parents are positive about the home and the information that they receive. One social worker said, ‘The home are great at getting in touch with you. They don’t inundate you with stuff, so you know that when they do get in touch it’s important’.

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Requires improvement

The home’s statement of purpose is regularly updated. This shows that the staff team is sufficiently skilled to meet the needs of the children whom it admits. Staff support children attending reviews and there are basic records following these that relate to planning for the future.

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Requires improvement

Staff feel well supported by the management team, highlighting the positive experience of supervision and that team members are always around to talk about how best to work with the children. Staff receive regular supervision. However, records do not always validate these have taken place. Annual staff appraisals are detailed, covering both skills and areas in need of development. Targets set help to improve practice and subsequently increase the level of care for the children.

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Requires improvement

A range of different training courses have been completed by staff, with a matrix that shows when they need to review them in order to keep up to date with current practice. However, training records do not show comprehensively how all courses necessary to working at the home have been met. There are omissions in areas such as equality and diversity, and the home’s own therapeutic model. Some staff appear to have completed these, but there needs to be better recording to show that they are part of all staff’s ongoing development.

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Requires improvement

The home has enough staff and they have a good awareness of the home’s procedures and the expectations of the management team relating to care of the children.

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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 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

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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