Children's Home, Residential special school run by Aspris Children’s Services Limited in Staffordshire

Inspection report children’s home: SC391860 1 SC391860 Registered provider: Priory Education Services Limited

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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 is part of a residential special school. The school is managed by a large private organisation. The two adjacent houses are registered to accommodate 14 young people who have learning disabilities. The school is registered with the Department for Education and has a specialism in autistic spectrum disorder.

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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 serious and widespread failures that mean that children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded, and the care and experiences of children and young people are poor and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Date of last inspection: 27 February 2017

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: Declined in effectiveness

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Enforcement action since last inspection

On 9 June 2017, Ofsted issued a notice restricting accommodation. This was to prevent any new admissions. Inspection report children’s home: SC391860 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

 Staff have failed to ensure that young people have the appropriate level of supervision in line with their individual care plans.  Staff have not promoted the safety and well-being of young people in their care in order to stop incidents happening.  Staff do not demonstrate that they understand that young people can cause sexual harm to each other if not appropriately supervised.  Managerial oversight of safeguarding incidents is weak. This means that risks have not been effectively managed, and some young people have been left vulnerable and at risk of harm.  Staff have failed to ensure that young people’s individual risk assessments are kept up to date.  There is an over reliance on using non-permanent staff in an attempt to meet the young people’s complex needs.  Staff have failed to help a young person be sufficiently prepared for their transition to adult care.  Managers have not ensured that staff are sufficiently skilled and trained to meet

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Key findings from this inspection

the individual needs of young people.  Some staff do not have the necessary knowledge, skills and qualifications to undertake work with young people.  Managers continue to give insufficient attention to the safe recruitment of agency staff.  Accommodation is in need of decoration. The accommodation presents as dirty and generally uncared for.  The monitoring of practice by managers is not focused enough to identify shortfalls and what needs to improve

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Key findings from this inspection

 The new manager is aware of most of the shortfalls. He knows what needs to change to enable young people to make progress.  Young people’s health needs are met.  Staff work in partnership with teaching staff to reduce disruption to young people’s learning.  Young people enjoy a range of activities that help to keep them healthy. Inspection report children’s home: SC391860 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/02/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness 19/07/2016 Full Good 23/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 09/12/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC391860 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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must consider, 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. (Regulation 5(c)) This is in specific reference to the transition of a young person’s placement. 27/07/2017

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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)) 27/07/2017

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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 help each child to understand how to keep safe and have the skills to identify and act on signs that a child is at risk of harm. (Regulation 12(1)(2) (a)(ii)(iii)) 27/07/2017

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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 understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person and that they take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12(1)(2) (a)(iv)(v)) 27/07/2017

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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 the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each 27/07/2017 Inspection report children’s home: SC391860 5 child effectively from harm, and 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. (Regulation 12 (b)(d)) 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 take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(vi)* 27/07/2017

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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 registered person to ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child and that managers 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 the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b)(2)(e)(f)) 27/07/2017

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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 registered person to ensure that staff use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b)(2)(h)) 27/07/2017

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home and have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff 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. (Regulation 14(1)(a)(b)(2)(b)(iii)) 27/07/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that full and satisfactory information is available in relation to any individual employed to work in the children’s home in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32(3)(d)) 27/07/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained the level 3 diploma for residential childcare or a qualification which the registered 27/07/2017 Inspection report children’s home: SC391860 6 person considers to be equivalent to the level 3 diploma. (Regulation 32(4)(a)(b)) The registered person must ensure that all employees undertake appropriate continuing professional development. (Regulation 33(4)(a)) 27/07/2017

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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 full inspection has highlighted a number of similar concerns found in previous inspections. These include a monitoring visit on 8 June 2016 and an interim inspection 27 February 2017. The progress and experiences of young people is inadequate. Incidents have occurred that have put young people at potential risk of sexual, emotional and physical harm. Opportunities to safeguard young people have been missed because staff have failed to remain vigilant and act in accordance with young people’s care plans. Young people are not given advice or helped to understand how to keep themselves safe after incidents have occurred. This means that young people are not given sufficient opportunity to express their feelings after being involved in an incident. This has potential to compromise their safety. Staff have missed opportunities to help young people to make progress emotionally, physically, behaviourally and socially. For example, a social worker told the inspector

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

‘ [The young person’s] behaviour has become more challenging, he is picking up behaviours from others, and he is showing more sexualised behaviours and is smearing. There have been no improvements for him.’ The physical condition of the home continues to be poor despite this being previously identified at the interim inspection in February 2017. The home still lacks appropriate furnishings and is in need of decoration and repair throughout. For example, signage around the home is incorrect, there is food on the ceiling in the dining room, one window is missing a handle, and other windows are missing appropriate coverings to secure young people’s privacy. These shortfalls detract from young people having a homely environment to live in and to enjoy. More positively, staff ensure that young people have access to inclusive health services, including specialist services such as a paediatric service. Staff work closely with the

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

paediatric service to ensure that health plans are in place and are regularly reviewed. This collaboration between health professionals and staff enables young people’s physical health to be met. Staff work closely with social workers to ensure that young people are able to stay in touch with their families. This includes staff providing the practical support to make this Inspection report children’s home: SC391860 7 contact possible. This helps young people to sustain meaningful links with people who are important to them. Staff work in partnership with teaching staff to reduce disruption to young people’s learning. For example, each young person has an individualised transition plan to help them transfer to and from school each day. This enables a positive start to the school day. These efforts enable each young person to have regular school attendance and to engage in learning. Staff are skilful in using different forms of communication that enable young people to

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

express their individual views and choices. This helps to secure meaningful participation in decisions that affect young people’s lives at the home. However, this is not used effectively when considering potentially harmful or risky incidents, which means that young people are not able to benefit from it. This is a significant deficit that limits young people’s opportunities to gain understanding. The young people receive monthly visits from an advocacy service that helps to ensure that young people are able to exercise their rights. Young people enjoy a range of activities to help keep them stay fit and healthy. The grounds are equipped with play equipment. This includes a trampoline, bicycles and swings. Young people develop their social experiences through day trips to the seaside, attending parties and going for walks with staff.

