Children's home SC363228

Inspector Marina Tully

At the full inspection on 5 October 2016, the home was judged inadequate. A number of shortfalls were identified, including the registered manager’s and staff’s lack of awareness and understanding of serious safeguarding matters. As a result of these shortfalls, young people were not safeguarded effectively because the registered manager and staff did not recognise, assess and respond appropriately to all potential risks. The lack of robust safeguarding practice compromised young people’s welfare and safety. Additionally, poor leadership and management practice impacted adversely on the quality of care and support provided to young people. The registered manager’s ineffective monitoring of the service did not identify the decline in the quality of care and protection provided to young people. For example, the registered manager’s lack of oversight of staff training resulted in staff not being sufficiently

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Inspector Marina Tully

equipped to meet the full range of young people’s needs. Two compliance notices were issued under regulations 12, the protection of children standard, and 13, the leadership and management standard. An unannounced monitoring visit took place on 21 November 2016 to examine and evaluate the action taken by the home to address the shortfalls raised in the two notices. The registered manager has taken sufficient steps to improve safeguarding practice in the home. Risk assessments are more robust and identify more clearly the full range of young people’s needs and vulnerabilities. The revised risk assessments now provide staff with improved guidance on what action they must take when a young person is at risk of significant harm, for example, on reporting child sexual exploitation and unsafe internet use to the relevant safeguarding professionals. Daily room checks are helping staff to identify when young people are bringing

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Inspector Marina Tully

dangerous and unsuitable material into the home and this is making the home a safer environment. Written agreements between staff and young people are helping young people to understand the boundaries set in the home and to appreciate the reasoning behind them: notably to keep everyone safe. Safeguarding training for staff has been arranged, including training in understanding and responding to concerns about child sexual exploitation and internet safety. Plans are also in place to provide young people with training on internet safety. Consequently, staff and young people are in a better position to understand and promote safeguarding practice in the home. This practice can further improve by ensuring that the staff’s recordings, in particular their missing from home records, reflect all of the actions that they have taken. This will improve the way in which the manager and external professionals evaluate staff’s

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Inspector Marina Tully

responses to serious safeguarding matters. A full-time deputy manager is now supporting the registered manager with the day-to-day running of the home. The team’s training and development needs have been reviewed, and a range of training courses has been identified for staff, including first aid refresher, safer handling, and radicalisation and extremism in children’s homes. Furthermore, staff who do not hold a relevant qualification in children’s residential care are soon to enrol onto the appropriate course. The registered manager has taken suitable action to improve his monitoring and oversight of staff’s learning and development. As a result, firm plans are now in place to equip staff with the relevant knowledge and skills to meet young people’s needs. In addition to the appointment of a full-time deputy manager, the home has taken steps to recruit new, suitably qualified staff. The managers are currently

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Inspector Marina Tully

progressing with one successful application, and another person has expressed an interest in applying for one of these posts. This increase in staff will ensure sufficient staff cover on each shift to meet each young person’s needs, as outlined in young people’s placement plans and the home’s statement of purpose. At the monitoring visit, it was identified that, at times, there were still insufficient staffing levels, in particular later in the evening. The deputy manager acknowledged this during the visit and she has now increased staffing levels during this time. Not only does this enhance young people’s safety and welfare, it demonstrates the leaders’ commitment to improving the quality of care and protection provided to young people. No further enforcement action is planned. However, a further inspection will take place to review how these improvements are being embedded into the home’s practice and to ensure that the service’s ongoing development is sustained.

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Information about this children's home

This privately owned children’s home provides care and accommodation for two young people who have emotional and behavioural needs.

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children's home since its last Ofsted inspection. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. procedures set out in 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 this guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . regulates and inspects to 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

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Information about this inspection

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, 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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