Children's home run by Phoenix Child Care Limited in North Devon

Requires improvement

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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The children’s home provision requires improvement because:

 Improvements to address weaknesses identified at the last inspection are continuing. In particular, record keeping is not consistently kept up to date, accurate or objective.  The registered manager is slow to respond to concerns about staff practice and to identify some issues of poor recording. This reduces opportunities, particularly for inexperienced staff, to develop their skills and for them to provide the best possible experiences to young people.  The staff are unable to impose sufficient safeguards or work effectively with young people to help them to understand the risks associated with using the internet and social media sites.  Fire safety checks undertaken by staff have not identified three ineffective fire doors. In addition, it is not evident that all staff have practised fire drills.

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The children’s home’s strengths

 All young people attend school or college, or are in employment. Their attendance is good, and for some, this is a significant achievement given their poor attendance before living in the home.  Young people have found stability in this home following several previous placement breakdowns.  A good range of activities is provided for the young people to enable them to try new experiences and build their self-confidence and self-esteem. This includes overseas holidays.  Young people are encouraged to keep a history of their time in the home. Scrapbooks and memorabilia are well presented and provide the young people with memories of their experiences.  Managers and staff demonstrate a commitment to making improvements in the home. The staff have worked together as a team to effect changes which benefit young people.

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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

13: The leadership and management standard

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Requirement Due date

The registered person is required to— (2)(c) ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of 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; (g) demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on— (i) research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and (ii) feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received. 28/02/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person is required to ensure (2)(a) that staff— (i) meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans; (ii) help each child to develop socially aware behaviour; (iii) encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding; (iv) help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone; (vii) help each child to develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship; (viii) strive to gain each child’s respect and trust; (ix) understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children. 28/02/2017 25: Fire precautions

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Requirement Due date

25.—(1) After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must— (a) take adequate precautions against the risk of fire, including the provision of suitable fire equipment in the children’s home; (b) provide adequate means of escape from the home in the event of fire; (c) make arrangements for persons working at the home to receive suitable training in fire prevention; and (d) 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. 28/02/2017

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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 be familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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Recommendations

 Children should have access to a computer and the internet to support their education and learning, unless there are specific safeguarding reasons why this would be inappropriate. In such cases, the home should consider whether and how it can support the child to access a computer and the internet safely. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 29, paragraph 5.19)

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Information about this children’s home

This home is part of a company that operates a school and a children’s home within the region. The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to five young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/11/2016 Full Inadequate 14/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 05/11/2015 Full Good 19/02/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Requires improvement

The team is not yet consistently providing good help and care for young people to maximise their progress and development. Work with young people is not always carefully considered and planned to provide the best possible outcome. However, young people are making progress, some small but also some significant steps towards becoming safer and more independent.

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Requires improvement

The format used for care plans does not include a summary of the actions needed or identify who is responsible for the actions. This weakness has the potential to delay progress for young people and reduce their positive experiences. Some records contain language to describe young people which could be misinterpreted.

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Requires improvement

The reintroduction of internet access to one young person created further problems which should have been avoided.

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Requires improvement

Young people say that they like the staff and want to stay here. Placements have been extended at the request of young people.

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Requires improvement

Young people are beginning to reduce the amount of cigarettes that they smoke. This is as a result of staff seeking medical advice, and the provision of some alternatives to cigarettes.

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Requires improvement

The staff team support young people to have contact with their families. Arrangements for communication with families have improved since the last inspection, and these are now clear and contributing to improved relationships between young people and their families.

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Requires improvement

Young people are encouraged and supported by the staff team to develop their independent living skills by learning to cook, shop and clean for themselves. Previously, there was an emphasis on developing the young people’s practical rather than social and emotional skills. Staff have been discussing issues of emotional need and are providing more nurturing to young people to develop their social and emotional well-being.

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Requires improvement

Young people’s bedrooms are personalised and they feel listened to about their preferences for decoration, furniture and fittings. Attention to refurbishment and repairs has improved the environment and there are further plans to update some areas of the home. For the most part, this is a homely environment. It is noticeable that three girls live here and it is possible to learn positive things about them from the environment. Young people are attending full-time education or college, or are in employment. Their attendance is good. Staff are supportive of young people, transporting them and making sure that they are well prepared for school or work.

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Requires improvement

A range of activities are provided, enabling young people to enjoy the cinema, bowling and swimming trips. Holidays are provided and include overseas trips. Significant events and birthdays are celebrated.

