Children's home run by Castle Homes Limited in North Northamptonshire

There are serious failures that mean children and young people are not

protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded.

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The children's home provision is inadequate because:

 Managers and leaders have failed in their duty to recognise risks and safeguard the young people in their care. This includes their failure to respond appropriately to expressions of concern raised by members of staff.  Care staff have failed to effectively escalate their concerns when the response of managers and leaders has been insufficient.  Serious safeguarding concerns have not been shared with the appropriate external safeguarding agencies. This has delayed necessary intervention.  Young people have expressed dissatisfaction about staff favouritism and this has created an unsettled home environment that hinders relationships.  Leaders and managers have failed to apply the organisation’s procedures to manage poor staff performance and conduct concerns. In such dealings, there has been a failure by managers to maintain their focus upon the needs and vulnerabilities of the young people.  Staff have displayed insufficient understanding of child exploitation and have

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The children's home provision is inadequate because:

lacked objectivity and professionalism in their practice.  Poor staff supervision arrangements and practices have contributed to the failures by leaders and managers to respond adequately to expressions of concern from staff and to manage staff performance.

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The children's home strengths

 Some young people’s life chances are improved because they are successfully helped to access education and specialist services such as therapy.  Some young people are helped to learn skills for independence and to prepare for adulthood.  Young people are supported to expand their life experiences and participate in a wide range of activities outside the home.

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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 with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the protection of children standard the registered person is required to:

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Requirement Due date

12 (1)(2)(a)(i) 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.

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Requirement Due date

12 (1)(2)(a)(iii) Ensure that staff have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm.

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Requirement Due date

12 (1)(2)(a)(v) Ensure that staff understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person.

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Requirement Due date

12 (1)(2)(a)(vi) Ensure that staff take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare.

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Requirement Due date

12 (1)(2)(a)(vii) Ensure that staff are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. 23/01/2017

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the leadership and management standard the registered person must enable, inspire and lead a culture in the home that:

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Requirement Due date

13 (1)(a)(b) Helps children to aspire to fulfil their potential and promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

13 (2)(a) Ensure the home is led and managed in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose.

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Requirement Due date

13 (2)(c) Ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. 23/01/2017 13 (2)(f) Ensure that the registered person understands 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.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33(4)(b)) 23/01/2017

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Information about this children's home

This children’s home is managed and run by a private provider. It offers care and accommodation for up to six children with emotional and behavioural needs.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 08/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 21/12/2015 Full Good 25/02/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness 17/12/2014 Full Good

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Inadequate

The failure of managers to deal effectively with safeguarding concerns over a period of months has had a significant negative impact on the experience of young people living in this home. Inconsistencies in care practice confuse and upset the young people. An atmosphere of tension among the staff team undermines the quality of the care provided. Staff have been tasked with monitoring a co-worker’s practice and some young people are aware of this.

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Inadequate

Some young people make progress in reducing unwanted behaviours and in gaining direction for their lives. They have moved on from the home in a planned way to semi-independence and foster care.

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Inadequate

Young people are helped to have contact with their families and improve relationships with important adults. This is because staff manage arrangements carefully and take action to address concerns as they arise. Effective communication with the placing authorities ensures the young person’s best interests direct planning. Family contact for one child was initiated by the home and, through effective staff support, has increased in frequency.

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Inadequate

Young people are consistently encouraged to make academic progress. One young person who was completely disengaged from education before moving in, is now regularly attending an activity-based provision. Another young person has enrolled at college.

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Inadequate

Young people contribute to menu choices and healthy eating is promoted. They have easy access to a full range of health services.

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Inadequate

Young people have been left at continuing risk of harm over a period of months, as a result of managers’ failure to respond, promptly or robustly, to poor practice and safeguarding concerns. Safeguarding procedures were not followed. Concerns raised by staff and young people were not properly understood, or referred to the appropriate external safeguarding authorities. Staff did not escalate their concerns when managers did not take action.

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Inadequate

Young people enjoy free time and participating in independence-building activities outside the home. Staff have however, not monitored these activities adequately and this has led to young people being exposed to exploitation and risk of further harm.

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Inadequate

When young people have gone missing from the home, staff respond with urgency and follow procedures. They liaise closely with police, parents and placing authorities in a co-ordinated manner. They ensure that placing authorities arrange independent return home interviews. For some young people this practice has helped professionals know where they are going and start to address the factors leading to them going missing. Properly arranged return home interviews help young people to reflect on their actions and reduce frequency of such incidents.

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Inadequate

The systemic failure of leaders and managers to sufficiently challenge and investigate the behaviour and conduct of a member of staff has placed young people at continuing risk of harm. Managers have shown an unacceptable level of tolerance regarding ongoing conduct issues. They have failed to apply procedures which should have resulted in resolution and protection.

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Inadequate

Written records of performance management meetings show a failure to sufficiently explore and challenge a member of staff’s repeated poor conduct issues. Time and again, these meetings lacked sufficient clarity and rigour. While inappropriate behaviours continued, the consequences for the member of staff did not escalate in response. The decision by senior leaders to transfer an unsuitable member of staff from one children’s home to another within the organisation demonstrates poor and unsafe practice. The focus of leaders and managers in dealing with the situation was about keeping staff safe from false allegations. They failed to focus on the needs and vulnerabilities of the young people.

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Inadequate

The focus placed on managing a complex working arrangement for one member of staff affects staff availability to undertake lone working with the young people. This put additional pressures on the rest of the staff team.

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Inadequate

There is a clear desire among most care staff in the home to see young people make progress by decreasing unwanted behaviours, engaging in beneficial activities and acquiring competencies for successful adulthood. However, this work has been seriously undermined by the failure to safeguard young people.

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Inadequate

Staff have fallen significantly behind in completing a suite of mandatory online training required by the company and this was not effectively addressed. While an adequate range of courses is available, the monitoring of staff undertaking up- dates and refresher training has not identified the gaps.

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Inadequate

Despite staff supervision being a management focus over the past three months, it remains sporadic, lacking in continuity and with no fixed structure. There has been little opportunity to establish good supervision relationships. A new system for staff supervision contains inherent weaknesses. The supervisor is at the same level of seniority as most of the staff and only works a few shifts each week. She lacks authority within the staff structure and has limited opportunity for communicating with leaders and managers.

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Inadequate

Over the past six months some staff with poor performance issues have had four individual supervision session with three different supervisors. The handovers to the current supervisor were inadequate and lacked rigour and focus. The supervisor was not made fully aware of all the concerns about the practice of the member of staff. These shortcomings contributed to the failure to promptly or effectively address serious concerns about poor practice.

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Inadequate

The current regulation 44 visitor to the home has identified a number of administrative shortcomings in the home that have become the focus of ongoing improvement. The registered manager’s response to the recommendations has however, been slow, requiring the repeating of recommendations from month to month. This lack of management response has not been addressed by the organisation. None of the safeguarding concerns and poor staff performance issues are reflected in the reports.

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Inadequate

The manager and her deputy do not co-ordinate their leave, leaving the home without sufficient management arrangements in place. Other examples of staff giving mixed messages to young people around appropriate professional boundaries were recorded.

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Inadequate

These failures of leaders and managers to effectively address the areas of concern regarding unacceptable staff conduct are regarded as serious and reflect a systemic breakdown in the proper application of standard safeguarding practice. This has led to a situation of tension and uncertainty in the home and has negatively affected all the young people.

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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 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, 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

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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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