Children's Home run by Positive Outcomes Childcare Ltd in Dudley

Inspection report children’s home: SC483958 1 SC483958 Registered provider: Positive Outcomes Childcare 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

The home is registered to provide care for three young people up to the age of 18. The home offers care for young people who have behavioural and/or emotional needs. The home is privately owned.

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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: 1 November 2016

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Improved effectiveness

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Enforcement action since last inspection

Not applicable Inspection report children’s home: SC483958 2

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Key findings from this inspection

This children’s home requires improvement to be good because:

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Key findings from this inspection

 Behaviour management strategies are weak and do not encourage young people to take responsibility for their own actions or behaviours.  The registered manager does not challenge the effectiveness of care planning to bring about change.  Staff do not ensure that risk assessments are kept up-to-date and identify all known risks.  Staff fail to maintain accurate records of physical restraints.  Independent return home interviews are not always available to young people who have been missing from care.  Young people not in full-time education are not always engaged in suitable structured activities that help to counter barriers to learning.  The manager does not have a workforce development plan.  Some areas of the home require improvement to maintain an environment that is safe and homely.  Staff rotas do not hold an accurate record of the times that managers and staff are on duty at the home.  Staff do not have sufficient oversight of young people’s use of the internet.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staffing levels are occasionally insufficient to provide adequate support to young people.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staff have good relationships with family members, placing authorities and other professionals.  Staff help young people to develop age-appropriate independence skills.  Young people’s contact with their family is encouraged and supported.  Staff encourage young people to take part in leisure pursuits and activities.  Staff receive regular supervision and appraisal.  Staff are vetted appropriately prior to commencing work with young people. Inspection report children’s home: SC483958 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/11/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 03/05/2016 Full Requires improvement 19/01/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 07/07/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC483958 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6(1)(2)(c)(ii)) 01/09/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that staff help each child to develop socially aware behaviour, encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour and communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour, ensuring that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding. (Regulation 11(2)(a)(ii)(iii)(v)) 29/09/2017

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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) and (2)(a)(i)) 01/09/2017

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard requires the registered person to ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate. (Regulation 13(2)(b)) 29/09/2017

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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 they manage and review the placement of each child in the home. (Regulation 14(1)(a)(b) and 2(b)(ii)) 01/09/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement (‘the statement of purpose’) which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1. (Regulation 16(1)) 01/09/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees undertake appropriate continuing professional development. (Regulation 33(4)(a)). This is in relation to training to raise awareness of attachment and loss and the administration of medication. 29/09/2017 Inspection report children’s home: SC483958 5 The registered person must maintain records (‘case records’) for each child that include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3. The records must be kept up to date, and signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36(a)) 01/09/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain in the home the records in schedule 4. This includes a copy of the staff duty roster of persons working at the home, and a record of the actual rosters worked. (Regulation 37 Sch 4(3)) 01/09/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes the time of the measure, details of any methods or steps taken to avoid the use of the measure and the effectiveness and any consequence of the use of the measure. (Regulation 35(3)(a)(iii)(v)(vii)) 01/09/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that, within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person authorised by the registered person to do so, has spoken to the user about the measure, has signed the record to confirm it is accurate and within 5 days of the use of the measure adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35(3)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)) 01/09/2017

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Recommendations

 Ensure that, where children placed in a home are not participating in education because they have been excluded, or are not on a school roll for some other reason, the registered person and staff must work closely with the placing authority so that the child is supported and enabled to resume full-time education as soon as possible. In the interim, the child should be supported to sustain or regain their confidence in education and be engaged in suitable structured activities. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards ‘, p 28, paragraph 5.15)  Where the placing authority or another relevant person does not provide the input and services needed to meet a child’s needs during their time in the home or in preparation for leaving the home, the home must challenge them to meet the child’s needs (see regulations 5(c)). (‘Guide to children’s home regulations including quality standards’, page 12, paragraph 2.8)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that children’s reasonable preferences in relation to day-to-day arrangements are met with consideration given to safeguarding, particularly in relation to the use of technology. Where a child’s preferences are unreasonable or cannot be met for safeguarding reasons, staff should discuss this with the child to help them understand why. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.21)  Ensure that, when a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, the responsible local authority must Inspection report children’s home: SC483958 6 provide an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. Homes should take account of the 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

