Children's home run by Social Care Services Limited in Stockport

Inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean young people’s welfare is not promoted or safeguarded and they are not making progress.

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The children’s home’s provision is inadequate because:

 The registered manager fails to ensure that young people who join the home are a suitable match to the existing group of young people. The manager fails to evaluate the impact of their risk-taking behaviour on other young people, staff or on the young people themselves. As a result, the stability of the group environment is undermined, some young people are harmed and all young people’s outcomes are adversely affected.  Most young people’s risk-taking behaviour is increasing. For example, there is an increase in young people going missing, self-harming behaviour and involvement by the police regarding the young people’s behaviour and criminal activity.  Young people are not making progress from their individual starting points. Despite the positive relationships between staff and young people, there is a lack of evidence of how staff plan for and engage young people in addressing harmful behaviour.

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The children’s home’s provision is inadequate because:

 Most young people are not receiving any education or training. Staff do not engage young people in meaningful activities when they are not attending school or college. Staff do not provide structure during the day or provide opportunities for young people to learn informally. Staff do not follow young people’s education plans to help them to return to education or training as soon as possible.  The registered manager and registered person fail to ensure that there are adequate staff to meet the needs of each young person . The core staff are stable and are suitably qualified. However, senior managers frequently redeploy them to cover organisational shortfalls in other homes.  The registered manager is usually on shift in the home, which prevents her from having the necessary time to lead and manage the home effectively. This leads to shortfalls in monitoring and reviewing the quality of care provided, and there is no system in place to do this. The registered manager

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The children’s home’s provision is inadequate because:

has not submitted a report of the quality of care to Ofsted since January 2016. As a result of the registered manager’s role being compromised, in order to fill other gaps in staffing, the quality of care provided is not continuously improving.  The registered manager does not ensure that there is a system in place for senior managers to review the restraints that she is involved in. This is not safe practice for young people or for the registered manager.  The registered manager has not ensured that Ofsted has been notified in a timely manner when significant events occur.

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The children’s home’s strengths

 The registered manager and staff develop positive relationships with young people and have a good understanding of how young people’s experiences can be communicated through their behaviour.  Staff are proactive in promoting contact with families, so that young people develop a strong sense of identity.  Staff work with young people on developing practical life skills to support them to manage their lives as adults.

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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

5: Engaging with the wider system to ensure that children’s needs are met

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must ensure that: (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, 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. 02/12/2016

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Requirement Due date

7: The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the views, wishes and feelings standard, the registered provider must ensure that staff: (2)(a)(ii) help each child to express views, wishes and feelings. 02/12/2016

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the education standard, the registered provider must ensure that staff: (2)(a)(v) promote opportunities for each child to learn informally (ix) help each child who is above compulsory school age to participate in further education, training or employment and to prepare for future care, education or employment. 02/12/2016

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the positive relationships standard, the registered provider must ensure that staff: (2)(a)(iv) help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone. 02/12/2016

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the protection of children standard, the registered provider must ensure that staff: 02/12/2016 (2)(a)(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 (iv) manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other (d) that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. 13: The leadership and management standard

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the leadership and management standard, the registered provider must: (2)(d) ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child (f) understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experience of each child and 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. 02/12/2016

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the care planning standard, the registered provider must ensure: (1) The care planning standard is that children: (a) receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home (b) have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. 02/12/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that within 48 hours of the use of the measure of control, discipline or restraint, the registered person or the authorised person or a person authorised by the registered person to do so has spoken to the user about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(b)(i)) The registered provider must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children at least once every six months. (Regulation 45 (1)) 02/12/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of 02/12/2016 the children’s home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12 (2)(c) (the protection of children standard). (Regulation 46 (1))

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide care for six children who have learning disabilities and/or physical disabilities. The home forms part of a social care company.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 20/01/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 19/05/2015 Full Good 20/03/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness 14/05/2014 Full Good

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Inadequate

Since the interim inspection, the registered manager has admitted three young people to the home. Two of these young people have been admitted as emergencies without sufficient evaluation of the potential impact on the other young people in the home. This has led to young people living in an unstable home environment, which has adversely affected their experiences and progress.

