Children's home SC032715

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

Following the full inspection, a proportion of the group of young people living at the home changed. The transitions both to and from the home were well planned and the home continues to support the young people in the community when appropriate. However, young people have not progressed overall and aspects of their protection when they are absent are not responded to in a timely manner.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Records showed a high number of absences and incidents of being missing from home. The staff team follows its policies and procedures but only from an appointed time in the evening, despite the young people often being absent from early in the day. This occurred during the inspection and was discussed with the manager and deputy whose actions showed a lack of urgency in protecting these young people. This is in spite of additional concerns around some young people, either from the community or their own physical health needs. The manager and staff team are also not fully recording the length of absence or period of going missing, doing so only from the point that the police are notified. The impact is that any monitoring of such records will not give a full picture of the potential risks that young people are facing day to day.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

For some young people, there is an improvement in their educational attendance from their starting points. However, attendance is not an indicator of the level of engagement of young people in their educational placements, which is mixed. There is no evidence of any additional strategies put in place or tried by the staff team to enable such engagement. One young person does not engage in any form of education or work and spends large amounts of time away from the home each day. Consequently, there is a lack of routines and boundaries around education or work in the home, and this may ultimately lead to placements being disrupted or ending.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The young people’s needs were identified in care plans and risk assessments but these did not contain detailed actions or strategies for the staff team to follow, particularly when the risk was recorded as high. This limits the ability of staff to manage the risks presented effectively. The plans identified that a number of young people were at risk due to online activity. Such plans outlined that usage should be monitored but this was not happening in the home. This places young people at further risk.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Individual records demonstrated a level of bullying in the group and noted some behaviours of concern. There was limited detailed evidence of the responses undertaken by staff to safeguard the young people involved. Such incidents were raised by young people during the inspection as being of concern. The manager reported that additional services had been brought in to assist young people to address issues of behaviour or concern. However, records show that while appointments were made, young people were not engaging with such services. There was limited evidence of additional strategies undertaken by the staff team to reach out and enable the young people to engage. A young person said: ‘We come into care to be looked after and staff spend all their time in the office.’

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

There have been some recognisable improvements in management oversight and planning within the home. However, such improvements have not extended fully enough to ensure that practice is consistent and effective. This extends to the recruitment of new staff which, organisationally, is very robust but the manager did not complete the relevant steps in records. This makes it difficult to ensure that safe recruitment practice is followed in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to care for up to six young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. It is operated by a local authority.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 08/08/2016 Full Good 17/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 05/08/2015 Full Requires improvement 02/03/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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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

8. In order to meet the education standard, which is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so, the registered person must ensure–

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Requirement Due date

(2)(a) that staff— (i) help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans; (ii) support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study; (iii) understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers; (iv) help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment; (ix) help each child who is above compulsory school age to participate in further education, training or employment and to prepare for future care, education or employment; (x) help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans; 21/04/2017

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Requirement Due date

11. In order to meet the positive relationships standard so that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on— (a) mutual respect and trust; (b) an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and (c) positive responses to other children and adults.

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Requirement Due date

(2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

(i) meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out 21/04/2017 in the child’s relevant plans; (iv) help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone; (v) communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding; (vi) help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child’s age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful; (x) are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same; *12. In order to meet the protection of children standard so that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves

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Requirement Due date

(2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

(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; (ii) help each child to understand how to keep safe; (iii) have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm; (iv) manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other; (v) understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; (vi) take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and (vii) are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies; (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; 21/04/2017

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Requirement Due date

13 In order to meet the leadership and management standard so 21/04/2017 that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

(a) helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and (b) promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

(2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

(a) lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

(b) ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate; The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety (Regulation 32 (1)). 21/04/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees undertake appropriate continuing professional development (Regulation 33 (4)(a)). 21/04/2017

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Requirement Due date

* Requirement subject to compliance notice

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Recommendations

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

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Recommendations

 Supervision of staff practice should ensure that individual adults in the home are engaged in the safeguarding culture of the home so that they understand what they would need to do if they found other staff misusing or abusing their position to the detriment of the safety of a child. In particular, safeguarding should be a standard item on the staff meeting agenda and follow-up actions should be noted. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.14)

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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 whom 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 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 Text phone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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