Children's home run by Altum Residential Care Ltd

Inspection report children’s home: SC489660 1 SC489660 Registered provider: Altum Residential Care 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 provides care and accommodation for up to three young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home is owned by a private organisation.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Date of last inspection: This is the first full inspection after registration.

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Not applicable

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Enforcement action since last inspection

A monitoring visit was undertaken on 6 December 2016 to investigate information received, which suggested there may have been a breach of regulations. Two requirements were issued as a result of the visit.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people are safe and are kept safe by good care practices from trained Inspection report children’s home: SC489660 2 and experienced staff.  Young people’s self-esteem and confidence grows because they are cared for by a nurturing and supportive staff team.  Promotion of health services for young people is encouraged, including access to healthcare, emotional support and behavioural support.  Detailed and bespoke care planning helps young people to prepare for independent living.  A range of professionals involved in young people’s lives confirmed that staff understand the risks that young people face and that they work cooperatively to minimise them.  Young people who live far from home receive support and encouragement to develop and sustain important links with their family and culture.  Managers and staff demonstrate interest in and enthusiasm for their care role. They place young people at the centre of all developments in the home. As a

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Key findings from this inspection

result, young people identify well with the home and those who care for them.

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Key findings from this inspection

The children’s home’s areas for development

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Key findings from this inspection

 Educational plans for young people need to highlight how young people who are not attending full-time education or training are to be supported, and what the expectations of the staff team are in managing this.  Supervision needs to take place for all staff as required within the home’s own policies and procedures.  The premises need to be decorated and furnished to a good standard and provide young people with a comfortable and pleasant home environment.  On their return after being missing from care, young people need to be provided with the opportunity to speak to an independent person.  Safer recruitment procedures need to be more robust.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Not applicable Inspection report children’s home: SC489660 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

6: The quality and purpose of care standard

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Requirement Due date

The quality of care standard is that the registered persons must:

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (2)(c)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered persons must ensure that the premises are decorated and furnished to a good standard and provide children with a comfortable and pleasant home environment. 15/07/2017

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so-

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that staff— help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible. (Regulation 8 (1)(2)(a)(viii)) 15/07/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that, at all times, at least one person on duty at the home has a suitable first aid qualification. (Regulation 31(2)(a)) 15/07/2017

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Requirement Due date

32: Fitness of workers 15/07/2017 Inspection report children’s home: SC489660 4 Ensure that the registered person recruits staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety, in particular that full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (3)(d))

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Recommendations

 Ensure that when a child is found after being missing from care, they are offered an independent return interview. Independent return interviews provide an opportunity to uncover information that can help protect children from risk of going missing again, from risks they may have been exposed to while missing or from risk factors in their home. (‘Statutory guidance on children who run away or go missing from home or care’, page 14, paragraph 31)  Ensure that staff practice does not mean a child is routinely deprived of their liberty without a court order. A deprivation of liberty may occur where a child is both under continuous supervision and control and is not free to leave the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 50, paragraph 9.63)  Ensure that a record of supervision is kept for staff that provides evidence that supervision is being delivered in line with regulation. (‘Guide to the children’s

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Recommendations

homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.3)

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Inspection judgements

This is the first full inspection of the home since registration. Before young people move in to the home, a detailed impact risk assessment is completed to consider the suitability of the placement. It identifies young people’s individual needs and carefully considers their compatibility with the existing group. This ensures that young people are appropriately placed and enables staff to meet their needs effectively. When appropriate, young people have had the opportunity to visit prior to moving in to meet staff and the other young people. This has enabled them to be actively involved in the decision to move and to gain a clear understanding of the ethos of the home they will be living in.

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Inspection judgements

Young people benefit from individualised care, provided by an enthusiastic staff team and a knowledgeable manager. Through warm, nurturing relationships, young people continue to grow in confidence and develop a positive self-image. Social workers and parents are extremely positive about the staff and the quality of care provided. One parent said, ‘They always keep us updated and involved. I have always been made to feel welcome when I have visited and they have kept [name of young person] safe.’ The open and transparent relationships between staff and young people demonstrate that young people trust those responsible for their care. One young person commented, ‘I like it here. I have staff to talk to and they listen to what I think.’ Consequently, young people are able to develop an appropriate sense of belonging and permanence. Inspection report children’s home: SC489660 5 Improving young people’s physical and emotional well-being is a priority for staff. All

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Inspection judgements

young people are registered with relevant health services and they confirm that they are supported to attend routine and specialist appointments. Access to in-house therapeutic support enables young people to begin to address their previous experiences and current concerns around their emotional health, relationships and behaviour. The therapist also provides support and guidance to staff, enabling them to reflect on and understand young people’s needs and the reasons underpinning their behaviours. The therapist and staff work collaboratively with young people and, as a result, young people are beginning to develop their own coping mechanisms to keep safe and prevent situations escalating.

