Children's home run by Pebbles Care Limited in Hyndburn

Inspection report children’s home: SC456271 1 SC456271 Registered provider: Nurture Childcare Services 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

This is a private children’s home. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four young people at any given time who are experiencing 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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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 widespread failures that mean that not all the young people are protected or their welfare promoted and the experiences of some 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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Enforcement action since last inspection:

None Inspection report children’s home: SC456271 2

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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

 The home is not consistently functioning in line with its four main stated aims, namely: providing a safe and stable environment, promoting education, preparing young people to live independently and ensuring access to good-quality health services.  The home’s statement of purpose does not accurately reflect the current staff team.  Poor internal monitoring systems have directly resulted in a high number of regulatory shortfalls.  A six-month review by the manager about the quality of care provided by the home is still to be completed.  Records are not well maintained. Some entries include highly judgemental statements.  Young people are not benefiting from regular health checks and specialist input to ensure their continued good health and mental well-being.  Young people’s educational targets and progress are not captured to demonstrate that they are actively supported to reach their individual potential.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Sanction records do not consistently include all the required details to evidence fair and proportionate practice.  Child protection procedures to safeguard all individuals are not always adhered to.  There is a failure to notify Ofsted of significant events on a regular basis.  Medication records do not demonstrate safe and effective practice at all times.  Independent return interviews are not effective. They do not assess new risks or how the home intends to prevent further missing episodes.  Internal fire checks are not consistently undertaken at the required frequency.  Room search records are poorly maintained and do not demonstrate appropriate practice.  Staff files do not evidence a consistently robust recruitment and selection process to ensure a safe and competent workforce at all times.  Staff are not benefiting from regular formal supervision or annual appraisals to explore in depth their unique strengths or areas of performance that require

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Key findings from this inspection

further development.  The admission and discharge register is not maintained in line with regulation. Inspection report children’s home: SC456271 3 The children’s home’s strengths:

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Key findings from this inspection

 The new manager of this home is suitably qualified and experienced.  The recently formed staff team provides a good gender balance, a diversity of backgrounds and relevant experiences to help meet a wide range of young people’s needs.  External monitoring of the home is good. The comprehensive and evaluative reports of these visits demonstrate a robust process.  This home ensures that young people enjoy regular constructive contact with family and friends in line with any legal directions and personal preferences.  Individual interests and talents are actively encouraged and supported, which further increases their competencies and boosts self-esteem.  Young people are enabled to take age-appropriate risks as a natural development into adulthood.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/03/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness 24/08/2016 Full Good 02/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 14/10/2015 Full Requires improvement Inspection report children’s home: SC456271 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 registered person must ensure that each child has access to such dental, medical, nursing, psychiatric and psychological advice, treatment and other services, as the child requires. (Regulation 10(c)) 30/10/2017

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Requirement Due date

35: Behaviour management policies and records

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control a record is made which includes all the particulars detailed in the regulations. (Regulation 35(i) and (3)) 30/10/2017

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Requirement Due date

34: Policies for the protection of children

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must implement a policy to provide for the prompt referral of an allegation to the placing authority and must describe the measures which may be necessary to protect the child and in particular, the decision-making as to whether to suspend staff until the completion of any investigation. (Regulation 34(1)(2)(a) and(e)) 30/10/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that staff assess and make arrangements to reduce the risk of harm to each child, and help each child to understand how to keep safe. In particular, the registered person must ensure that meaningful independent return interviews are undertaken. The home should take account of the information provided by such interviews when re- assessing risks and putting any new arrangements in place to protect the child. (Regulation 12(2)(a)) 30/10/2017

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Requirement Due date

23: Medicines 30/10/2017 Inspection report children’s home: SC456271 5 The registered person must ensure robust arrangements are in place for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home. (Regulation 23(1))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must take adequate precautions against the risk of fire and in particular; undertake internal fire checks at the required frequency. (Regulation 25(1)(a)) 30/10/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using safer recruitment procedures to ensure children’s safety. In particular, they should demonstrate that agency staff have the appropriate experience, qualifications and skills for the work they are to perform. ((Regulation 32(1) and (3)(b)) 30/10/2017

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must lead and manage the home in a way that delivers the outcomes set out in the home’s statement of purpose and in particular, education, health, and preparation for independence. (Regulation 13(2)(a)) 30/10/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience and at the frequency prescribed by their own procedures; and have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33(4)(b) and (c)) 30/10/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that staff: help each child to achieve their education targets; support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study; and promote opportunities for each child to learn informally. (Regulation 8(2)(a)(i)(ii) and (v)) 30/10/2017 Inspection report children’s home: SC456271 6 45: Review of quality of care

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children at least every 6 months. The registered person must supply HMCI with a copy of the quality of care review within 28 days of the date of completion. In order to complete this review the registered person must establish and maintain an effective system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating the quality of care. This system must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45(1)(2)(a-c)(4)(a) and (5)) 30/10/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain an admission and discharge register that accurately details all the particulars described in Schedule 4(1)(a-f). (Regulation 37(2)) 30/10/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate revise it and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. This is with particular reference to staffing details. (Regulation 16(3)(a) and (b), Schedule 1(19)) 30/10/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and other relevant persons in writing and without delay of any serious incident detailed in the regulations. (Regulation 40(4)(a-e)) 30/10/2017