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Inadequate

The registered manager does not ensure that young people receive well-planned care. Impact risk assessments are poor, and they lack detail about young people’s behaviour, making it difficult to assess the impact that their behaviour may have on other young people already resident in the home. Poor decisions about admissions have led to the existing group of young people not being adequately safeguarded. As a result, some placements are short, with poor outcomes for all young people.

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Inadequate

Most young people are not attending school or college. Staff do not provide structure to their day and young people do not actively engage with any meaningful activities. For example, one young person woke at 1.00pm on the first day of inspection to have his breakfast and another young person said he spends all day ‘just chilling’. This is contrary to young people’s risk assessments, which describe structure and routine as a key in preventing their negative behaviours. When young people do attend school, staff are supportive, communicate well with school and attend meetings and parents’ evenings. A headteacher said that one young person had been, ‘distressed at school, sometimes because of incidents in the home involving other young people or witnessing the behaviour of other young people.’ Staff do work with professionals to try to get some young people into school or college, but this is inconsistent, with some young people not having

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Inadequate

education plans and conversations with professionals regarding this not on file or recorded.

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Inadequate

Staff do not support young people effectively to develop skills and strategies to manage their own conflicts and behaviour. For example, staff have removed the furniture from one young person’s room because of his destructive behaviour, with no clear plan on how to support the young person to address this behaviour before reaching an age when he will live independently.

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Inadequate

Staff do spend time with young people and develop a detailed knowledge of their behaviour. However, staff do not reflect this in their plans or in the direct work sessions. For example, one young person has repeatedly self-harmed in the home and in the local community, but the details of the multi-disciplinary support package to reduce risk of harm is not evident in his plans. Staff promote young people’s contact with their families where that has been carefully risk-assessed. As a result, young people develop and sustain a sense of identity and belonging.

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Inadequate

Young people develop practical skills, such as cooking and budgeting, in preparation for managing their lives as adults. Staff encourage young people to engage in recreational and social activities outside the home, such as boxing, attending the young people in care forum and playing pool. They also benefit from a holiday during the summer, which young people enjoy.

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Inadequate

The safety of young people is not improving in this home. There has been a significant increase in missing episodes since the last inspection. Young people are placing themselves at considerable risk when missing, such as engaging in dangerous risk-taking behaviour. Staff do actively look for children and follow missing from home procedures, but there is a lack of evidence of staff engaging young people in any direct work regarding this behaviour afterwards. This means that young people do not understand the risks or have the opportunity to reflect on their behaviour. The registered manager does not consistently ensure that independent return interviews take place or challenge the placing authority when the return interviews are not undertaken. This means that opportunities to understand and evaluate this behaviour are missed.

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Inadequate

Some young people self-harm. The frequency and severity of self-harm is increasing. The registered manager acknowledged that there is a risk of accidental fatality for young people, yet there is not a robust and proactive response to self- harm or evidence of actions which reduce risk of harm or actual harm. Staff understand the risks associated for young people, but the plans in place have not reduced the risk of harm. Risk assessments identify triggers for behaviour and actions to minimise risk, but staff do not consistently follow these. For example, activity timetables, identified as important to risk reduction, lack structure and any meaningful activity, meaning that young people are bored during the day, which is an identified risk factor for their missing and self-harming behaviours. The registered manager does not review the effectiveness of behaviour management, and therefore staff actions do not appear responsive to increased risk.

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Inadequate

For some young people there has been an increase in destructive and aggressive behaviours in the home. As a result, there has been an increase in police involvement and an unstable home environment for others when they are a witness to such behaviours. One young person went to live with his family following an incident and the plan is that he does not return. Consequently, staff do not support young people to understand how to manage their behaviour. Staff have positive relationships with the local neighbourhood police officer, but there is no evidence that this has contributed to a reduction in young people’s negative behaviour. There has been an increase in the criminalisation of young people.

