Children's Home run by Blue Mountain Homes Ltd in Nottinghamshire

Inspection report children's home: SC475335 1 SC475335 Registered provider: Blue Mountain Homes Ltd

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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 privately owned and cares for four young people who have emotional and 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 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: 6 December 2016

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Declined in effectiveness

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Enforcement action since last inspection

A monitoring visit took place in January 2017 and compliance notices were issued. At the subsequent monitoring visit in March 2017, it was found that the compliance notices had been met. Inspection report children's home: SC475335 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

 There has been some progress since the last inspection. However, the home is not yet providing good quality care to young people in all areas. There are shortfalls in each of the judgement areas.  When young people self-harm, they do not always receive support from staff and they are not always closely monitored.  Young people’s privacy and confidentiality is compromised. A young person has ‘listened in’ to a professional conversation about another young person on the home’s second telephone.  Staff have supported one young person in hotel accommodation to give them some time and space to reflect on their challenging behaviours. Risk assessment and planning for the young person’s care during this period was poor.  The décor of the home is not of a good standard throughout. The main entrance area remains unsightly.  Staff training has improved and the staff are developing their skills and competence. However, more work is needed. Not all staff have completed training

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Key findings from this inspection

about attachment or self-harm. Training about female genital mutilation is also required.  One staff member has not achieved the required qualification in the timescales set out by regulation.  Care planning lacks aspiration. It does not support staff to help young people achieve their potential. It does not reflect the work that is taking place.  Improvement is needed to restraint practice. Young people are not asked about their views following restraint, and the manager has carried out the evaluation of a restraint that she was involved in.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Leaders and managers have been effective in tackling the majority of the weaknesses identified in previous visits. As a result, care to young people has improved.  There is a momentum of improvement. Staff feel confident that the home is significantly better than it was before and that there will be continued improvements.  There has been particular progress in ensuring young people’s safety.  Placement matching procedures are improved so that they now better protect Inspection report children's home: SC475335 3 young people’s welfare.  Staff recruitment is very strong and protects young people from adults that may be unsuitable.  Young people are happy at the home and feel safe.  All young people have good plans in place for the next academic year. Education arrangements are bespoke.  Support to young people who live away from their home area is good.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/12/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness 27/09/2016 Full Good 17/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 21/10/2015 Full Requires improvement Inspection report children's home: SC475335 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 who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard requires the registered person to—

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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, repair the entrance porch glass where it is broken, the surround which is marked, the boarding above the utility window and the utility window frame. 20/08/2017

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met

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Requirement Due date

that children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being. (Regulation 10(1)(a) and (b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, make sure that young people are properly supported and effectively supervised after they have a self-harm incident. 20/08/2017

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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.

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Requirement Due date

In particular the standard requires the registered person to ensure that staff— 20/08/2017 Inspection report children's home: SC475335 5 assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking in to account information in the child’s relevant plans and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to a child. (Regulation 12(2)(a)(i)) In particular, comprehensively risk assess for when young people go on holiday or stay in hotels.

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, leads, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to their full potential

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, staff should be trained to address issues of self- harm, attachment disorders and female genital mutilation. 15/09/2017

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that the privacy of children is appropriately protected. (Regulation 21(a)) 20/08/2017

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification by the relevant date. (Regulation 32 (4)) 20/08/2017

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Recommendations

 Ensure that any child who has been restrained is given the opportunity to express their feelings about the experience of the restraint as soon as is practicable, ideally within 24 hours of the restraint incident. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 49, paragraph 9.60)  Ensure that the registered person and their staff engage proactively with the placing authority to contribute fully to the relevant plans for the child’s care on an ongoing basis (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.3) Inspection report children's home: SC475335 6

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improvement to be good

There have been some significant improvements since the last inspection but the home is not yet good. Young people’s information has not always been kept confidential. One young person was able to ‘listen in’ to a private and potentially sensitive telephone call about another young person. Young people’s privacy is compromised as a result. Care planning is basic. For example, plans regarding health and education lack detail. Care plans do not cover how to help young people to develop strategies to manage their self-harm. Also, care planning does not fully reflect the work taking place. Staff are supporting one young person to complete college applications and to attend interviews and open days. However, this work is not set out in the care plan. The care planning process does not stretch young people sufficiently. Young people make very good progress in some areas. However, the lack of effective care planning means that their

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improvement to be good

progress has the potential to drift. When young people need support from health professionals, staff help them to arrange this. Young people access support from sexual health clinics, from the home’s own psychologist and from community mental health professionals. However, support for young people who self-harm is not as strong and care planning is weak in this area. Young people know that staff are always there for them. There are some excellent relationships between young people and staff. One young person said, ‘Staff are good. I click with them.’ Young people speak openly and readily to staff about their most personal problems and worries. This is of great benefit to them because they gain support, direction and increased self-confidence. The house has a homely feel and the décor is significantly improved since the last monitoring visit. Attention is still needed to ensure that all the decoration is of a good

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improvement to be good

standard. The entrance door and porch area looks unsightly. There is a broken glass panel, and a cigarette burn in the plastic door frame. This is important because it is the main door. This is where young people and visitors will form their first impression of the home. A side of the building also looks unattractive as a result of peeling paint and a window in a poor state of repair. Young people make very good progress in their education. They are all in school or college. School leavers have clearly identified plans for the new autumn term. Staff encourage them to discuss their aspirations. Young people who have previously lacked direction now have clear plans for the future. This gives them confidence and something to look forward to. For example, one young person has been supported to identify a pathway to university. One social worker said, ‘I am particularly pleased with education.’ Staff support young people well to maintain contact with their family and friends. This is

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improvement to be good

especially the case when young people live away from their own home area. The Inspection report children's home: SC475335 7 manager and staff make improvements to young people’s contact arrangements. They listen to what young people want. They also advocate for them whenever possible. Some young people are enjoying more contact with people who are important to them as a result. Young people are admitted to the home only after very careful consideration. Each young person’s needs are fully considered before any new admissions. The manager monitors their progress. She informs the relevant placing authority when risk cannot be managed effectively. This allows for good placement decisions, based on clear information. A lot of effort goes into saying goodbye to young people. Professionally published books are used to display photographs. Young people receive these as a gift when they leave, so that they can remember the good times.