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Inspection judgements

Consultation and communication levels are good. Staff and young people were observed discussing issues and planning events together throughout the inspection. Time is set aside to allow for consultation that is more formal. For example, one-to-one sessions take place regularly, young people complete questionnaires about their experiences and young people’s meetings are held on a regular basis. Consequently, young people are able to make choices about menus and activities, and they contribute to discussions and decisions about care planning and the home environment. One young person said, ‘I like it that staff do listen if I’m unhappy. I told staff I was not happy that the shower did not work and they got it fixed straight away. It’s better here than other homes I have lived in.’

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Inspection judgements

Educational progress for young people is varied. While one young person successfully completed a twelve-week virtual school programme, other young people are not making measurable progress or reaching their full potential. Furthermore, staff are inconsistent in their approach to encouraging and supporting young people who refuse to engage with education or training. For example, some staff encourage the young people to get up, while others fail to take appropriate action to motivate young people. As a result, some young people neither have clear expectations regarding the need to attend education, nor engaged in suitable structured activities during school hours. However, when this was brought to the attention of the registered manager, appropriate plans were devised. There was also clear evidence of the continued challenges the registered manager has made with the placing authorities and virtual heads about the significant

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Inspection judgements

delays in some young people having appropriate access to education.

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Inspection judgements

Young people have appropriate, carefully assessed and supported contact with their families, friends and other people who are important to them. For young people who live a long distance from their families, staff continue to support and encourage regular and meaningful contact, in accordance with their local authority care plans. When issues about contact arise, including young people requesting more frequent contact, staff liaise with the local authority and look at any changes that could improve the quality of contact arrangements. These changes might include longer timescales and, when appropriate, overnight stays. This has improved and sustained young people’s relationships with their families and others. One parent said, ‘Contact has improved. I can go and visit the home and I still feel included in my child’s care. I get regular updates and feel able to ring at any time for information. I can see that [name of young

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Inspection judgements

Inspection report children’s home: SC489660 6 person] is happy there.’

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Inspection judgements

Feedback from both social workers and family members confirmed that communication from the home is good and that they all receive regular updates from staff. This ensures that those involved are fully informed and updated, and are working together to ensure that young people’s needs are met.

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

Young people said that they felt safe living in the home and were able to talk to staff if they were worried or concerned. They also confirmed that they were fully aware of the home’s own complaints procedures. One young person reported that she had used the procedures since she had moved into the home and, ‘was impressed by how quickly the manager had dealt with her complaint’. She commented that alongside a direct discussion with the manager, she had also received a formal letter explaining the procedures for complaints and a further letter with the outcome and agreed actions. This response helps ensure that young people feel listened to and are supported appropriately when they raise concerns.

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

The registered manager and staff have a clear understanding of safeguarding policies and procedures, and their role within these. When concerns have arisen, staff have taken immediate action to contact the local safeguarding team. Staff have reported and documented issues as they have arisen, while supporting young people appropriately throughout.

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

Young people, who have recently moved into the home, are known to be at high risk of child sexual exploitation. There are clear and robust risk assessments in place. These identify extremely high levels of direct supervision for young people. For example, risk assessments state, ‘one-to-one staffing at all times.’ While this level of supervision is reducing risk and enhancing young people’s safety, the potential impact on the young person’s opportunities to develop independence skills, to learn how to manage risky situations safely or to make suitable friendships is not fully considered. Furthermore, plans do not always identify planned ‘free time’ or any goals for the young person to work towards, to gain this opportunity. The registered manager acknowledges the challenges of managing risks and especially balancing young people’s rights while endeavouring to keep them safe without restricting young people’s liberty. She also

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

recognised that this requires further consideration with the placing authorities.

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

The frequency with which young people go missing from care has significantly reduced. If young people go missing, staff act appropriately and in a timely manner, notifying the police and local authorities so that action can be taken to find them. Any serious concerns are escalated to multi-disciplinary strategy meetings. This ensures that all safeguarding professionals are working together to assess and minimise risk. However, the records do not reflect what action is taken when young people return home. Return home interviews are not routinely completed. This prevents young people from having an independent person to speak to following each missing episode so that information from these interviews can be appropriately shared to enhance the safeguarding of the Inspection report children’s home: SC489660 7 young person.

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

Clear boundaries are in place to manage challenging and risky behaviour. Staff work well as a team, and this consistent approach helps young people to understand the rules and why these are in place. Young people report that any consequences that they receive are fair, and that positive behaviour is promoted through incentive schemes, which reward good behaviour. As a result, young people are beginning to learn what is expected of them and to understand how their behaviour affects themselves and others. Moreover, they are beginning to develop some impulse controls. On occasions, physical interventions has been required to prevent young people from placing themselves at risk of significant harm, or assaults on staff. Detailed records demonstrate the actions taken by staff and the support available to young people throughout an incident, including having an independent debrief afterwards. This demonstrates that young people have

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

appropriate support and guidance before, during and after an intervention.

