Children's home run by Five Rivers Child Care Limited in Wiltshire

Inspection report children’s home: SC059755 1 SC059755 Registered provider: Five Rivers Child Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a national private company. It provides care and accommodation for up to five boys who may 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 inadequate

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: improved effectiveness

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC059755 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

 The leadership and management of the home are inadequate.  The manager did not take action to effectively address a recommendation made by the independent visitor. As a result, a child protection concern was not dealt with or addressed in supervision with a member of staff.  Two complaints made by a young person were shared with the organisation’s safeguarding lead. Records do not demonstrate why leaders and managers did not share these complaints with the local authority designated officer.  Recruitment checks for permanent staff are good. The same rigour is not always given to checking staff who are employed by an agency.  Despite having safeguarding training, not all staff demonstrate a good understanding of their responsibilities and duties when responding to a safeguarding allegation made by a young person.  Some restraint records require further clarity and information to confirm that young people are always spoken to about their experiences after restraint is

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Key findings from this inspection

used.  The manager has not effectively challenged the education provider to ensure that a young person has a sufficient education package.  Young people do not have access to a phone without having to first ask staff.  Not all of the staff’s identified training needs have been met.  The home is not maintained to a good standard throughout. Signs on display throughout the home and certain fixtures are not in keeping with a homely environment.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Most young people have lived in the home for more than a year and have made progress.  Staff provide good support to help young people who are becoming adults. A young person who lived at this home for five years is now living independently in his own home, he has a job and is undertaking a professional plumbing qualification.  Staff are kind and caring to young people. Staff engage young people with activities, independence training and support them to rebuild family relationships. Inspection report children’s home: SC059755 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 27/10/2016 Full Good 16/11/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness 29/04/2015 Full Outstanding Inspection report children’s home: SC059755 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

6: The quality and purpose of care standard (1) The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who — (a) understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children; (b) use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to — (a) understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose; (b) ensure that staff — (vii) provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably; (c) ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to — (i) meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (2)(b)(vii)(c)(i)) In particular, ensure that damage is repaired promptly and young people are helped to keep their bedrooms tidy. 31/07/2017

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Requirement Due date

5. Engaging with the wider system to ensure children’s needs are met. In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff — (c) if the registered person considers, 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. In particular, ensure that the manager effectively challenges education providers when necessary. 01/09/2017 Inspection report children’s home: SC059755 5 11: The positive relationships standard (1) The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on — (a) mutual respect and trust; (b) an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and (c) positive responses to other children and adults.

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Requirement Due date

(2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure — (a) that staff — (ii) help each child to develop socially aware behaviour; (iii) encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding; (v) communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding. (Regulation 11 (2)(a)(ii)(iii)(v)) This relates to young people’s behaviour in the home that staff are finding difficult to manage. 31/07/2017

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Requirement Due date

12: The protection of children standard The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure — (a) that staff — (v) understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; (vi) take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and (vii) are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (2)(a)(v)(vi)(vii)) 31/07/2017

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard (1) The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that — (a) helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and 31/07/2017 Inspection report children’s home: SC059755 6 (b) promotes their welfare. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to — (c) ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; (h) use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 12 (2)(h)) 22: Contact and access to communications (3) Subject to paragraph (5), the registered person must ensure that children are provided at all reasonable times with access to the following facilities which they may use without reference to persons working in the home —

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Requirement Due date

(a) a telephone on which to make and receive telephone calls in private. (Regulation 22 (3)(a)) 31/07/2017

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Requirement Due date

32: Fitness of workers (1) The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety. (2) The registered person may only — (a) employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or (b) if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3). (3) The requirements are that — (a) the individual is of integrity and good character; (b) the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform; (c) the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and (d) full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the

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Requirement Due date

individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (2)(b)) In particular, this also applies to staff provided by an external agency. 31/07/2017

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Requirement Due date

35: Behaviour management policy and records (3) The registered person must ensure that — (b) within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered 31/07/2017 Inspection report children’s home: SC059755 7 person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person") — (c) within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(b)(c)) 39: Complaints and representations (1) Subject to paragraph (6), the registered person must establish a procedure for considering complaints made by or on behalf of children. In particular, that children are spoken to as part of the investigation. (3) The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation. (Regulation 39 (1)(3))

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Recommendations

 For children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. Children’s homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislations (alarms, food hygiene and so on), however in doing so, homes should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9.) In particular, this refers to health and safety signs on display and the style of fire doors used in the home.