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improvement to be good

Young people develop their independence skills. They regularly go shopping, cook and practise skills in the community. This prepares them well for their independence in later life.

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improvement to be good

Young people feel safe and are safe. There are considerable improvements since the last monitoring visit in January. However, there has been one instance when a young person was not supported after an incident of self-harm behaviour. According to the records, they were also not monitored or checked for nine hours following the incident. This is an isolated incident and it appears that the young person came to no further harm. All other evidence points to an effective support network to young people, during their times of crisis. When one young person showed some high-risk behaviours in the home, a decision was made for them to stay in hotel accommodation with staff. Given the young person’s behavioural issues, the risk assessment and planning for their care during this time was poor. Risk was not fully considered, despite the young person and staff having different rooms on different floor levels. There had been no research into either the hotel or local

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improvement to be good

area to make sure that it was suitable. The young person did not come to any harm but such poor planning has the potential to have an impact on young people in the future. Despite identified shortfalls, young people generally receive the help and support that they need to stay safe. For example, staff help them to cope with their past trauma and to reduce their risk-taking behaviours, such as going missing. Behaviour management is good. Staff adopt a calm, caring approach and use their training well. One social worker commented about the staff’s approach, saying, ‘They can calm her down.’ The home manager is the company’s trainer on their chosen method of behaviour management. This is advantageous to staff. When incidents do happen, she leads by example. She thinks very carefully and creatively about strategies that might work and learns from each incident. There has only been one restraint since the last inspection. Some young people have very complex and challenging behaviour,

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improvement to be good

so this is particularly positive. The one restraint was necessary and proportionate to Inspection report children's home: SC475335 8 keep everyone safe. However, practice could be further improved. The young person was not asked their views about the restraint. Also, the manager was involved in the restraint herself, yet she signed off the event record. This does not allow for an impartial evaluation of the restraint. Staff do all that they can to minimise risks when young people go missing from the home. They always speak to young people about the incident afterwards. Good relationships mean that young people readily give staff details about where they have been and what they have been doing. Comprehensive information is shared between professionals, such as the police and social workers. The manager makes sure that she listens to young people. She learns lessons and uses negotiation and compromise with

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improvement to be good

young people. This ensures that young people buy into their own risk reduction strategies. Recruitment practice is strong. This protects young people very effectively from adults who may be unsuitable. When the company receives poor quality references, it does not accept these. The company only recruits when there is enough information to know that staff are suitable.

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

The manager recognises that there have been significant shortfalls in leadership and management in the past nine months. Efforts have been made to improve this and the home is moving in the right direction. However, management arrangements are not yet providing good outcomes for young people across the board. The manager’s planning is not always strong enough to protect young people’s welfare fully. When a young person had to temporarily move out of the home and into a hotel, the manager did not effectively plan for this and the risks were not considered. Care planning is very basic in some areas and monitoring is difficult because of a lack of evidence in the home. For example, the manager did not notice that there was no record of staff providing support to a young person following an incident of self-harm. She was not clear herself about whether the young person had been helped and protected. There have been six new staff in nine months. Some have come to the home with no

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

previous experience of working in a children’s home. The manager has done a good job in matching these staff with more experienced team members. There is now a senior staff member on each shift. The manager has worked exceptionally closely with each staff member to improve their skills. Mandatory training such as behaviour management and safeguarding is completed. Many staff have still not received training about self- harm or attachment disorders. In addition, staff training on female genital mutilation has not yet taken place. It would be difficult for staff to identify abuse or to support young women in this area because they lack knowledge. The development of this staff team has been good since the Ofsted monitoring visit in January, but improvements need to continue. Most staff have either got the required childcare qualification or are enrolled onto their training course. One member of staff has not met the timescales which are set out in the

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

regulations for the completion of this course. The manager always has young people’s best interests at heart. She makes sure that Inspection report children's home: SC475335 9 they are listened to. Young people have regular one-to-one time with her. They have their say about the running of the home and about their care. This helps them to develop confidence. A requirement made at the last inspection about training is repeated. However, all other requirements have been met. This demonstrates a significant amount of work and the organisation’s commitment to getting things right. Improvements include the staff team’s understanding of its role. The staff are now much clearer about their responsibilities. Placement matching is better. Risk assessments are now updated after significant events. A recommendation made at the last visit about the building is escalated to a requirement. There has been some progress towards improving the general appearance

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

of the building and, in particular, the annex. The annex now looks more pleasant from the outside. However, significant improvement is still needed to the main entrance area. The manager is suitably qualified and experienced. She has worked hard to embed new procedures such as a new system to rate the severity of young people’s risks. She has tackled the significant shortfalls found at a previous monitoring visit in January. She remains forward thinking and is able to reflect on what has gone wrong. This puts her in a good position to develop the home in the future. Staff and young people comment very positively about management arrangements. All are much more confident than previously that the home is improving. Staff comments include, ‘things are going up and it is a lot, lot better’.

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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. Whenever 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 and 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: SC475335 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Blue Mountain Homes Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Flat 17, Leeland Mansions, Leeland Road, London W13 9HE

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Pradeep Manaktala

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Inspector

Caroline Brailsford, social care inspector Inspection report children's home: SC475335 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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