Children's Home run by Keys Educational Services Limited in Lincolnshire

Inspection report children’s home: SC363403 1 SC363403 Registered provider: Broadwood Education Services

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A private company owns and operates this children’s home. It is registered to offer care and accommodation for four children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 7 February 2017

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Declined in effectiveness

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Key findings from this inspection

This children’s home requires improvement to be good because, despite positive outcomes for the children, there are a number of shortfalls identified at this inspection. Inspection report children’s home: SC363403 2  Children’s feedback is not consistently captured. Children’s meetings are arranged but do not take place regularly.

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Key findings from this inspection

 There is a significant delay between incidents occurring and the provider notifying Ofsted.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The manager failed to carry out an investigation following an incident of a child leaving the home without detection.

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Key findings from this inspection

 There is a lack of consistent and robust oversight of behaviour management to ensure that practice is proportionate and fair.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Training for the staff is not specific to the individual needs of the children.

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Key findings from this inspection

 When children return from an episode of going missing from the home they do not have the opportunity to talk to an independent person who is not involved in their care.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The locality risk assessment does not provide important information regarding the local areas and towns which the children visit in their free time.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The management team does not provide effective supervision to new staff.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The internal monitoring does not include the views of other professionals, placing authorities and parents.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The staff are able to use their own cars to transport children. It is unclear where the driving records for staff are kept and how they are monitored.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Key work sessions take place weekly. However, they do not effectively and consistently address identified issues such as the impact of bullying and grooming.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The staff promote contact with children’s families by providing transport and supervision to enable contact to take place.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Children have education plans which meet their needs.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The staff liaise with relevant agencies to ensure that there is effective communication.

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Key findings from this inspection

 When the children go missing, staff make efforts to locate the children and to Inspection report children’s home: SC363403 3 keep in touch with them and the staff liaise with the relevant agencies.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Independence work with the children is in place. The staff team is supportive of children’s transitions.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Children make progress toward their targets. The staff monitor the children’s outcomes.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The staff are committed to providing a good level of care to the children and want them to have the best outcomes.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The staff encourage the children to pursue their interests, such as horse riding and sports activities.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Children know how to complain and any issues or concerns are appropriately addressed.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/02/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness 21/09/2016 Full Good 24/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 24/11/2015 Full Requires improvement Inspection report children’s home: SC363403 4

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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 children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— ensure that staff regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home’s care. (Regulation 7 (1)(c)(2)(a)(iv)) 12/06/2017

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on an understanding about acceptable behaviour. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff 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. (Regulation 11 (1)(b)(2)(a)(vi)) 12/06/2017

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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. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to 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. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)) 12/06/2017

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that helps children aspire to fulfil their potential and promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the 12/06/2017 Inspection report children’s home: SC363403 5 registered person to— ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(c)) The registered person must ensure that the home is at all times conducted in a manner which is consistent with its statement of purpose. (Regulation 16 (5)) 12/06/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)) 12/06/2017

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a review of the quality of care provided for children, the registered person must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (5)) 12/06/2017

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Recommendations

 Children’s homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislation. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) This is with particular regard to checking the documentation relating to staff using their own cars to transport children.  When a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, the responsible local authority must provide an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. Homes should take account of information provided by such interviews when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30)  Ensure that all incidents of control, discipline and restraint are subject to systems of regular scrutiny to ensure that their use is fair. (‘Guide to the children’s homes

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Recommendations

regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.36)  The registered person should have a system in place so that all serious events are notified, within 24 hours, to the appropriate people. The system should cover the action that should be followed if the event arises at the weekend or on a public holiday. Notification must include details of the action taken by the home’s staff in response to the event. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.13)

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Inspection judgements

Inspection report children’s home: SC363403 6

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improvement to be good

The home requires improvement. There are some strengths, however, the inspection has identified a number of shortfalls in practice concerning safeguarding and leadership and management. Recent changes in the management of the home have caused some instability for the staff team and the children. The home is now in a period of adjustment as the registered manager and deputy manager have recently returned to the home.

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improvement to be good

Key working sessions take place weekly but there is no direct work in relation to the impact of bullying or grooming. This is identified as a potential issue in the group dynamics. No discussions have taken place with a child who recently raised concerns about a person in a position of trust. This inaction was a failure to meet the emotional needs of the child.

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improvement to be good

Children know how to complain. Regular children’s meetings are arranged. However, the meetings often do not take place as the children are out or do not want to attend. Regular feedback from the children is not captured on a consistent basis. This means that children do not contribute to improvements or changes in the home in a meaningful way.

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improvement to be good

Two of the children are engaging with college and another child attends a local alternative education provision. One child has recently moved into the home and is receiving education support while the manager sources a place at a local school. The staff liaise with other agencies and the virtual school. This ensures that the children have education plans which meet their needs.

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improvement to be good

There is effective communication with other professionals. An education professional said, ‘They [the staff] attend all meetings and are involved in the plans. She [the child] is making really good progress and she has improved so much since being at the home. Her behaviour and attitude have improved.’

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improvement to be good

The staff support the children to attend all appropriate health appointments and they are proactive at seeking medical attention for the children as soon as possible. Appropriate and clear health plans are in place. This ensures that the children have access to advice and support as needed.

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improvement to be good

The staff are committed to providing a good level of care to the children and want them to have the best outcomes. They spend time getting to know the children and invest time in building positive relationships. The children respond well and feel at home. One child said, ‘I like it here and I get on with the staff.’ A social worker said, ‘I am really pleased. She can be challenging and they have shown a real commitment to her. They have her best interests at heart.’