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Inadequate

Staff have a good understanding of how young people’s experiences and emotions can be communicated through behaviour. At times, staff use de-escalation techniques effectively and consequently they use physical intervention infrequently. At other times, the techniques are ineffective and young people cause damage to the home and assault staff. The registered manager does not have a system in place to ensure that senior managers review her actions when she is involved in restraint. This practice does not safeguard young people or the registered manager.

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Inadequate

The registered manager ensures that the home is well maintained, and young people personalise their bedrooms to reflect their own tastes. However, management of the home fails to protect each child from avoidable hazards. For example, windows do not have safety glass and furnishings have not been protected by fire retardant since 2015, despite the fact that young people have smoking materials in their bedrooms. During the inspection, inspectors witnessed young people smoking in their bedroom. This poses a serious risk to young people’s safety.

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Inadequate

The home is managed by a suitably experienced registered manager who has been in post since 2013. The registered manager is currently working towards her level 5 qualification for residential leadership and management.

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Inadequate

The registered manager fails to prioritise young people in the home by not sufficiently evaluating information and risks when admitting new young people into the home. The register manager does not make child-centred decisions about young people coming to the home and this has had a significant impact on the young people’s risk-taking behaviour and progress.

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Inadequate

The registered manager fails to ensure that the home is appropriately staffed to a level to meet the young people’s needs. The core staff team is stable and suitably qualified, but the home is not adequately staffed due to core staff being moved to cover organisational shortfalls. The registered manager acknowledged during the inspection that there were not enough staff. One stakeholder raised a concern about levels of supervision of young people stating: ‘throwing things in a neighbour’s garden does not sound like him and makes you question whether there are issues regarding supervision.’

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Inadequate

The registered manager is mostly on shift in the home, which prevents her having the necessary time to lead and manage the home effectively. This has led to a significant decline in the effectiveness and quality of the service. The registered manager has temporary staff working in the home, about whom she has insufficient information. The registered manager could not access the available information during the inspection.

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Inadequate

The registered manager is able to identify the strengths and shortfalls of the home, but is unable to identify effective actions to address the shortfalls raised. The registered manager is not effective at monitoring progress and measuring the impact on children of living in the home, and had not completed a review of the quality of care provided for the children in the last six months. This lack of evaluation and action has contributed to a significant decline in the effectiveness of the home since the last inspection.

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Inadequate

Some stakeholders and professionals give positive feedback about the relationships that staff develop with young people and the levels of communication from staff. Other stakeholders did identify concerns about matching and the impact of this on young people’s progress. The registered manager acknowledged that decisions about matching had resulted in some young people’s behaviour regressing and some young people developing new negative behaviours.

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Inadequate

The staff and registered manager do not ensure that young people’s case records give a clear view of children’s day-to-day lives and what work is undertaken with them to address their behaviour. There is limited evidence of consultation with young people about their wishes and feelings about their care, or of young people being encouraged to access their files.

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Inadequate

The registered manager does not ensure that Ofsted is informed immediately of significant events in relation to welfare and protection of the young people in the home, and this prevents Ofsted having the necessary oversight in knowing that young people are safe and protected.

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Inadequate

The registered manager does not ensure that risks for the young people in the local community are identified in a robust and up-to-date locality risk assessment. This is particularly important for the young people in the home who are regularly going missing in the local area, and up-to-date information, about, for example, child sexual exploitation hotspots, would inform young people’s risk assessments and contribute to keeping them safe. Staff are positive about working in the home and feel well supported by the registered manager. Staff receive regular and reflective supervision. New staff receive a thorough induction and training to support them to develop the skills to work with the young people in the home.

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What the inspection judgements mean

The experiences and progress of children and young people are at the centre of the inspection. Inspectors will use their professional judgement to determine the weight and significance of their findings in this respect. The judgements included in the report are made against ‘Inspection of children’s homes: framework for inspection’.

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What the inspection judgements mean

An outstanding children’s home provides highly effective services that contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help and protection and care. Their progress exceeds expectations and is sustained over time. 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 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, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for children looked after 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

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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