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improvement to be good

Leaders and managers have not ensured that two complaints made by a young person about staff have been rigorously investigated. Records do not demonstrate why leaders and managers did not share these complaints with the designated officer.

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improvement to be good

One young person has recently moved into the home. His challenging behaviour has started to negatively affect the progress and experiences of the other residents. One young person has started to copy difficult behaviours and this has had a negative impact on his engagement at school. Another young person has become further withdrawn and is spending more time in his bedroom. One incident occurred where two young people Inspection report children’s home: SC059755 8 took refuge in the staff office, while an incident with the third young person continued outside. Staff recognise this negative impact and have identified that they cannot meet one young person’s needs. As a result, leaders and managers have made the difficult decision to end his placement.

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improvement to be good

The independent reviewing officer for one young person raised concerns that his education timetable does not sufficiently meet his needs or abilities. This young person is on role at the provider’s school, but does not attend lessons or activities at the school site. His education is conducted as outreach work by school staff and the majority of it comprises of trips out and activities. The manager has not effectively challenged these weaknesses with the provider’s school.

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improvement to be good

Another young person’s education timetable has been temporarily changed to bring him out of the school. This is in response to supporting him through some difficult times in his personal life. The manager plans to ensure that he is integrated back into the school at the start of next term. The third young person has excellent attendance at school and is making good progress towards joining a mainstream school.

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improvement to be good

A young person who lived at the home for five years and has recently moved out is full of praise for how staff helped him. He has extremely fond memories of living at the home and regularly stays in touch with the staff. He also chats to the current residents and is a good role model for them. Living at this home has prepared him remarkably well for living by himself. He has completed a vocational plumbing qualification and now has a part-time job before moving on to his next plumbing course. To mark the end of his time at the home, staff took him to see a music concert in London, which he absolutely loved.

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improvement to be good

Staff help young people to rebuild relationships with their family and work towards reunification. They engage some young people in mediation and are very patient with them. Staff also provide good support to help young people engage with specialist psychological services that are aimed at placing them back within a family environment.

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improvement to be good

Staff have had good success in helping two young people who have lived at the home the longest. Both show that they have learned improved skills to control their emotions and anxiety. One social worker is really impressed with staff’s efforts and comments that, ‘(name)’s use of profane language has decreased and his ability to self-regulate is much better.’ A parent is similarly happy with staff and his son’s care. He says that ‘staff are very caring’ and ‘the home does a super job’.

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improvement to be good

Staff engage young people in a wide range of activities and support them in clubs in the community. Young people enjoy visiting leisure parks, swimming pools and all of them went on a holiday with staff recently to a holiday park. Some have drumming lessons and one is part of a local junior football team. They also have time to play their favourite electronic games at the home. As a result of staff’s enthusiasm to engage them in worthwhile activities and spend time with them, young people develop their confidence and social skills. Inspection report children’s home: SC059755 9 Young people are provided with good-quality food and sit with staff at the dinner table. Staff ensure that each young person’s dietary preference is catered for. Young people contribute to the weekly menu and very much enjoy staff’s cooking. They are also encouraged to help make some meals, so they learn to develop their independence skills

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improvement to be good

Staff are provided with safeguarding training, but the impact of this training needs testing. Not all staff spoken with during the inspection fully understood their responsibilities for managing allegations safely. Also, a staff member recorded an allegation made by a young person during a one-to-one key worker session without reporting the comments to the manager in accordance with the child protection procedure. The independent visitor identified the allegation three weeks after the event and set the manager a recommendation to deal with the concern. The manager shared the allegation with the organisation’s safeguarding lead, but failed to investigate the matter properly.

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improvement to be good

During another incident, a young person raised a concern that a member of staff poked their hand. The manager reported this concern to the provider’s safeguarding lead and the child’s social worker. Leaders and managers did not discuss the two concerns about staff to the designated officer and records do not show why this decision was reached.

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improvement to be good

The recruitment of permanent staff is good and follows safer recruitment guidance. The same rigour is not applied to staff who are appointed from an external agency. The manager relies on the agency to undertake vetting checks, but she has not received full information relating to worker’s employment history, references, the outcome of their disclosure and barring check and whether an overseas check is required.

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improvement to be good

Restraint is not used often. In the majority of cases, it is appropriate and recorded well. However, on one occasion, staff used restraint to enforce a young person to comply with instructions when it was not evident that the behaviour was causing a risk of serious harm. One restraint record is not clear enough to understand what actually happened before restraint was used. The manager’s monitoring has not identified these weaknesses.