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improvement to be good

The staff promote contact with children’s families by providing transport and supervision to enable contact to take place. This supports children to maintain important Inspection report children’s home: SC363403 7 relationships despite living some distance from their family homes. One child’s family contact has increased significantly and she clearly identifies this as an area in her life that is ‘going well’.

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improvement to be good

The staff support the children to learn independence skills. The children are encouraged to take responsibility for cleaning, laundry and cooking. The children are starting to budget and one child is learning to drive. A social worker said, ‘The home will support her [child] into the next step of independence. The staff have been very helpful and supportive and will help her with this transition.’

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improvement to be good

The staff encourage the children to pursue their own interests, such as horse-riding and sports activities. This promotes the children’s confidence and self-esteem.

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improvement to be good

Children’s outcomes and progress are tracked through regular therapeutic meetings. There are discussions regarding any current issues or concerns. The therapist identifies that children are making progress at differing rates. The meetings facilitate a consultation process for the staff and enable the staff to reflect on their own practice. This enhances the level of care provided to the children.

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improvement to be good

The home provides care for a number of children who display risk-taking behaviours and who are at significant risk of child sexual exploitation. The children’s use of social media and their time away from the home requires careful monitoring.

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improvement to be good

Recently, a child was able to leave the home undetected by the staff team during a busy period. This led to an incident of the child going missing overnight with another older child from the home. Although the supervision of children has increased as result of this incident, the manager has not completed a full investigation to understand how this occurred. Failure to investigate when incidents occur means that any concerns about staff practice or ways to reduce the likelihood of future incidents are not identified. The staff and the manager had failed to identify that the child was accessing the internet on her mobile phone. Therefore, a clear assessment of this risk was not included in the child’s care plan. The home’s statement of purpose explicitly states that mobile phones will not be permitted when children are admitted to the home. Lack of adherence to the statement of purpose does not provide consistent safeguards for individual children.

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improvement to be good

The use of positive and negative consequences helps to encourage good behaviour. However, there is a lack of consistent management oversight to check that this practice is proportionate and fair. Minimal reparation work is completed with the children. This does not help them to understand the impact of their choices and how they can make things right.

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improvement to be good

There are potential issues in relation to bullying and grooming in the home. There is no current training in place for the staff to support them to meet children’s needs adequately. Some, but not all, staff have completed supervised contact training. Inspection report children’s home: SC363403 8 Supervised contact is provided by the staff and is a complex and specialised area of work. Therefore, increased knowledge is essential to meet the needs of the children and their families.

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improvement to be good

When the children go missing, staff make efforts to locate the children and keep in touch with them and to liaise with the appropriate agencies. A significant number of missing from home incidents occur after children’s free time. This is a concern given the children’s histories and vulnerabilities.

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improvement to be good

The registered manager has returned to her post after spending several months managing another home. Since her return, the number of missing from home incidents has reduced. Effective communication with the children helps them to talk openly and to share their feelings. The staff are then more able to assess the children’s relationships and friendships effectively. The manager attends monthly meetings with the police and monthly risk management meetings with other staff who work for the organisation. These meetings help to identify concerns.

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improvement to be good

Managers facilitate the return from home interviews for the children. Although this supports children to share their views on their return to the home, it does not provide them with the opportunity to talk to an independent person who is not involved in their care. This approach does not provide children with the safeguards or objectivity that they should be able to expect.

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improvement to be good

The locality risk assessment includes information regarding the rural location. However, it does not include police intelligence regarding the local towns which the children visit in their free time. Significant risks have been identified in these areas. This information is included in the children’s individual risk assessments. However, this is not reflected in the locality assessment. Therefore, the locality risk assessment does not provide a full picture of the local environment and the potential risks to new children coming into the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The registered manager has a wealth of experience and is suitably qualified with the level 4 registered manager’s award. She has been in post for five years and has good knowledge of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Appropriate recruitment checks ensure that children are safeguarded effectively. However, information regarding one new staff member was not easily accessible and the file was not available for the manager to oversee. Incorrect documentation was initially in the wrong file during the inspection process. This was rectified during the inspection but it does not reflect an organised approach to the management of personnel files.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The senior staff send safeguarding notifications to Ofsted. However, some notifications are not submitted to Ofsted until several days after incidents have occurred. This does not provide Ofsted with current information about the way in which the home is safeguarding the children. Inspection report children’s home: SC363403 9 The management team does not provide effective regular supervision to new staff. Often, agenda items are not sufficiently reviewed and the notes are very brief. This means that support for the staff is insufficient. It does not adequately equip them to manage their duties and responsibilities effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

There is regular external and internal monitoring. The internal reporting is comprehensive but it does not include the views of other professionals, placing authorities and parents. Therefore, it is not clear how these important views contribute to improvements at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Several cars are provided to transport the children to their appointments and everyday commitments. During the inspection, there were ongoing issues with the mechanical condition of the cars. On occasions, the staff use their own cars. A policy details the checks required for the staff who use their own cars. However, the registered manager was unclear of the location of the relevant documents and the requirements for the checks. This does not demonstrate a clear line of accountability or meet health and safety standards.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

New staff access a comprehensive induction programme. They are supported to seek advice from an identified experienced staff member to help them to learn and develop. New staff shadow shifts in the first instance and attend mandatory training. Team meetings are regular and provide opportunities for staff to discuss practice and the children’s needs. The staff understand how to escalate safeguarding concerns.

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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 who 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: SC363403 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Broadwood Education Services

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: New Hall Hey Road, Rossendale BB4 6HR

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Inspector(s)

Debbie Young: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC363403 11 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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

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