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Recommendations

standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30)  Ensure that there is a workforce plan in place which can fulfil the requirements of Regulation 16 Schedule 1. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)  Ensure that the registered person plans staffing levels to ensure that they meet the needs of children and can respond flexibly to unexpected events or opportunities. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, p 54, paragraph 10.15)

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improvement to be good

There have been some changes to the young people living at the home since the last inspection. One young person moved to an alternative placement and another young person moved to live back with family. Two new young people have come to live at the home. One young person spoke fondly of moving into the home and told the inspector, ‘I came to see the home before I moved. They made me feel welcome and they are trying to sort my education. If I want to do activities, I can do and I’m going go-karting at the weekend.’ Positive transitions into the home help young people to feel safe and valued. None of the young people access full-time education. However, the manager and staff work hard to identify education provision for young people. One young person has had the support of a tutor for a few hours each day and, through constant encouragement, has achieved level 1 qualifications in English and Mathematics. This has enabled him to

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improvement to be good

secure a local college placement that will start in September. One member of staff told the inspector, ‘He was refusing education all of the time. We got his attendance with a tutor from 35% to over 90%, which is an amazing achievement for him.’ Outside of tutoring and alternative education, young people of statutory school age do not have a structured daily programme to help them establish routine in preparation for full-time schooling. This means that they are not receiving effective support to make the best progress they can with their education, and they are not being adequately equipped for the next stage of their educational journey. Young people are registered with primary health services. However, on occasions, young people refuse to attend routine health appointments. When this occurs, staff work sensitively with young people to address concerns and fears; this has seen some success with young people accessing the treatment they need. For example, with support and

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improvement to be good

advice from his key worker, one young person attended a GP surgery to be given immunisations after a significant reluctance to do so. When young people have refused to attend their annual health assessments, the looked after nurse has visited the home. Inspection report children’s home: SC483958 7 Referrals for specialist services are progressed in consultation with GPs and social workers. For one young person, this has enabled him to access child and adolescent mental health services for bereavement. For another young person, the Switch service has provided advice and guidance regarding the dangers of drugs with regards to health. Through one-to-one key working, young people are encouraged to make positive choices about their health, with issues such as smoking, the dangers of substance misuse and anger management being regular topics for discussion. Staff encourage healthy lifestyles. Staff are more effective role models in this regard as they no longer smoke in

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improvement to be good

the grounds. Attention to good health and the provision of information and advice supports young people to receive the help that they need to improve their emotional and physical well-being. Young people enjoy a variety of activities in the home and local community and are encouraged to lead active lives. Young people take part in activities such as swimming, the gym, walking and running. Young people also have the opportunity to enjoy hot chocolate nights, pamper sessions and holidays. This gives young people new experiences, opportunities to keep fit and helps them to develop hobbies. Young people have individualised residential placement plans that support them to make some progress from their starting points. However, some daily records are incomplete and some young people’s case records do not hold all of the required statutory documentation. This means that staff do not have a full understanding of the extent of

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improvement to be good

young people’s needs. Staff have good relationships with family members. They support young people to maintain contact with people who are important to them. Young people are encouraged to become more independent through tidying their bedrooms, participating in cooking and undertaking their laundry. In preparation to move to semi-independent living, one young person has received specific help to complete an independence programme that has included cooking, laundry, travelling, cleaning and budgeting. Staff have thought creatively with the young person about travel to his college placement, and he now has a provisional bike licence and plans to take his test. Support in becoming independent helps young people to develop their skills and grow in self-confidence. However, a move to semi-independent living for one young person was decided by the registered manager rather than calling on the local authority for a review of the plan. Ending the placement in this way has left little time for

