Children's home in Rossendale

Inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected, their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded and their care and experiences are poor and they are not making progress.

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The children's home provision is inadequate because:

 Management oversight of the recruitment of agency staff is ineffective. This does not adequately safeguard young people from adults who may pose a risk to their welfare.  Management investigations into complaints made against staff are poorly recorded and concluded.  The home does not have enough permanent skilled staff to consistently meet the needs of young people. The majority of staff are agency staff.  Actions to prevent serious incidents occurring again have not been implemented. In addition, staff do not adhere to risk assessments, regarding staffing ratios, to promote young people’s safety and welfare.  Some young people have no educational placement identified, despite having lived at the home for several months. Health needs are not adequately addressed by staff and for some young people, active use of drugs and associated risks remain high.  The manager does not respond or escalate matters quickly enough when

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The children's home provision is inadequate because:

concerns emerge about the home’s ability to meet young people’s needs.  Requirements made at the previous inspection have not been met.

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The children's home strengths

 Young people report trusting relationships with the adults who care for them and staff dedicate individualised time to enhancing young people’s self- esteem.  Staff actively support young people’s personal interests and talents. Interesting activities are promoted by staff in order to encourage good use of leisure time.

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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

12. In order to meet the protection of children standard, the registered provider must ensure that staff— (2)(a)(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 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 from harm.* 22/11/2016

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Requirement Due date

13. (1) In order to meet the leadership and management standard, the registered person enables, inspires and leads 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; (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 experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home.* 22/11/2016

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Requirement Due date

14. In order to meet the care planning standard, with particular reference to the home giving clear, unambiguous and timely notice to the placing authority that they are unable to meet the needs of a young person: (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— 04/11/2016 (e) that the child's placing authority is contacted, and a review of that child's relevant plans is requested, if— (i) the registered person considers that the child is at risk of harm or has concerns that the care provided for the child is inadequate to meet the child's needs. 8. In order to meet the education standard, with particular reference to robust challenge of the placing authority and the timely securing of educational provision: (1) The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the

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Requirement Due date

registered person to ensure— (a) that staff— (iii) understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers; (vi) maintain regular contact with each child's education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child's education and training and to maximise the child's achievement; (x) help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child's relevant plans. 04/11/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children's safety. The registered person may only employ an individual to work at the children's home, or if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with the children, allow that individual to work at the home, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3). The requirements are that the individual is of integrity and good character, the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform and full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1)(2)(a)(b)(3)(a)(b)(d)) 04/11/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there or there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(c)(e)) 04/11/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any 22/11/2016 investigation. The registered person must supply to HMCI, at HMCI's request, a statement containing a summary of any complaints made during the preceding twelve months and the action that was taken in response to each complaint. (Regulation 39 (3)(5))* 10. In order to meet the health and well-being standard, with particular reference to children being offered timely immunisations and specialist assessments: (1) The health and well-being standard is that— (a) the health and well-being needs of children are met. 04/11/2016

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Requirement Due date

5. In order to meet the engaging with the wider system standard, with particular reference to young people receiving timely educational provision and specialist assessments, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff— (b) seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child's needs; (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. 04/11/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that children can access all appropriate areas of the children's home's premises and any limitation placed on a child's privacy or access to any area of the home's premises is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home, is necessary and proportionate, is kept under review and, if necessary, revised and allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (b)(c)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)) 04/11/2016

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a statutory requirement notice.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:  Staff should understand factors that affect children's motivation to behave in a socially acceptable way (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 39, paragraph 8.13). In particular, rewards and sanctions should be of the quantity and type that reflect young people's starting points and particular circumstances.  For children's homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 15, paragraph 3.9). With particular reference to the repair or replacement of carpets, damaged furniture and blinds and repainting of walls.

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Information about this children's home

This is a privately run children’s home. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four children with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 16/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 17/11/2015 Full Good

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Inadequate

Young people’s progress while living at the home is too variable. Some young people have made areas of progress within their lives, while others have not. However, some young people have experienced a deterioration with regards to incidents involving the police and their emotional presentation. There has been delay in effective decision-making from the management team in reviewing placements and reaching firm judgement regarding the home’s ability to meet the needs of young people. Some young people do not have an identified educational provision despite being at the home for some months. This deficit has not been actively or effectively challenged by the staff or the manager, nor have links been established with the virtual school head. This limits young people’s life chances and creates gaps in their learning opportunities. Other young people’s attendance in education is poor. Some young people continue to use drugs and are not being helped to reduce this.

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Inadequate

As a result, their health is affected. There are gaps in immunisations records and some documentation is contradictory. For example, general practitioner records indicate omissions, while social work reports state that these are up to date. This has not been followed up and resolved by staff. Routines for some young people are not clearly established. Poor night-time routines result in some young people not rising until late in the afternoon. This affects their willingness to engage in daily activities such as education or leisure pursuits that staff offer. Young people say that they trust the staff, and one young person commented, ‘Staff are great, always there for you. The home is great.’ Staff offer young people individualised time to discuss a variety of problems or issues and this supports the development of trusted relationships. Although incentives are used by the staff to encourage positive behaviour, these

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Inadequate

are not sufficiently personalised to young people’s social and emotional development. For example, some young people rarely achieve the expectations set by staff and those rewards that are achieved are removed through incidents that occur. Some young people develop confidence and self-awareness. Their participation in meetings and decisions that affect them increases and they are more able to communicate their views in acceptable ways. One independent reviewing officer commented, ‘He has grown in confidence and the way he conducts himself and his interaction with adults. He is more able to sit through meetings and listen to things that might not always be positive.’ A social worker commented, ‘Now ‘X’ can express what he wants and talks about issues.’ Young people are regularly consulted about their care and decisions that are made within the home. Contact between young people and their family is supported by the staff and for

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Inadequate

some young people this has resulted in an increase in frequency of arrangements. This supports their sense of identity and belonging. Young people’s interests are fully supported and encouraged. Through these community activities, some young people have begun to develop more appropriate friendship circles. For example, one young person attends ice-skating up to three times per week. A social worker commented, ‘He has made loads of friends at the ice-rink.’