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Requirement Due date

5: Engaging with the wider system to ensure children’s needs are met

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Requirement Due date

If the registered person considers a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, the registered person must challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that the child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5(c)) 30/10/2017 Inspection report children’s home: SC456271 7

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Recommendations

 The home should demonstrate that a child’s bedroom is only searched if the child has been informed or asked for their permission. Immediate searching may be necessary where there are reasonable grounds for believing that there is a risk to the child’s or another person’s safety or well-being. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.20)

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Recommendations

 Staff should be familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information on children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that is helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The one young person currently living at this home is happy and settled, and enjoys frequent and positive family contact. She is particularly pleased that staff recently successfully advocated for her to have regular overnight stays with her mum and that her sister was able to join her on a recent caravan holiday. She said, ‘Everything’s alright here at the moment. I like my new school and my family contact is sound. The food is good and there is always a meal waiting for me when I get home. I have made lots of progress.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

An independent reviewing officer highlighted the fact that, ‘The staff travel numerous times a week to support family contact and are actively supporting her to better understand her identity.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Although this inspection has shown some improvement for the one young person currently resident, this has not been the same for the three young people who had lived at the home since the last inspection. Their experiences and outcomes have been variable. For example, one young person benefited from a gradual and smooth transition to independent living. This transition was in line with their agreed care plan. However, notice was served on another young person as they were unable to keep her safe and she was not engaging in any education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

For one young person, since moving to this home and enjoying healthier meals, reduced alcohol misuse and more physical exercise have resulted in the young person losing weight, which has boosted their self-esteem. Consequently, incidents of self-injurious behaviour have also reduced in frequency and severity. However, there is limited documentary evidence of staff actively encouraging young people to attend specialist Inspection report children’s home: SC456271 8 health appointments, such as specialist sexual, emotional and mental health services. There is also limited evidence of staff arranging new appointments where these are missed. For some young people, this means that they continue to smoke tobacco and cannabis.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff have enabled the young person to return to education. She started a new school on a part-time basis at the end of the summer term and returned after the holidays. Although her attendance is good, staff have identified that her punctuality needs to improve. Despite this, staff are not closely monitoring attendance to demonstrate any improvement or decline.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Positive feedback from her school is as follows: ‘This pupil is doing great and engaging really well. She is making friends and has even started to eat within the school, which is a big achievement in a short space of time. The communication with the care staff has been good. There are daily handovers and the care staff seem really supportive.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Individual interests and talents are actively encouraged and supported, which further increases young people’s competencies and confidence. Current examples include boxing, fishing, arts and crafts, animal welfare, bike-riding and drumming.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The young person enjoys cooking and baking. She has tried gardening and helps with basic household chores. However, she is nearly 16 and there is still no formal programme in place to help her prepare to live independently in line with her care plan and the stated purpose and function of this home.

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

The young person has lived at this home for 19 months and feels secure in the knowledge that she can remain until she feels ready to move into independence. She also says that she now feels safer since another young person left the placement. This has directly resulted in a demonstrable reduction in risk-taking behaviours, including going missing, self-harm, criminal damage and assaults. She said, ‘Things are better here now. The new manager gets things done. We are having a fresh start.’

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

Consequently, the young person is now starting to engage more in relevant key-work sessions around keeping herself safe, appropriate relationships and building resilience. Staff say that she is showing a better understanding and is beginning to make wiser choices. Consequently, with appropriate risk management plans in place she is enabled to take age-appropriate risks as a natural development into adulthood. In particular, she is enjoying increased free time with family and friends in the community and is now adhering to the rules to keep herself safe.

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

A strength of this home is the ability to de-escalate some extremely challenging behaviours without resorting to physical intervention. However, sanction records do not consistently include all the required details to evidence fair and proportionate practice.

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

The current and new management team acknowledges that the matching process prior Inspection report children’s home: SC456271 9 to its appointment was not sufficiently robust, which resulted in an inappropriate admission. As a result, there was an increase in serious incidents, including criminal behaviour, both inside and outside the home. Young people were frequently missing from home. In a four-week period in June and July, 26 calls were made to the police to help them manage these challenging behaviours. Staff were unable to keep young people safe and consequently, the placement was disrupted.

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

Some staff left the service due to the significant challenges presented. Others have demonstrated resilience and commitment to the young people, often taking on extra shifts to ensure high staffing ratios at all times. They are now enjoying, with the young person, a period of calm.

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

During the unsettled period, one young person made a number of allegations against staff. These were not all promptly referred to the placing authority’s designated safeguarding officer in line with safeguarding procedures. In addition, there is no recorded evidence of the decision-making process on the need to suspend staff pending the conclusion of any investigation. Moreover, one allegation was substantiated and the individual received a final written warning, but this is not on their personnel file.