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improvement to be good

the development of an agreed transition plan, or for consultation with the young person about his wishes and the support he needs to make the move a success. The young person told the inspector, ‘I know I’m difficult sometimes, but they haven’t involved me in the plans to move. I need more help with budgeting and cooking.’ The lack of consultation and the absence of an agreed plan has caused the young person to feel insecure. The manager has responded to the requirement of the monitoring visit to make improvements to the conditions of the home. Window restrictors have made the first- floor windows safe, holes in bedroom walls are repaired, graffiti to external walls is covered, and a bedroom door handle replaced. However, some aspects of the physical condition of the home still require improvement. For example, there is no doorbell, there is damage to the rear panel of the front door, the kitchen has a broken door handle, and

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improvement to be good

Inspection report children’s home: SC483958 8 communal areas of the home require re-painting. Young people have the opportunity to personalise their bedrooms. However, one young person requires a wardrobe. Some furniture is not fit for purpose. One of the sofas in the lounge and a sideboard in the activity room are both broken. There are only three chairs available at the dining table. Outside spaces are not inviting. The borders in the garden are overgrown. Unwanted items such as a cooker and mattress are visibly stored in a shed, which has open access. This could potentially present a health and safety issue to young people. The various shortfalls detract away from young people having a homely environment in which to live and could potentially affect the safety of young people.

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improvement to be good

Young people said that they like the staff and they feel safe. One young person told the inspector, ‘I feel really safe. I’m not sure I’d feel safe if the others started to bring lots of friends home that I didn’t know, but they don’t at the moment so I’m ok with that.’ Staff canvass young people’s views through one-to-one discussions and young people’s meetings, and young people influence meal choices and activities. Young people who do not have an advocate know that they can request one. Young people know there are systems for making and managing complaints. One young person told the inspector, ‘I can talk to staff and I can write it down. I’ll get a response within 24 or 48 hours.’ Young people have a voice and their views help to shape their care. Staff complete online training in relation to safeguarding and child protection and know how to report safeguarding concerns. The content of safeguarding courses has raised

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improvement to be good

their awareness to child sexual exploitation, radicalisation, online safety and anti- bullying. However, one young person receives medication and has very specific attachment needs, and staff have not received training in attachment and loss or refresher medication training. These shortfalls in knowledge mean that staff do not have sufficient information in order to be confident that they are able to deliver safe care in accordance with young people’s needs. There have been some missing from care incidents since the last inspection. Staff take appropriate action and records are clear. However, following being missing from care, young people are not consistently offered the opportunity to have a discussion with an independent person. Consequently, young people miss the opportunity to talk to someone about their experiences and to tell someone if there were specific reasons why they ran away. Managers do not always identify and plan to reduce risk. Assessments of risk are

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improvement to be good

recorded in different places and some are lengthy. This makes it difficult for staff to understand the risks to each young person and the action needed to mitigate the risk. In addition, risk assessments are not reviewed following incidents and they do not inform staff of the required practice and measures to take to keep young people safe. This leaves staff ill-informed of the action to take when an event occurs. For example, an incident occurred where a young person placed a knife in a toaster. Although staff are aware of the incident, the manager has not provided guidance to help reduce the likelihood of this happening again or to manage further incidents. Consequently, this compromises the ability of the team to consistently manage risk and effectively Inspection report children’s home: SC483958 9 safeguard the young people. Young people have behaviour management plans, but the approach to behaviour

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improvement to be good

management is weak. Consequence and reward strategies are not agreed and are ineffective in changing behaviour. For example, cannabis use has been an issue. As a response to this, young people have been subject to supervised spending. However, positive behaviour has then received a monetary reward. The implementation of boundaries and expectations that are aimed to support positive behaviour is not consistent or well managed and, on occasion, staff struggle to defuse situations. One social worker told the inspector, ‘I have challenged as they shouldn’t let him act like that. I have been clear that they need to be clear with him and put a stop to the behaviour.’ Young people do not invest in, or take pride in, their home and there have been a number of incidents where they have caused damage. Staff do not effectively explain expectations or consistently challenge unacceptable behaviours. For example, during the

