Children's home run by Keys Nhcc Ltd in Rossendale

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 .

p.2

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the last inspection, there has been insufficient risk management in relation to the young person. She has not been effectively safeguarded, and has been involved in risk-taking behaviours without staff taking sufficient actions to reduce risk.

p.2

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The young person has made some progress in relation to managing her emotions. Incidents in the home have reduced. The young person is more settled in the home and she has invested more in her relationships with the staff team. Staff have conducted frequent key-working sessions with the young person around issues such as safe sex, her future and education. However, the young person continues to not access education. She has not been in education for a significant period of time. There is a lack of structure in the home, and staff do not challenge when the young person does not engage in a routine or education in the home. While the registered person has raised a complaint with the placing authority regarding the lack of educational arrangements, they have not had a response. The registered person has failed to escalate their concerns regarding the inadequate response from the placing authority in relation to the young person’s lack of education.

p.2

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the last inspection, there have been significant safeguarding incidents while the young person has been in the community seeing friends. Contact arrangements lack rigour, and staff do not adequately complete their own enquiries prior to the young person going to stay with friends. For example, they do not find out who the responsible adult is for the young person during her stay with her friends, who lives in the home, or what the rules are throughout the period that the young person is staying with friends. On one occasion, staff did not ensure that the social worker gave permission prior to the young person going to stay with a friend. Before the young person goes to stay overnight with friends, staff do not complete the necessary work with the young person regarding rules and boundaries of contact. After there have been safeguarding incidents, staff do not always conduct key- working sessions with the young person to enable her to learn and to assist in

p.2

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff do not demonstrate professional curiosity, and therefore risk assessments lack rigour. Risk assessments do not adequately assess potential risks such as child sexual exploitation, substance misuse or unsafe peer relationships. Risk assessments fail to identify what measures staff could take to reduce the risks to the young person when she is staying with friends. They do not take into consideration the young person’s risk-taking behaviours. When staff have made safeguarding referrals to the placing authority, they do not actively and rigorously chase up the safeguarding referrals to make sure that there are no outstanding issues prior to the next contact. There is a lack of learning from safeguarding incidents, and as a result staff have failed to prevent further safeguarding incidents from happening.

p.2

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the last inspection, there continues to be no registered manager in post. However, an experienced acting manager is overseeing the home. Management oversight is not rigorous enough, and the registered person does not challenge the placing authority enough when poor risk-management or care-planning decisions are made. The registered person has failed to challenge the young person’s contact arrangements, which lack rigour and which do not promote her safety.

p.3

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Partnership working is not good enough. There is a lack of clear planning in place regarding the young person’s contact arrangements, and therefore a lack of accountability in respect of poor decision-making. The manager has not met all of the requirements from the last inspection, specifically those around safeguarding and a continued lack of education for the young person.

p.3

Information about this children's home

This home is registered to provide care and accommodation for one young person who has emotional and behavioural difficulties.

p.4

Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 13/09/2016 Full Requires improvement 23/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 10/12/2015 Full Requires improvement 03/12/2014 Full Good

p.4

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.

p.5

Requirement Due date

5: Engaging with the wider system to ensure that children's needs are met

p.5

Requirement Due date

In order to meet the engaging with the wider system standard the registered person must ensure that

p.5

Requirement Due date

(c) if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority's or a relevant person's performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child's needs are met in accordance with the child's relevant plans. 24/04/2017

p.5

Requirement Due date

In order to meet the education standard the registered person must ensure that staff

p.5

Requirement Due date

(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. 24/04/2017

p.5

Requirement Due date

In order to meet the positive relationships standard, the registered person must ensure that staff

p.5

Requirement Due date

(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;

p.5

Requirement Due date

(2) (a) (ii) help each child to understand how to keep safe;

p.5

Requirement Due date

(2) (a) (v) understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children who are assigned to them by the registered 24/04/2017 person.

p.5

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’.

p.7

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.

p.7

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 .

p.7

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,

p.8

Information about this inspection

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Information about this inspection

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

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

p.8