Children's Home, Residential special school run by Rowden House School Limited in Herefordshire

Inspection report children’s home: SC035625 1 SC035625 Registered provider: Rowden House School 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 is a privately owned residential special school. The school is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to 30 children who have learning disabilities.

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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 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: Declined in effectiveness

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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 are slow in triggering safeguarding procedures, especially when dealing Inspection report children’s home: SC035625 2 with concerns about colleagues and visitors.  Senior managers do not have a clear understanding of safeguarding incidents because managerial oversight and review is inconsistent.  Young people have not been given their correct medication dose and stock has been allowed to run out.  Staff have failed to take swift action when a young person accidently ate potentially dangerous substances.  Young people’s medication is not stored safely or in line with the home’s procedures.  Managers have not made sure that enough staff are trained in the administration of medication.  Staff shortages mean that young people are not supervised in accordance with their individual care plans.  Managers fail to ensure that behaviour support plans outline how staff should respond if a young person is likely to cause harm to others.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staff have spoken to some young people harshly and, on one occasion, a member of staff was alleged to have physically assaulted a young person.  Fire safety checks are not routinely carried out in all the individual houses.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people have good school attendance and make good academic progress.  Parents and social workers are complimentary about the home.  Young people enjoy a varied range of activities that help to enhance their social experiences, fitness and well-being. Inspection report children’s home: SC035625 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/03/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness 02/11/2016 Full Good 13/01/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 08/06/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC035625 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 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 have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm, take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare and are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12(2)(a)(iii)(vi)(vii)). 09/08/2017

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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 child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12(2)(b)) 09/08/2017

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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 promotes children’s welfare. (Regulation 13(1)(b))* 09/08/2017

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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. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 13(2)(a)) 09/08/2017

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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. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13(2)(c)) 09/08/2017 Inspection report children’s home: SC035625 5 The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child. (Regulation 13(2)(d)) 09/08/2017

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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. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(2)(h)) 09/08/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home. (Regulation 23 (1))* 09/08/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that medicines kept in the home are stored in a secure place so as to prevent any child from having unsupervised access to them. (Regulation 23(2)(a)) 09/08/2017

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Requirement Due date

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must take adequate precautions against the risk of fire, including the provision of suitable fire equipment in the children’s home. (Regulation 25(1)(a)) 21/09/2017

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to compliance notices. Inspection report children’s home: SC035625 6

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff do not have a clear understanding of the importance of safeguarding and the need for them all to be vigilant. This has had a detrimental impact on young people’s overall safety and well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff show little awareness of risks that can affect young people’s physical health. For example, there have been occasions when young people have not received their prescribed medication in line with their doctor’s instructions. This has been because staff have given young people the wrong dose of medication or because stock levels have been allowed to run out. On one occasion, staff delayed seeking medical attention for a young person who had accidentally eaten an unknown fungus. The delay in seeking medical advice risked compromising the young person’s health.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

There are no care plans that detail how young people should be supported. For example, behaviour support plans do not adequately outline how staff should respond if a young person is likely to cause harm to others . Although core staff are aware of how to react in such a situation, the lack of written instruction leads to inconsistences in practice, especially when agency and relief staff support young people.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Some staff and young people have warm and caring relationships. Young people appear comfortable in the company of some of the staff and enjoy positive interaction with them. However, this does not happen with the whole team. There have been occasions when staff have spoken harshly to young people and there was one incident when a young person was alleged to have been assaulted by a member of staff. This means that young people do not always experience safe and secure relationships with staff caring for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

More positively, young people have good school attendance and this helps them to make academic progress. Young people enjoy a range of activities that help keep them fit and healthy. Young people particularly enjoy the home’s swings and roundabouts, which they can access every day. They also have the opportunity to develop their social experiences through day trips and going on holidays, all of which enable them to be part of their community and to enjoy time away from school.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff work well with young people’s advocates. This helps to secure meaningful participation in decisions that affect young people’s lives at the home. Staff help young people to develop the essential life skills they will need as adults. For example, young people develop skills through helping staff with the laundry and taking increased responsibility for their self-care skills. Consequently, young people have increased awareness of personal safety and confidence in their own knowledge and skills. Staff recognise the importance for young people to stay in touch with family and friends. Inspection report children’s home: SC035625 7 Families are welcomed into the home and a recent ‘family fun day’ was held in the school grounds. Young people, their families, staff and the wider community enjoyed the event, and parents speak positively about the staff and their children’s experiences. One parent told the inspector, ‘[My son] is doing really well, you couldn’t ask for more. They

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

just have a really good understanding of autism.’