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Inadequate

The risks that young people face, from their behaviour and vulnerabilities, are understood by staff and documented. These risks include associating with drug users and dealers, risk of child sexual exploitation and criminalisation of behaviours due to incidents both in and outside the home. However, some assessments have not been updated, and measures put in place to reduce these risks are not adhered to by staff. Agreed staffing ratios to give young people adequate supervision are not maintained. In addition, young people’s challenging behaviour cannot be managed appropriately because there are not enough staff members on duty who are trained to carry out physical restraints. As a result, situations can escalate. Recruitment of agency staff by the manager is not thorough and concerns emerging about individual agency staff have not been adequately investigated. For example, the manager was unaware of police cautions and previous employment

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Inadequate

history such as dismissal from employment. This means that young people are not safeguarded from adults who may pose a risk to their welfare. An action to install surveillance equipment, following a serious incident of young people climbing out of bedroom windows, has not been implemented. As a result, young people are able to leave the building without staff being aware and there is therefore a delay in staff being able to act quickly to protect young people. Concerns and complaints made by staff about the conduct of other staff have not been fully investigated or reported by the manager. These complaints include inappropriate behaviour towards young people, threats of blackmail and intimidation from some staff towards others. As a result, the manager does not have full oversight of issues that affect the welfare and safety of young people arising from these concerns. Some complaints have been appropriately referred to

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Inadequate

the local authority designated officer and Ofsted via anonymous complaints. Complaints made by staff have not been recorded in complaints documentation and the complaints policy has not been followed. Staff have not followed risk assessments regarding the appropriate locking of doors. The kitchen is routinely locked at night and a young people’s bathroom cannot be accessed without a staff key. This prevents the reasonable free movement of young people around the home. Fire doors within the home are regularly propped open. This presents a risk to young people and staff in the event of a fire. There has been an increase in the frequency and severity of challenging behaviour of some young people, leading to criminalisation of their behaviour. Some incidents have escalated to a degree, that has included assaults on staff and considerable damage to the home, that police are required to attend. In addition, there has

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Inadequate

been no reduction in some young people’s drug misuse. This has led to serious incidents, involving theft and attempted theft of items from the home, in order to fund the drug misuse. These incidents have not been given timely review by the management team and as a result, managers are not taking sufficient action to reduce the behaviours. Young people’s behaviours have escalated and their needs remain unmet. When young people go missing from the home, staff follow the protocols and liaise appropriately with other agencies. On the whole, when these incidents do occur, staff go looking for young people in order to seek their safe return. Return home interviews are completed either by the local missing from care team or social workers. Young people do not always share their whereabouts, associates or activities during these interviews. The lack of openness and trust between young people and staff hinders intelligence sharing between agencies and the

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Inadequate

development of comprehensive plans to reduce risks. Staff seek to promote positive behaviour with young people through incentives and individualised time discussing issues. However, these interventions are not fully effective as some young people’s risks from their behaviour remain high. Physical interventions are low in number and for short periods of time. These measures are only taken by staff when other means of de-escalating the situation have not been successful.

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Inadequate

Leadership and management are poor. The manager does not have suitable oversight of issues that affect the safety and delivery of care to young people, such as concerns about staff conduct, recruitment and staffing levels. The manager has been registered with Ofsted to manage the home since March 2015. She is suitably qualified and experienced. Staffing is a particular concern because it is driven through continuous and ongoing staff shortages within the permanent staffing complement. It is not clear from staff rotas which agency staff have worked or will be working. Selection for duty on the basis of suitability, qualifications or skills mix does not take place. This prevents clear management oversight and does not meet young people’s needs. Staff members effectively working as a team are hindered. This is, in part, due to complaints and concerns raised among staff, not having been responded to in an

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Inadequate

appropriate manner by the manager. In addition, staff do not attend staff meetings when organised. The manager has not appropriately addressed these difficulties, and opportunities to create greater cohesion have not been utilised. Communication with and between staff takes place at ‘hand-over’ meetings. This prevents comprehensive sharing of information, ideas and team working. Many meetings that do take place are functional and procedurally driven and do not employ reflective processes for discussing young people’s progress. Staff members undertaking waking night cover do not have the relevant training in physical intervention. This does not reflect the risk assessments for young people requiring staff to be trained in physical intervention and for two-person holds to be used. This places both the young person and staff members at risk, in particular during the night, if an incident were to occur requiring physical intervention. On

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Inadequate

some night shifts, waking night staff are not qualified to the level 3 diploma for residential childcare (England). Serious concerns relating to the possible conduct of staff have not resulted in notification to Ofsted. This weakens the regulatory body’s oversight and timely liaison or intervention. There are areas within the home that require repair. The carpet to the stairs is in parts excessively worn and previous fire damage to the carpet in the hallway has been roughly repaired. Cushions to the settee in the quiet room are ripped and require either repair or replacement. Many of the blinds in the home are damaged and an upstairs landing window is broken. Although young people can make their rooms their own, furniture in the bedrooms that has been broken, has not been repaired or replaced. Damage caused to holes in walls, although filled-in, have not been repainted. The manager knows each young person well and spends time with each

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Inadequate

individually, receiving feedback and discussing concerns. Professionals reflect this view and consider communication from the manager and staff to be timely and appropriate.

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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, work based 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

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

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