Children's home run by Accalia Care Services Ltd

This monitoring visit

This unannounced monitoring visit was completed following a number of concerns raised by members of the local community. The home currently has one young person in placement. Two young people have left the home since November, and one has been in placement for a week on an emergency basis. Placement planning is currently poor, and there is a minimum amount of information in place in the children looked after documentation from the placing authority and a lack of objectives relating to the young person’s care. The home’s placement plan similarly lacks direction for staff and does not help to support either the staff or the young person. Behaviour management systems are poor. These fail to show that the home has had appropriate boundaries consistently applied by staff. This has put the young person’s well-being at risk. Records relating to sanctions are incomplete. For example, some have not been signed or dated by staff, do not show their

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This monitoring visit

effectiveness, do not record the actual sanction and have not been appropriately monitored by the manager. Some sanctions are recorded in the young person’s daily record and are not cross-referenced to the sanctions log. This demonstrates that the manager does not effectively monitor these actions of his staff, and this in turn puts the young person at risk. Staff have carried out restraints of young people, despite no agreed restraint training having being completed. This has put both staff and young people at significant risk. Training was completed in the week prior to this visit with the staff team. Detailed restraint records were not found during the visit, highlighting concerns regarding possibly inappropriate holding of young people. Risk assessments regarding the behaviours of young people are primarily descriptions of behaviours and do not give guidance to staff on how to respond to concerns raised. Additional ‘crisis and intervention’ plans relating to risks are not

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This monitoring visit

available to staff as they are being updated. Young people’s behaviours are not, therefore, consistently responded to. Impact risk assessments regarding young people being admitted are not formally completed, increasing the possible risks to both the current young person and those moving to the home. Young people have gone missing from the home on a regular basis, and there is a lack of clear expectations regarding staff response to this behaviour. This does not support young people’s safety. A flowchart procedure for contacting professionals and family has not been consistently followed, and different staff have contacted different individuals, causing confusion in responses to the situation. Missing persons’ logs have missed key information, such as whether police have been called, how young people have returned if visiting a friend or when they have returned. Young people’s views are not regularly recorded on their return. This

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This monitoring visit

means that staff have been unable to arrive at a clear understanding of the reasons for missing episodes and are consequently unable to effectively respond to such behaviours. The current young person is not attending school on a regular basis. Although staff have completed some work, the manager has not made contact with the local virtual school. This does not fully support the young person’s educational development. Some good work has been completed in developing the young person’s awareness of the local community, and a range of activities have been completed. The young person has made some positive relationships with the staff team and has settled well into the placement. An independent person who has twice visited the home currently monitors the home on a monthly basis. One of these reports was seen to have been completed almost a month after the visit, has not been forwarded to Ofsted and did not

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This monitoring visit

include examination of any paperwork. The second did not raise the significant concerns raised from this visit. Reports do, however, show that the visitor has held discussion with young people and staff, gaining positive views about the care provided. However, these reports are not sufficiently robust to improve safeguarding practice for young people. The home has a range of staff with different experiences and qualifications. Not all staff have completed basic training to ensure that they are able to provide a good level of care to the young people. The manager has not yet been able to show that young people develop to their full potential, and that their welfare is consistently promoted. This is due, in part, to the short amount of time that the home has been in operation. Poor monitoring of systems and records by the manager have not fully supported either the care of the young people or the staff

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Information about this children’s home

The home is privately owned and cares for the needs of up to three young people who have emotional and behavioural difficulties. It is situated in a residential area.

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that must be taken so that the registered person(s) meet(s) 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

14: The care planning standard In order to meet the care planning standard, the registered person must ensure that — (1)(a) children receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home. 03/03/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes: (i) the name of the child; (ii) details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure; (iii) the date, time and location of the use of the measure; (iv) a description of the measure and its duration; (v) details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure; (vi) the name of the person who used the measure (‘the user’), and of any other person present when the measure was used; (vii) the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and (viii) a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure. (Regulation 35(3)(a)) 03/03/2017 12: The protection of children standard In order to meet the protection of children standard, the

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Requirement Due date

registered person must ensure that staff — (2)(a)(i) 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. 03/03/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (‘the missing child policy’) setting out the steps taken, and to be taken, to prevent children from being absent without permission and the procedures to be followed and the roles and responsibilities of persons working at the home, in relation to a child who is, or has been, so absent. (Regulation 34(4)(a)(b)) 03/03/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (‘case records’) for each child, which include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child, particularly the date and circumstances of all incidents where a child goes missing from the home, including any information relating to the child’s whereabouts during the period of absence. (Regulation 36(1)(a)(14)) 03/03/2017

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Requirement Due date

8: The education standard In order to meet the education standard, the registered person must ensure that staff — 2(a)(viii) help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible. 03/03/2017

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Requirement Due date

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. (Regulation 44(4)(a)) The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person’s report to HMCI. (Regulation 44(7)(a)) 03/03/2017

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard 03/03/2017 In order to meet the leadership and management standard, the registered person must — 13(1)(a,b) enable, inspire and lead a culture in relation to the children’s home that helps children aspire to fulfil their potential and promotes their welfare. 13(2)(c) ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; 13 (2)(h) use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home.

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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. 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 .

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Information about this inspection

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 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

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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