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

The lack of stringent monitoring of missing from home incidents means that there is no evaluation of any patterns or trends. Although there is now a good system for ensuring timely independent return interviews, there is no evidence of any meaningful engagement with the young people to try to prevent a reoccurrence.

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

Medication records do not demonstrate safe and effective practice. In particular, they do not detail the reason for the administration of a particular prescription or the directions for use. Furthermore, one entry does not match with the corresponding stock, yet there is no documentary evidence of this being investigated or addressed.

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

All the required external health and safety certificates are in place to evidence a safe environment. However, internal fire checks are not consistently undertaken at the required frequency. This puts young people, staff and visitors at risk, especially as young people are known to have smoked in their bedrooms.

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

There are times when staff have appropriately searched young people’s rooms to ensure their safety and well-being. Examples include drug misuse and self-injurious behaviours. However, these are not appropriately recorded.

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

Staff files do not demonstrate a consistently robust recruitment and selection process to ensure a safe and competent workforce. This is particularly poor in respect of agency workers. The home’s own procedures are not being followed in relation to safeguarding checks and induction prior to starting a shift; at times, this includes photographic identification. The selection process includes a scored written exercise and formal interview. However, the managers were unclear as to what score constitutes a job offer. These shortfalls suggest that the quality assurance of staff files is not sufficiently stringent. Inspection report children’s home: SC456271 10

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The new manager of this home is suitably qualified and experienced. However, she has only been in post for four months and the extent of the shortfalls she has identified at this home means that she has made limited progress to date. Consequently, her four main aims are not consistently being realised for every young person. These are: ‘To prov i de a safe and stab l e env i ronment w i th a strong focus on educat i on, bu il d i ng sk ill s to ensure a successfu l trans i t i on i nto i ndependence and access to good quality health care.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

One of her first priorities was to improve the physical environment, which has been completed. This has created a homely and inviting ambience throughout. The young person loves her recently redecorated and highly personalised bedroom. She said, ‘I am happy with all the new colours in the home because I got to be involved in picking them. I really like my bedroom. It’s sick.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There has been a significant turnover of staff in the last five months and recruitment to permanent posts continues. A new experienced assistant manager and three new support workers are now in place. This means that the current team provides a good gender balance and a good diversity of backgrounds, with relevant experiences to help meet a wide range of young people’s needs. In addition to residential work, examples include education, counselling, nursing, alcohol and substance misuse, learning disabilities, children’s rights and foster care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

One member of staff said, ‘I have been here two and a half years and I have seen lots of changes. The last manager was only here for five months. This new manager is good and has got to know the staff.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager is particularly passionate about developing all her staff to take more ownership when on shift. However, this is proving to be a much slower process than she anticipated. They genuinely welcome this opportunity and feel supported, but it is a new management style for them. This lack of progress is exacerbated because they are not benefiting from formal supervision at the frequency prescribed by the home’s own policy. They have also not had timely annual appraisals to explore in depth their unique strengths and areas requiring further development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Comprehensive and evaluative reports of monthly external monitoring of the home demonstrate a particularly robust process. The new manager clarified that on commencing her post, she received a report which included 26 recommendations. In response, she drew up an action plan, which she is working through. The independent visitor confirms this: ‘This manager has a clear understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the home. She has quickly formulated an action plan and vision for the home to improve systems and the cohesiveness of the team. This will inevitably take some time although she has now completed 92% of the action plan.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

An independent reviewing officer wrote, ‘The last time I visited the home there was a new manager in place and I got the strong sense she wanted to improve the outcomes Inspection report children’s home: SC456271 11 for the young people. She has very quickly grasped their needs and clear plans are now in place to meet them, but I recognise that change takes time.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Only one out of the three requirements raised at the last inspection in March 2017 has been satisfactorily addressed. Consequently, agreed behaviour management strategies are now in place and more consistently applied. In respect to education, the young person is now in school, which in itself is significant progress. However, there are still no details on file of her current specific targets and how staff can support her to achieve them. There is limited documentary evidence of educational activities organised by the staff during the period of her non-attendance and no progress reports when she was home tutored.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Internal monitoring of the home is still not sufficiently robust. This has directly resulted in a high number of regulatory breaches. Records are not well maintained, including, but not restricted to, sanction records and key-work sessions. Highly judgemental entries were seen in daily records. There are also repeated and inaccurate entries in the admission and discharge register. Other shortfalls include: a lack of regular health appointments for young people to ensure their continued good health, young people’s educational punctuality is not being closely monitored, staff files do not consistently include all the required details and the home’s statement of purpose does not accurately reflect the current staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

A six-month review by the manager on the quality of care provided by the home is overdue. This means that there is no current evaluation of the progress that young people have made or of any particular patterns and trends.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Ofsted are not always notified of significant events at the home in line with regulation.. This means that there is a delay in the regulator evaluating the effectiveness of their safeguarding processes and their collaboration with other relevant agencies to protect the young person.

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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 Inspection report children’s home: SC456271 12 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: SC456271 13

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Nurture Childcare Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 71 Edge End Lane, Great Harwood, Blackburn BB6 7QD

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Inspector

Lynn O’Driscoll, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC456271 14 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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