Children's Home run by Cornwall Council in Cornwall

Inspection report children’s home: SC040491 1 SC040491 Registered provider: Cornwall Council

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home provides short breaks for children and young people. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to five children and/or young people who have learning difficulties, physical disabilities and sensory impairments. The home is managed and owned by the local authority.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected and their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded.

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inadequate

Date of last inspection: 23 February 2017

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: Sustained effectiveness

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Enforcement action since last inspection

None Inspection report children’s home: SC040491 2

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Key findings from this inspection

This children’s home is inadequate because

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Key findings from this inspection

 The safeguarding practice of the registered manager is poor. The registered manager has failed to protect children and young people adequately from possible harm.

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Key findings from this inspection

 A number of concerns regarding the welfare of children and young people were identified during the inspection. These concerns had not been subject to the appropriate safeguarding actions.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staff members were observed to provide nurturing and attentive care to young people during the inspection.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people are content and relaxed in their surroundings.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staff provide lots of positive experiences for young people.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 07/12/2016 Full Good 27/01/2016 Full Good 04/11/2015 Full Inadequate Inspection report children’s home: SC040491 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

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

(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; (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; (e) that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly * 05/06/2017

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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 registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that: (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 05/06/2017 Inspection report children’s home: SC040491 4 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 the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of

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Requirement Due date

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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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

This home is decorated and maintained to a high standard. The rooms are spacious and inviting for young people. When young people come to stay, their bedrooms are personalised for them. This includes their favourite duvet covers on the beds, photographs and preferred toys.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

There is a large outdoor space which provides a number of different play opportunities for young people, including a well-equipped sensory area.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Young people are given a great deal of choice in respect of food, and how they wish to spend their free time. Staff are also providing new experiences for young people, such as boat trips and planned fun days.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff members were observed to provide nurturing and attentive care to young people during the inspection. For example, one staff member held a young person’s arm gently while singing to him. This evidently had a soothing impact on the young person, who has limited communication skills. Overall, young people were content and relaxed in their surroundings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

A number of safeguarding concerns were identified during this inspection that have resulted in the judgement of inadequate. This judgement limits the overall judgement to inadequate.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

The requirement made at the previous inspection regarding the administration of medication is met. A system has been developed to ensure that any medication errors are reported to parents. There have been no recorded errors since the one identified at that inspection.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

A safer recruitment process is in place. There is also a good system in place to ensure that Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks are kept updated. Lots of varied Inspection report children’s home: SC040491 5 training opportunities are provided for staff, which promote their ability to meet the needs of young people. Training completion dates are recorded, although it is difficult to view when mandatory training needs to be updated.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

Feedback received from parents and a professional spoken with during the inspection was very positive. However, feedback from one parent highlighted that their son was not given his medication or changed out of his school uniform during his first visit without his parents presence, to the service. There is currently no mechanism in place to ensure that staff have the correct information about needs and routines to guide them when young people are new to the home.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

Safeguarding procedures lack rigour. Leaders and managers have not dealt effectively with concerns raised by staff members regarding the care given to young people. Leaders and managers have not followed safeguarding procedures as specified by the Working Together Inter-agency Guidance, leaving potential for harm to the welfare of the children using the service.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

Ofsted has subsequently made two requirements relating to safeguarding practice, and two compliance notices have also been issued to the provider.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers are not providing good quality supervision which ensures that any concerns shared are acted upon. Issues raised within supervision sessions regarding concerns for young people’s welfare are not dealt with effectively by managers. Supervision records do not identify what actions have been agreed or the timescales in which these actions should be completed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers have not followed correct safeguarding procedures, which has meant that concerns regarding young people’s welfare have not been remedied, resulting in young people not being adequately safeguarded.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers have developed good quality care plans, which are regularly reviewed and updated. Good practice outlined within the care plans was observed to be carried out by staff. For example, staff were seen to provide young people with reassurance and comfort when undertaking care tasks.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers have developed good quality risk-assessment systems which ensure that young people are safe while also being provided with varied opportunities. Inspection report children’s home: SC040491 6

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference made to the lives of children and young people. They watched how professional staff work with children and young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to children and 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.

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Information about this inspection

Using the ‘Social care common inspection framework’, this inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, 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’. Inspection report children’s home: SC040491 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: County Hall, Truro, Cornwall TR1 3AY

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Currently vacant

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Inspector

Polly Soper, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC040491 8 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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