Children's home in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole

This monitoring visit

The purpose of this visit was to review the actions senior leaders have taken since the previous full inspection in September 2016 when the children’s home was judged inadequate.

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This monitoring visit

Since that inspection, senior leaders have made the decision to close the children’s home and short-breaks service at the end of term on 17 December 2016. Since this decision, the manager has provided Ofsted with weekly updates on the closure plans, which remain on course.

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This monitoring visit

Currently there are four young people accessing the short-breaks service and 10 young people living in the children’s homes. New placements are identified for four young people and six are currently undergoing assessments. The manager maintains an overall plan of this work, and the individual house managers have individual plans for each young person. The inspector requested that a copy of the overall transition plans be provided to Ofsted and included in the weekly update reports.

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This monitoring visit

Staff are yet to undertake direct work with young people about their moves. Staff have developed social stories and this work will be undertaken closer to the closure date.

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This monitoring visit

Staff have all been informed of the decision to close the home and have been instructed not to discuss this decision in front of young people so as not to raise their anxieties. Staff morale was reported to the inspector as ‘not the best it’s ever been’, but the manager and house managers are supporting the staff through this process. Some staff have left since the decision was made to close the home. Leaders and managers are working hard to retain the remaining staff group and have contingency staff arrangements in place with the community care team.

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This monitoring visit

The manager said that the team has not undertaken any development work since the last inspection, because of the closure, and her focus is on the day-to-day direct care of young people and ensuring their safety. The management of child protection concerns is now the responsibility of a senior leader who has greater expertise in this area. This decision was taken immediately following the last inspection.

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This monitoring visit

Since the last inspection, incidents when staff have used restrictive interventions have occurred. On three occasions, staff have held the door closed on a young person to prevent them from pushing staff and/or other young people down the stairs. After each of these incidents, a best interest meeting was held to consider how to prevent these incidents from continuing. As a result, the young person moved to a downstairs bedroom and there have been no further incidents.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to 36 young people who have autistic spectrum disorders and associated learning difficulties. The accommodation comprises six houses. Five are located on the main school site and the other is located in the local town. One of the houses is used to provide short breaks.

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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

6: The quality and purpose of care standard The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children, use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background, provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably, and provide to children personal items that are appropriate for their age and understanding. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b)(2)(b)(iv)(vii)(viii)) 30/11/2016

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Requirement Due date

12: The protection of children standard The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff 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, manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other. In addition, these documents need to be reviewed and amended when a child moves between homes on the children’s home’s site. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)(iv)) 14/10/2016 13: The leadership and management standard The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that helps children aspire to fulfil their potential

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Requirement Due date

and promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to 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, ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child, ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child, ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child, 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, demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received, and use monitoring and review systems to make

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Requirement Due date

continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(c)(d)(e)(f)(g)(ii)(h)) 30/11/2016

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Requirement Due date

14: The care planning standard The care planning standard is that children receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home, and have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that arrangements are in place to ensure the effective induction of each child into the home, manage and review the placement of each child in the home, and plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority, that each child’s relevant plans are followed, that staff help each child to access and contribute to the records kept by the registered person in relation to the child. In addition, the records need to demonstrate the progress children are making against their individual goals. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b)(2)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(c)(f))

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Requirement Due date

19: Behaviour management and discipline No measure of control or discipline which is excessive, unreasonable or contrary to paragraph (2) may be used in relation to any child. 14/10/2016 (Regulation 19 (1)(2)) 20: Restraint and deprivation of liberty Restraint in relation to a child must be necessary and proportionate. In particular, the staff carrying out the restraint need to be trained in the techniques they are using. (Regulation 20 (2)) 14/10/2016

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Requirement Due date

21: Privacy and access The registered person must ensure that the privacy of children is appropriately protected, 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. This applies to the use of observation holes in children’s bedroom doors and keypads on external and internal doors. (Regulation 21 (1)(a)(b)(c)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)) 31/10/2016

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Requirement Due date

25: Fire precautions After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must take adequate precautions against the risk of fire, including the provision of suitable fire equipment in the children’s home, ensure, by means of fire drills and practices at suitable intervals, that persons working at the home and, so far as reasonably practicable, children are aware of the procedure to be followed in case of fire. (Regulation 25 (1)(a)(d)) 14/10/2016

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Requirement Due date

32: Fitness of workers 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 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, full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. The 31/10/2016 registered person must take reasonable steps to ensure that any individual who is working at the home and who does not fall

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Requirement Due date

within paragraph (2)(a) and (b) is appropriately supervised while carrying out the individual’s duties. This includes the use of staff from external agencies who are caring for young people. (Regulation 32 (1)(2)(a)(b)(3)(a)(b)(d)(8)) 33: Employment of staff The registered person must ensure that all employees undertake appropriate continuing professional development, and receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b)) 30/11/2016

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Requirement Due date

44: Independent person: visits and reports The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month. 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, and to inspect the premises of the home and such of the home’s records (except for a child’s case records, unless the child and the child’s placing authority consent) as the independent person requires. The independent person must produce a report about a visit (‘the independent person’s report’) which sets out, in particular, the independent person’s opinion as to whether children are effectively safeguarded, and the conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being. The independent person’s report may recommend actions that the

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Requirement Due date

registered person may take in relation to the home and timescales within which the registered person must consider whether or not to take those actions. In particular, the independent person’s report needs to be of a good quality and provide information which will aid the service in driving forward improvement. (Regulation 44 (1)(2)(a)(b)(4)(a)(b)(5)) 31/10/2016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendation:  Records of restraint must be kept and should enable the registered person and staff to review the use of control, discipline and restraint to identify effective practice and respond promptly where any issues or trends of concern emerge. The review should provide the opportunity for amending practice to ensure it meets the needs of each child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 49, paragraph 9.59)

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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 home since their last Ofsted inspection. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. 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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