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improvement to be good

Young people are offered opportunities to talk about what happened during an incident and how they felt. They are also offered medical attention. At times, one young person has refused to discuss their views with staff. The team has not found alternative and more creative ways to try to engage the young person more in this important process. Staff discuss incidents and the management of behaviour during weekly team meetings.

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improvement to be good

Young people do not have access to a phone without having to first ask staff. This practice has not been agreed with the young people’s placing authorities as being a necessary restriction. It does not allow young people to make confidential calls without staff knowing and may prevent a young person from raising a concern about an Inspection report children’s home: SC059755 10 individual.

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improvement to be good

Staff’s response to young people who run away from the home is very good. They actively follow them and do not let the young person out of their sight. On the two occasions that a young person has run away from the home, they have been brought back safely without them actually being missing.

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improvement to be good

One young person has been involved in 35 incidents since he moved into the home in March 2017. Some of these incidents have involved aggression to other residents or coercing them into poor behaviour. The majority of the incidents are aimed at staff. Staff recognise that they are struggling to positively engage one young person and decrease these incidents of challenging behaviour. The police have been used by staff in response to unsafe situations, but not to criminalise young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The leadership and management of the home are inadequate because of widespread failings. Nine new requirements and one recommendation are made at this inspection. The manager has been ineffective at prioritising, challenging and sustaining improvements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Overall, the environment provided to young people is not well looked after or typical in all parts of a family home. Some of the doors are more typically seen in an office environment and there are many health and safety signs throughout the home. At times, the lounge door is locked and fire doors are wedged open. The manager removed the lock on the lounge door during the inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There is damage to a door in the kitchen and the netting on the young people’s trampoline is broken. A young person has written graffiti on a cupboard door that had not been removed by staff. One young person’s bedroom is particularly unkempt. Not enough action has been taken by staff to quickly address these issues.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The home is registered to provide accommodation for up to five young people. Currently, two bedrooms are not ready to be accommodated. A bedroom that a young person moved out of two months ago is still in disrepair. The potential fifth bedroom is used by staff and not currently equipped to accommodate a young person.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager’s handling of two complaints made by a young person was poor. The young person was not spoken to as part of the investigation into the complaints. One complaint received from an external professional raised issues about a young person’s care and the home’s environment. The manager took action to address the concerns raised in this complaint and the placing authority is satisfied with the outcome. However, complaints are not always recorded, neither is the investigation into the complaint or its outcome.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Independent monitoring of the home takes place at the required intervals. The manager has not effectively used this scrutiny to address a serious issue that the independent Inspection report children’s home: SC059755 11 person identified with a staff member’s practice. There were unnecessary delays in conducting a supervision with a staff member, who has since left the company’s employment. As such, the concern was never resolved.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff do not have all of the necessary training to meet the needs of the young people. Specific training that was arranged in response to a safeguarding concern between young people was identified, but then cancelled a first time by the trainer and a second time because not enough staff could attend. In addition, staff have not been provided with training to support young people with autism, despite a young person with these needs moving in over one year ago.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has been in post from October 2016 and registered with Ofsted since March 2017. She has the necessary qualification and experience for the role. There is also a newly appointed responsible individual for the home who was registered in March 2017. The manager has addressed the recommendation made at the previous inspection, as such the lounge has new carpets and a new sofa.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff provide positive feedback about the manager and their support structures in place. They confirm that they have regular supervisions and team meetings, which help and guide them in their role. The manager ensures that there are sufficient staff on shift each day and great effort is made to ensure consistency and familiarity for young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Feedback from placing authorities to the inspector was mixed. There are concerns about the current education arrangements for two young people and disappointment that one young person’s placement has been ended. However, there is also recognition that young people have made some good progress living at this home and high praise for staff in the manner in which they work.

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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 differences made to the lives of children and young people. They watched how professional staff work with children and young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to children and young people and their families. In addition, the inspectors have tried to understand what the children’s home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people whom it is trying to help, protect and look after.

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Information about this inspection

Using the ‘Social care common inspection framework’, this inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. Inspection report children’s home: SC059755 12

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Five Rivers Child Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Five Rivers Child Care, 47 Bedwin Street, Salisbury SP1 3UT

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Inspector(s)

Guy Mammatt: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC059755 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 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)

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