Children's home SC489547

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged requires improvement 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

Serious failings in the home mean that children’s welfare and safety have not been promoted or protected.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Ofsted was notified about a serious safeguarding incident which resulted in significant harm to a child. Further concerns about care and practice in the home have been identified during this inspection. The placing authority has ended the placements for both of the children who were living at the home. There were no children placed at the time of this inspection. Ofsted has issued a restriction of accommodation notice.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager has failed to meet three of the four requirements raised at the full inspection. This failure has contributed to placing children at risk in the home. There has been a failure to recognise signs and symptoms of abuse and to act on concerns, and a failure to provide effective managerial oversight. There are shortfalls in the presentation of the home, staff experience, safe recruitment and deployment of staff, and managerial monitoring. This has resulted in ineffective safeguarding and abrupt placement endings for the children, which has caused them distress, and disrupted their care provision.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

During the inspection the home was found to be in an unkempt state and the ground floor bathroom was in an unhygienic state. Environmental hazards included a missing window restrictor in a first floor room and a broken lock on the medication cabinet door. There was evidence of alcoholic beverage bottles and smoking paraphernalia in the kitchen and the lounge, and an odour of tobacco in the quiet room. Confidential file information about children’s lives was on the floor in three of the unlocked rooms. Although no children were accommodated at the time of the inspection, the presentation of the home gave serious concern and clearly did not meet the registration requirements.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Two members of staff raised serious concerns about another member of staff. The deputy manager took action on one occasion. However, following a number of concerns, the management team showed a lack of professional curiosity and reflection. This meant that a child in the home was highly vulnerable. There was no managerial oversight of what was happening and there was a failure to link these incidents to conclude that there were serious safeguarding concerns. This placed a child at significant risk.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

An overview of staff from October 2016 to January 2017 demonstrated that out of nine core staff, five were unqualified or working towards a qualification, and of these, two staff were in their probationary period. Since November 2016, five staff have left the home and one has been dismissed. This left three members of staff, including the registered manager and the deputy manager. Despite practice issues and concerns about a member of staff’s conduct, this member of staff was deemed suitable to lead shifts with an unqualified member of agency staff. This led to the actual harm of a child.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager has not ensured that safe-recruitment checks are carried out consistently. One member of staff has no recent disclosure and barring certificate, previous criminal convictions are not risk assessed and previous concerns about practice are not recorded. A sample of five staff-recruitment files showed poor recording and gaps in information in three of the files. This demonstrates systematic errors and a failure to follow the home’s recruitment processes. Consequently, some staff for whom there have been a number of concerns highlighted in previous roles and pre-employment checks have cared for children.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The quality of the independent visitor’s reports has declined. The reports lack critique and depth. The visitor has not consulted with professionals or raised actions for improvement following the monthly visits. One of the children’s files was not reviewed for a significant period. The reports do not give an evaluation of the visitor’s view of the safeguarding arrangements. The reports do not provide the additional safeguard that is intended by the regulation.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager has admitted five children since the home opened 18 months ago. Following tensions in the group and an incident of physical assault between two children, the manager gave immediate notice on one of the children. There is no evidence of the manager’s risk assessment for the admission of the child whose placement was ended. This does not demonstrate that due consideration was given to ensuring that the children were a safe and compatible match.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

One child went missing from the home for a short duration on four occasions. The staff updated the risk assessments and held a follow-up discussion with the child after each incident. This helped the child and the staff to reflect on what triggered the incidents and how to prevent future occurrences. There was a reduction in the number of incidents of going missing for this child during their time in the home.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff dealt appropriately with self-injurious behaviours and made comprehensive records, giving an account of the incidents and follow-up actions.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

A number of incidents have involved physical restraint. The staff have recorded the incidents appropriately. The staff have updated children’s risk assessments and undertaken follow-up key worker sessions. Records of incidents show that staff have helped the children to reflect and to look at the triggers behind these risky behaviours. Other records show that the children had built good relationships with core staff, which provided children with continuity and stability for a period. These relationships have since ended due to the unplanned placement endings.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The staff in the home liaised well with education providers to support both of the children who were living in the home to attend full-time education.

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Information about this children's home

This privately-owned children’s home is registered to provide care for up to three children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 18/05/2016 Full Requires improvement

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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

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the quality and purpose of care standard the registered person must:

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Requirement Due date

2(c)(i) ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to meet the needs of each child. 31/03/2017

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the protection of children standard, with particular regard to risk management, the registered provider must ensure:

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Requirement Due date

2(a)(iii) that staff have the skills to identify and act on signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

(b) that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. 17/03/2017

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the protection of children standard, with particular regard to group impact risk assessments, the registered person must:

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Requirement Due date

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. 31/03/2017

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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 17/03/2017 registered person must:

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Requirement Due date

(2)(c) ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children's safety. The requirements are that full and satisfactory information in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32(3)(d)) 31/03/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification, the level 3 diploma for residential childcare (England) (‘the level 3 diploma’), or a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the level 3 diploma, by the relevant date. (Regulation 32(4)(5)) 31/03/2017

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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. The independent person’s report may recommend actions that the 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. (Regulation 44(4)(a)(b)(5) 31/03/2017

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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

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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