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

Staff are alert to the potential for bullying and are aware that on occasions young people can say hurtful things to one another. High staffing ratios mean that any such incidents are dealt with effectively by staff. Key-work sessions take place regularly and focus on addressing any concerns. Young people are supported to maintain positive and respectful relationships with each other.

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

The location of the home has been assessed as suitable. It is a large house, which provides plenty of space for young people to spend time together or to have privacy. However, the home’s aspiration to provide a pleasant and homely environment is being impeded by the quality of the furniture and decoration of the house. The walls and paintwork in places are tired and damaged; the furniture in the lounge, including sofas, are in need of repair, and the garden area can be improved. Young people also spoke about their view of the environment they live in and expressed their unhappiness about the length of time it has taken to improve the fabric and environment. The registered manager was aware of what is needed to be improved and has raised this with the provider. She had also started to compile a home’s development plan and was reviewing the current timescales in place. This will ensure that suitable action is taken in a timely manner to make these

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

improvements to create a more homely environment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

This is the first full inspection at the home since the home was registered with HMCI in November 2016. The home had a previous registered manager who remained in post for one month, before moving to another home within the company. The current registered manager started in December 2016 and has been through the registration process. She is a suitably qualified and experienced manager who ensures that children are at the centre of practice, and demonstrates a strong commitment to continually improving practices within the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff retention has been an issue since registration, with several people leaving the service or not joining as planned. Although previous managers did not routinely consult with those leaving to determine their reasons for doing so, the current registered manager has looked at improvements in this area and will undertake exit interviews Inspection report children’s home: SC489660 8 going forward to identify any negative trends or patterns. This will be used to improve practices in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Swift action is usually taken to recruit new staff. This helps ensure that high staffing levels are maintained to meet young people’s needs. One young person said, ‘I always know who is working with me and I can go with staff to do activities I want to or we can join up as a group to do something together, like going to the fair or the park.’ Furthermore, core staff members remain, providing consistency for young people. Staff recently joining the service are satisfied with the induction programme and are very complimentary about the support and guidance they receive from the registered manager. They reported that they had felt very welcome into what they describe as a good team and that they were all clear about the vision and ethos of the service provided.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is well managed and organised in young people’s best interests. The registered manager demonstrates effective leadership. Professionals describe her as being ‘approachable’, but also ‘appropriately challenging when requesting information or services on behalf of individual young people.’ All staff reported her as being ‘readily available’, ‘willing to listen and provide appropriate guidance’ and ‘firm but fair’. As a result, there is a clear ethos in the home, which is warm, safe, consistent and based on high expectations and aspirational care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel that as a team they have the ability to reflect and learn from incidents. They use team meetings to review practice issues and to evaluate the progress and experiences of young people. However, on occasions not all staff had the opportunities to reflect on their own individual practice, performance and development through the supervision process. Effective supervision is of vital importance to improving the quality of care provided to young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The recruitment of staff is not yet robust. On occasions, the provider had failed to ensure that gaps in employment were accounted for and all references were appropriately verified. The registered manager recognised the failings in this area and understood the importance of safer recruitment of staff to ensure that young people are protected from unsuitable adults caring for them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a detailed training matrix in place, which includes mandatory training in safeguarding, medication and managing behaviours. All staff are required to attend all training programmes, and the managers evaluate staff members’ knowledge and learning from these opportunities through supervision and team meetings. However, not all staff have received training in first aid and on occasions they have been left alone with young people. The registered manager was aware of the need for at least one first aider to be on shift and took immediate action to rectify this, with clear dates for training for all staff. Staff have completed, or are in the process of completing, the level 3 diploma for residential care. This ensures that all staff have the skills and knowledge to work effectively with young people. Good monitoring systems ensure that the registered manager and staff team have a detailed awareness of the home’s performance, including any areas of improvements,

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Inspection report children’s home: SC489660 9 patterns or trends. Regular feedback from staff, young people and professionals informs the development and team plan, to improve practice. Managers consistently monitor the plans of young people, updating them in response to behaviours to ensure that they reflect the care provided and show the progress and development of young people. The home’s notification system is robust. Leaders and managers fully cooperate with external professionals, such as the local designated officer, the police and health professionals. The manager also ensures that HMCI are kept informed of serious incidents in relation to the safety and well-being of young people. This enables the regulator to carry out effectively its safeguarding responsibilities to ensure that young people are protected from harm. In addition, independent monitoring of the home continues to take place on a monthly basis, and the registered manager uses the actions

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

provided to continually review and improve practices in the home.

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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: SC489660 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Altum Residential Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Altum Residential Care Limited, 550 Valley Road, Nottingham NG5 1JJ

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Inspector

Michelle Edge, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC489660 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

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Inspector

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Inspector

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