Children's Home run by Phoenix Children’s Homes Limited in Devon

Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC403234 1 SC403234 Phoenix Child Care Limited

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Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a private provider of education and social care for children and young people. It provides care and accommodation for up to three young people who have emotional and behavioural difficulties. The home is situated on the edge of town near the coast. Young people can attend education in the company’s school or via an external provision.

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This monitoring visit

An interim inspection of this children’s home was completed on the 20 February 2017. During the inspection, widespread failings were identified, which led to a judgement of declined effectiveness. A compliance notice was also served at this time.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit was undertaken in order to ensure that effective action is being taken to safeguard young people, and to raise the standards of care provided to young people.

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This monitoring visit

The environment of the home was judged to be of a poor standard at the interim inspection. All repairs have now been completed, and refurbishment is of a good standard. The home now provides a welcoming environment for young people. The one young person currently living at the home has been supported to keep their room in a homely state and their belongings are tidy and accessible.

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager has reviewed and updated risk assessments. Further development of these documents is required to ensure that they are effective tools, as they do not currently clearly guide staff as to how to meet the needs of young people. The care plan viewed was of a good standard.

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager has developed a new tool to support pre-admission planning for new young people who might be moving into the home. This tool is also designed to ensure that the impact of any new arrivals upon young people already living at the home is carefully considered. However this again remains untested, as Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC403234 2 new referrals have not been considered since the last inspection.

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager has developed safeguards in respect of young people’s internet use. However, further exploration of how staff are supporting this will be completed at the next full inspection.

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This monitoring visit

External training has been sourced by leaders and managers to increase the skills that staff can offer This training has not yet been completed, although it is booked for all staff. The registered manager has also been providing informal learning opportunities during staff meetings. However, when the inspector asked a staff member how to approach a safeguarding scenario, an inappropriate answer was provided. Further embedding of safeguarding knowledge is therefore required.

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This monitoring visit

Young people were not previously being appropriately supervised. The registered manager informed the inspector that she has revisited the importance of supervising young people according to their needs with all staff. This will need to be consolidated within care planning when new young people move in to the home.

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This monitoring visit

Overall, a number of improvements were seen during this inspection. However, ongoing development and consolidation are required.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 20/02/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness 23/08/2016 Full Good 02/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 24/09/2015 Full Good Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC403234 3

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet 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

31: Staffing of children’s homes Fitness of workers

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Requirement Due date

32.—(1) The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety. (2) The registered person may only— (a) employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or (b) if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3). (3) The requirements are that— (a) the individual is of integrity and good character; (b) the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform; (c) the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and (d) full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2.

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Requirement Due date

12.—(1) The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— (a) that staff— (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; (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 05/04/2017 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC403234 4 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

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Requirement Due date

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; (c) that the premises used for the purposes of the home are located so that children are effectively safeguarded; (d) that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. 14: The care planning standard

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Requirement Due date

14.—(1) The care planning standard is that children— (a) receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and (b) have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— (a) that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose; (b) that arrangements are in place to— (i) ensure the effective induction of each child into the home; (ii) manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and (iii) plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority; (c) that each child’s relevant plans are followed;

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Requirement Due date

(e) that the child’s placing authority is contacted, and a review of that child’s relevant plans is requested, if— (i) the registered person considers that the child is at risk of harm or has concerns that the care provided for the child is inadequate to meet the child’s needs; 05/04/2017

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard

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Requirement Due date

13.—(1) The leadership and management standard is that the 05/04/2017 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC403234 5 registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that— (a) helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and (b) promotes their welfare. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— (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; (b) ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate; (c) ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; (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; (f) understand the impact that the quality of care provided in

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Requirement Due date

the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home; (g) demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on— (i) research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and (ii) feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and (h) use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home.

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject of a compliance notice.

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Recommendations

 Ensure the children’s home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meets the needs of their children, they will in, most cases, be homely, domestic environments. This particularly relates to ensuring young people have sufficient storage space for their belongings and that attention is given to maintenance, repairs and decoration of the home in proving a clean, hygienic environment. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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Recommendations

 Staff should be familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third party information. Information about a child must be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child.

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Recommendations

 13.2 The registered person must have systems in place so that all staff, Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC403234 6 including the manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. Professionally qualified staff employed by the home, e.g. teachers or social workers, should be provided with relevant professional or clinical supervision by an appropriately qualified and experienced professional. page 61

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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.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC403234 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Phoenix Child Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: First floor, Rolle Quay House, Rolle Quay, Barnstaple, Devon, EX31 1JE

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Deborah Lovering-Roddis Inspector(s) Polly Soper

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Children’s home details

social care inspector Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC403234 8 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, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Children’s home details

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Children’s home details

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Children’s home details

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

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