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

Not all staff have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities. Some fail to stay vigilant about the safety and welfare of young people in their care. Staff do not follow procedures when safeguarding incidents occur and are not sufficiently alert to the importance of safeguarding young people. For example, there was an allegation that a member of staff had assaulted a young person. Despite this being reported to a senior member of staff, the member of staff about whom the allegation had been made continued to work in the house, and the incident was not escalated to senior managers for over 24 hours. This practice means that young people are exposed to potentially unsafe practice and care. Although there was a delay in the allegation being referred to senior managers, once they were aware swift action was taken and a referral was made to the designated officer for the local authority.

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

Medication is neither stored safely nor in line with the home’s procedures. For example, controlled medication is left unsupervised and is accessible to young people. Staff leave personal belongings, such as handbags, where young people can easily access them. This lack of attention to safety leaves young people at risk.

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

Managers have failed to ensure that staff follow safeguarding investigation recommendations. For example, after an incident when staff used an unsafe car to transport young people, all staff were required to complete vehicle check sheets before using vehicles. Managers were unaware that staff were failing to adhere to this safe practice measure. This lack of managerial monitoring of staff practice compromises the safety of young people.

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

Young people are not supervised in accordance with their individual care plans. This is due to staff shortages throughout the home. For example, in May, two houses had 19 shifts that did not have the appropriate staffing levels. Consequently, staff and young people were placed at risk of harm .

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

Fire safety checks are not regularly carried out in all the houses. This means that safety measures are not assessed to ensure that young people’s welfare is protected. Since the inspection, Ofsted has contacted the fire service who will be following up the concerns. Young people do not go missing from the home. Staff receive training on how to keep young people safe from the risks of child sexual exploitation and radicalisation. This training helps staff to be fully aware of young people’s vulnerabilities and to stay mindful of the risks of child sexual exploitation and radicalisation. The registered manager’s recruitment and vetting process helps to reduce the likelihood of unsuitable individuals being employed to work with young people. This means that Inspection report children’s home: SC035625 8 young people are protected from staff who might be recruited and who may pose a risk to them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The registered manager has been in post since October 2010 and holds a level 5 registered manager’s award. The existing monitoring systems in the home are not effective to keep young people safe. These systems do not support the registered manager to review the quality of care that young people receive. Consequently, young people do not receive consistent care in line with the home’s statement of purpose. Staff feel supported by the management team. However, concerns have been raised over the quality of supervision sessions. For example, one senior member of staff has admitted to falsifying supervision records. This compromises the reliability of these documents as records of whether practice is appropriately assessed and reviewed regularly. Staff are not adequately trained to care safely for young people. For example, only 25 staff are trained in administration of medication out of a total of 86. This has placed

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

additional pressure on those staff who have undergone the necessary training. Six staff have still not completed the level 3 qualification in residential childcare within the set timescale. However, there are now more staff with a qualification than previously. There are a number of staff vacancies at the home. This has meant that staff have been required to work overtime and agency staff are used to cover shifts. Managers have recognised this concern and have put various measures in place to improve the recruitment and retention of staff. However, the ongoing shortfall in staff numbers means that young people are not receiving the required level of supervision set out in their care plans. Professionals are complimentary about the home, and say that the management team and staff work well in partnership with them. One professional told an inspector, ‘ The manager has been instrumental in instigating and contributing to police officer

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

awareness training concerning the nature of the disabilities and disorders the children at the home have.’ The young person’s guide is written an accessible format, including pictures and symbols. This helps young people to understand the services that the home offers. Staff support young people’s religious and cultural needs by helping them learn about differences in cultures and respecting their religious preferences. These are clearly outlined in their placement plans. The management team is aware of the concerns raised by Ofsted during the inspection and is committed to improving the service so that it is safe and young people receive care in line with their care plans.

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Information about this inspection

Inspection report children’s home: SC035625 9 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 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: SC035625 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: Rowden House School Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 1 St. George’s, Vernon Gate, Derby, Derbyshire DE1 1UQ

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Inspectors

Louise Battersby, social care inspector Sue Young, social care inspector Paul Robinson, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC035625 11 achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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