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improvement to be good

inspection, staff did not follow guidance about the use of the PlayStation and did not challenge the use of bad language by young people. Subsequent removal of the PlayStation caused a young person to become threatening and to cause damage to property. Despite the young person exhibiting inappropriate behaviour, and the loss of the PlayStation being imposed, other staff later returned the PlayStation to the young person. An inconsistent approach causes unpredictability and insecurity for young people, and creates an environment where young people do not view their behaviours as socially unacceptable. Staff do not help young people to develop a sense of responsibility for their actions or an awareness of how their behaviour may affect future opportunities. When measures of control are necessary, staff fail to maintain an accurate record, and managerial oversight is not always in line with regulation. For instance, the method and

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improvement to be good

effectiveness of de-escalation is not always clearly recorded. Two records fail to show that a discussion took place with the young person. One record did not note the time of the incident and, on one occasion, the record was not subject to management review. Incomplete recording and oversight means that safeguarding issues are at risk of going unnoticed, and opportunities to understand the reasons for young people’s behaviour and to develop staff practice are lost. Young people have access to wi-fi in the home and there are parental controls in place aimed to reduce the likelihood of young people accessing content inappropriate to their age. One-to-one discussions take place with young people about internet safety, which increases their understanding of the potential risks. However, staff do not routinely follow the home’s guidance that all internet use will be under supervision. In addition, staff are not aware of the capabilities of the IT equipment provided for young people’s

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improvement to be good

use in the home. For example, during the inspection, one young person was on-line gaming with, no scrutiny from staff about the appropriateness of the game or the other players. Young people also told the inspector that the parental locks could be bypassed to allow access to adult content. Staff have received on-line safety training so that they have an awareness of the risks, but were unable to set up and check the equipment to ensure safe use. Safe recruitment ensures that potential employees are subject to essential checks before starting work with young people. Fire, gas and electrical equipment is subject to routine checks to ensure that it is in good Inspection report children’s home: SC483958 10 working order. This ensures that young people live in a safe environment. However, duty rotas do not adequately reflect when staff are working in the home. This lack of clarity regarding when staff are working could compromise the safety and well-being of young

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

The registered manager has been in post since March 2015. She is part-way through completing her level 5 diploma in leadership and management. Six staff are qualified to level 3 diploma in childcare or have a suitably equivalent qualification. One member of staff is anticipated to complete their training in November 2017, which is in the required timeframe. Young people benefit from a permanent and stable staff team. However, since the admission of a third young person, on occasion staffing levels have not been sufficient to respond to young people’s individual needs. This has resulted in the registered manager being on duty. Having to work as a member of the staff team has affected the manager’s ability to completed day-to-day managerial oversight. The staff morale is good. Staff feel supported and they benefit from regular supervision and appraisal. One member of staff told the inspector, ‘I feel supported. At times, it gets

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

very stressful, but the managers are always there to help you through if you have problems or qualms.’ Training is available to staff. However, this is mainly through online learning and there is little opportunity for team development. Team meetings take place, but they are not effective in establishing and embedding practice agreements and expectations. In addition, the manager has not yet developed a workforce plan. A weak approach to team development means that practice with young people is not always consistent. Young people receive mixed messages and are not clear about expectations. The registered manager has established good-quality professional relationships with others, including the local authority, police and agencies such as RAGE. A police officer told the inspector, ‘Our working relationship is excellent. It’s probably the best I have across the borough. She [the manager] always calls me for advice. She is receptive.’ A

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

social worker said, ‘The manager keeps in touch and has gone above and beyond in trying to get him to settle.’ However, when the registered manager has identified concerns relating to the effectiveness of the support to secure a young person a suitable school placement, she has not sufficiently escalated these concerns to the virtual school. Not holding partners to account impacts on young people having timely access to the most appropriate services to meet their needs. Despite a recent review, some areas the statement of purpose are not reflective of the operation of the home. For example, it describes an underpinning model of practice that the registered manager confirmed is not used. It also includes a photograph of another home and information about the accommodation is incorrect. A lack of management oversight regarding the home’s ethos and the arrangements for care impacts on the ability of the team to understand the purpose of the home and the care offered to young

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

Inspection report children’s home: SC483958 11 people.

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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: SC483958 12

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Positive Outcomes Childcare Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: The Lexington, 8 Shoplatch, Shrewsbury, Shropshire SY1 1HF

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Neil Hedges Kathryn Green

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Inspector

Alison Cooper, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC483958 13 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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