Children's home in Charnwood

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged good at the full inspection. At this interim inspection Ofsted judges that it has declined in effectiveness .

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Some key staff have moved on since the last inspection and, despite decisive and proactive recruiting efforts, significant staffing deficits remain. The start dates for two newly recruited senior staff have been significantly delayed due to lengthy delays in clearance by the Disclosure and Barring Service. Concerns about the delay have been escalated in every reasonable way by the registered manager.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The small core team has been supported by senior managers and staff from other homes within the group, but this has undermined the continuity of care and contributed to feelings of uncertainty and insecurity for the young people.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

There has been an escalation in aggressive behaviour by young people, which has led to a significant increase in the need for physical intervention. There has also been an increase in the number of episodes of young people going missing. These developments are linked to some external factors, such as disruption to planning for young people and uncertainty about their plans, but also correlate strongly with a strained and inconsistent staff team.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The disruption resulting from incidents since the last inspection has also had a negative effect on the experience and progress of young people, including their engagement with learning.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Insufficient and inconsistent staffing levels have required the registered manager to regularly assume a caring role in the home, which has resulted in a distraction from his managerial duties. As a result, management oversight of recording and consistency in staff supervision and team meetings have not been at the required level.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Notwithstanding the identified staffing issues, the core team has remained focused and committed during this period, and key safeguarding practice has remained effective. This includes a full and sustained response to young people going missing, and close liaison with placing and enforcement authorities, as well as completing notifications within required time frames. Good awareness and vigilance by staff around child sexual exploitation and radicalisation continue to contribute to keeping young people safe.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people who are unsettled and unsure about their futures are supported by a staff team that is focused on their safety and well-being and committed to maintaining positive and caring relationships with them, under challenging circumstances.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Physical intervention with young people is measured, proportionate and applied for minimum periods. Managerial oversight of incidents is evident but recording around post-restraint procedures is sometimes incomplete, with the timing of staff debriefing and young person reviews still being omitted.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Leaders and managers display good insight into the impact that staffing insufficiency and inconsistency is having on the quality of care for young people, and have placed staff recruitment and retention as high priorities.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

One young person moved out on the day of the inspection, but managers have made a decision that no further referrals will be considered until a full core staff team has been established, which is sufficient to provide continuity of care to a good standard, for the registered number of places in the home.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home now ensures that any agency staff assigned meet the requirements of the level 3 diploma qualification, and the requirement in this regard set at the last inspection has been met. The requirement set about notifications being made within the required time frame has also been met. The home now fully discharges its duty to ensure that local authorities offer return home interviews to young people who have gone missing, and this recommendation has been met.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

However, supervision practice and restraint recording are still not at the required levels, and the recommendations made at the last inspection with regard to these are repeated.

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Information about this children's home

This children’s home is privately owned and registered to accommodate up to four children and young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 10/02/2016 Full Good 10/07/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness 06/03/2015 Full Good

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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

In order to meet the leadership and management standard, the registered person is required to:

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Requirement Due date

(2)(d) ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child; (e) ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. 17/04/2017

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:

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Recommendations

 The registered manager must review the practice of staff supervision in the home and ensure that this is in accordance with the home's policy and statement of purpose and also meets the needs for staff to regularly reflect meaningfully on their practice as well as how they may be affected by the behaviour of young people. (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 61, paragraph 13.2; page 39, paragraph 8.15)  The registered manager must ensure that records of restraint clearly show compliance with prescribed practice – in particular, adherence to the time frames for post-restraint actions. (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 49, paragraphs 9.59 and 9.60)

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What the inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspection we make a judgement on whether the home has improved in effectiveness, sustained effectiveness, or declined in effectiveness since the previous full inspection. This is in line with the ‘Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection’.

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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 focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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Information about this inspection

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 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

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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