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Requires improvement

The manager understands the benefits of allowing young people to keep and be responsible for small pets. The home also has two cats, which the young people are very fond of.

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Requires improvement

Young people are encouraged to keep a record of their time living in the home, which includes pictures and other memorabilia. This contributes to them understanding their history and identity, now and for the future. Staff have recently introduced positive comments books for young people which detail all of their progress.

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Requires improvement

Young people who have moved on from the home keep in touch, and the manager offers ongoing support and encouragement. Young people often wish they could return.

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Requires improvement

Several issues which compromised the safety and well-being of young people were identified at the last inspection. Action has been taken to address all of these weaknesses and there are currently no widespread failures in the staff’s ability to protect young people. There is a recognition that leaders and managers need to continue to develop practice in this area and demonstrate the ability to sustain improvements in order to provide a consistently good service.

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Requires improvement

Young people are becoming safer as a result of the protection offered in this home and the supervision provided by the staff. Incidents of young people going missing from the home have become rare, especially since previous residents moved on and the current group of young people have settled.

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Requires improvement

There is some confusion among staff about the difference between risk management to safeguard young people and sanctions to address behavioural difficulties. While only two sanctions have been used since the previous inspection, the records relating to the incidents were unclear and also contained subjective language.

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Requires improvement

Young people are beginning to benefit from the staff’s improved understanding of their behaviour. There is a reduction in unacceptable and difficult behaviour. Discussions as a team have taken place and behaviour management training has been provided. The staff team also have the guidance and support of a behavioural specialist. With guidance from staff, young people are developing more appropriate methods of communicating their frustrations and anxiety.

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Requires improvement

Clear boundaries and expectations have been implemented, resulting in a reduction of unacceptable behaviour. Young people are increasingly taking responsibility for their actions, often apologising quickly following displays of unacceptable behaviour. Staff have not used physical interventions as a means of controlling behaviour since before the last inspection.

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Requires improvement

An external agency provides regular therapy sessions for two young people. These sessions include opportunities for young people to consider issues of sexual exploitation and how to keep themselves safe, particularly when using social media. The staff in the home have yet to establish the necessary resources to ensure that young people have the skills they need to use this technology safely.

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Requires improvement

Additional safeguarding training has been provided and the knowledge of staff is now being tested by the manager. Additional training needs can be identified to ensure that staff are equipped with the skills to respond effectively to any issues.

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Requires improvement

It is not evident that all staff have practised fire drills. In addition, safety checks undertaken on fire doors had not identified defects which could compromise safety in the event of a fire.

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Requires improvement

Risk assessment documents are not fully up to date. Some information provided by the placing authority has not been transferred to current documents and other risks are not qualified to determine if they are still relevant. Actions to negate risks are not fully recorded to inform staff of the actions they should take.

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Requires improvement

Issues of bullying are not evident in this home among the current residents.

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Requires improvement

Leaders and managers responded quickly to address shortfalls identified at the last inspection. An action plan was swiftly produced and contributed to significant developments and changes to benefit young people. The recruitment of an experienced senior worker and support from other leaders and managers has allowed the manager and staff team to focus on making improvements. Developments are ongoing and further progress is needed to ensure that the shortfalls are fully addressed and the positive changes are sustainable.

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Requires improvement

Records, particularly risk assessments, do not consistently provide up-to-date, quantified or accurate information. Managers and staff do not always consider the use of language in reports that they write. Descriptions recorded of young people’s behaviour sometimes minimises their experiences of sexual exploitation and sexual abuse. There is currently no evidence of any direct impact on young people of these recording shortfalls.

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Requires improvement

Records have been audited, updated and reordered so that it is much easier to access information about young people. Additional consideration is given to the confidential nature of information so that it is shared on a need-to-know basis and only when it benefits the young person.

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Requires improvement

Supervision is being provided to staff regularly, and records of these sessions are now clearer.

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Requires improvement

Additional training has been provided to staff, and the use of reflective practice discussions has increased the opportunities for inexperienced staff to develop the skills needed to become more effective. The manager is sometimes slow to address poor practice in the staff team. This is an area that could be improved, particularly when staff practice is instinctual rather than well informed and agreed.

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Requires improvement

Recent improvements in staffing sufficiency are now allowing the manager more time to develop the home and attend to the management tasks.

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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 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 that 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 0300 123 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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