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

Staff fail to adhere to the supervision levels set out in individual care plans that are designed to ensure that young people stay safe. Inspectors found that there has been at least three occasions since the last inspection when there had been insufficient staffing levels. One incident led to a serious safeguarding concern that is currently being investigated. This involved a young person entering another young person’s bedroom undressed. This happened despite the young people being on a minimum of one-to-one staffing at the time. During the inspection, an inspector observed a young person who should have two members of staff allocated to them with only one member of staff. This inappropriate supervision leaves young people at significant risk of harm. Risk assessments are not updated following serious incidents, nor do they identify all of the risks that are identified on the young person’s placement plans. This means that

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

unsafe situations are not adequately reviewed and staff do not have the guidance and instruction needed to respond to potentially unsafe situations. Despite previous concerns raised by Ofsted, staff do not recognise the possibility that young people can be sexually harmful to each other, despite their complex needs. Staff practice has continued to lack professional curiosity. There has been a failure to learn from previous incidents and to develop practice as a result. This shortfall leaves young people vulnerable to sexual harm from each other. Furthermore, the management team does not encourage the staff to familiarise themselves with current research in the social Inspection report children’s home: SC391860 8 care field in order to improve staff practice. This means that staff are not kept up to date with practice and national guidance to help keep young people safe and their welfare promoted. Management oversight and review of safeguarding incidents is unacceptably poor.

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

Referrals of concern to local authority children’s services are made in a timely manner. However, during the inspection evidence demonstrated confusion among the staff about what stage an investigation was at, or what actions needed to be taken next. For example, a staff member who had dealt with a particular incident told inspectors that all actions had been taken and the case was closed. On further investigation, this was not true and the local designated officer was waiting for a report from the staff before any further decisions could be made. This confusion means that the local authority is not assured that young people are protected from harm. Staff undertake regular health and safety checks and follow a range of safety procedures to protect young people from potential hazards. These include fire drills to ensure that young people know what to do in case of an emergency . There have been no instances when young people have gone missing from the home.

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

Staff receive training on how to keep young people safe from the risks of child sexual exploitation and radicalisation. There have been no complaints since the last inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The registered manager is currently on maternity leave. The deputy manager applied and was registered with Ofsted to cover this period of absence. However, after a few months as the home’s registered manager, she took the decision to cancel her registration with Ofsted and returned to the post of deputy manager. A new manager joined the home eight weeks ago. He holds his level 4 diploma in management. He has submitted his application to Ofsted . The new manager has quickly identified shortfalls in the quality of care the home provides. He is aware of what changes are required to be made to ensure that young people are safe, make progress and enjoy their experience in the home. However, staff morale is low with staffing vacancies standing at nearly 50%. As a result, there is an over reliance on non-permanent staff in an attempt to meet the staffing shortfall, and this has led to a high use of agency staff. In the course of one

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

week, 14 different agency staff were used and a further seven other staff from outside the core staffing team provided care to young people. This lack of permanent and consistent staff means that young people are left without continuity of stable and familiar care. Furthermore, managers continue to fail to efficiently apply safe recruitment practices when they employ agency staff at the home. For example, one agency staff member had not had their identity verified. This means that there is the potential risk that unsuitable adults may be in contact with young people. Managers have not given staff development sufficient attention. Not all staff achieve the Inspection report children’s home: SC391860 9 appropriate qualification in residential childcare in the period set under regulation. For example, one member of staff has been at the home for over seven years and remains unqualified. The statement of purpose is regularly updated and provides clear information in regard

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

to the standards of care young people should expect to receive. It states, ‘Our aim is that young people with ASD achieve an enhanced degree of emotional stability though individualised care planning and target setting and to provide support to help the young people lead fulfilling, happy, meaningful lives and prepare them for an independent adult life.’ However, one young person is due to leave the service next month after living at the home for a number of years, and there is still no transition plan in place. The management team has failed to challenge the young person’s placing authority about this and so has compounded the shortfall. This is a significant missed opportunity to advocate for the young person and leaves the young person unprepared and uncertain about their future. The staff team benefit from regular team meetings. However, managers do not take this opportunity of having staff together to evaluate young people’s progress. The new

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

manager has reflected on this missed opportunity and he is planning to put in place a new system to counter this shortfall. Quality assurance processes are ineffective. Although they identify shortfalls in provision and standards of practice, managers have failed to take swift remedial action. This has resulted in young people receiving a less than acceptable quality of care. The children’s guide is in an accessible format. This means that young people are clear about the services that the home provides.

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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: SC391860 10

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Children’s home details

Provision sub-type: Residential special school

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Priory Education Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Priory Group, 80 Hammersmith Road, London W14 8UD

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Katherine Bridon

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Inspector(s)

Louise Battersby, social care inspector Lisa Walsh, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC391860 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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