Children's home run by Altum Residential Care Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC489660 1 SC489660

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Altum Residential Care Ltd

Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The children’s home is owned and managed by a private company. It is registered to care for three children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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This monitoring visit

The police and the local child sexual exploitation team contacted Ofsted to raise a number of concerns about this home. The concerns focused on:

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This monitoring visit

 insufficient numbers of suitably trained, qualified and experienced staff  high levels of agency staff who care for and support young people yet who do not understand or respond to young people’s needs effectively  ineffective intervention by staff when young people leave the home and put themselves into vulnerable situations  over-reliance on other agencies, such as the police, to manage young people’s challenging and aggressive behaviours  reports from young people that they had felt unsafe living in the home due to the ongoing violence and aggression between the young people and towards the staff members.

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This monitoring visit

An internal case discussion took place on 4 October 2017 to consider the information provided. Ofsted then carried out an unannounced visit to the home on 9 October 2017.

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This monitoring visit

The inspector found that the home has experienced a period of instability due to a number of changes within the staff team. This has affected staff’s ability to work together to provide consistency and stability for the young people. Consequently, since the last inspection, young people have not received sufficient care and support Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC489660 2 from a consistent and stable staff team.

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This monitoring visit

Risk management in the home is poor. Individual risk assessments lack sufficient detail about specific actions that staff should take to reduce the risk of harm. Furthermore, staff do not systematically implement young people’s risk assessments, nor does the registered manager review and update these assessments following all significant incidents.

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This monitoring visit

The inspector found that the registered manager and staff had failed to take appropriate action when they had identified significant risk factors, in particular fire- starting behaviour. The strategy identified to reduce this risk is for staff to supervise the use of cigarette lighters at all times and for regular room searches to take place to minimise risk. However, the inspector observed several cigarette lighters in a young person’s bedroom. In the young person’s en suite bathroom, there was a burnt plastic bottle with toilet paper in and discarded cigarettes. In the shower cubicle there was an item of clothing that the young person had deliberately burnt.

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This monitoring visit

In addition, one young person’s risk assessment identified that, on 28 September 2017, they set fire to toilet paper in their en suite bathroom. On 6 October 2017, both young people were reported to have been involved in setting fires in the garden area. Although the registered manager had reviewed the risk assessment on 29 September 2017, she did not update, review or revise the assessment after the second incident. Only one staff member had signed to indicate that they had read the risk assessment. Consequently, the registered manager cannot be assured that all staff are fully aware of all identified risks and strategies to keep young people safe. Furthermore, young people continue to set fires in the home environment and the garden, placing themselves and others at risk of significant harm.

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This monitoring visit

The inspector looked at the daily care records. The records confirmed that the young people continue to lock themselves in their bedroom or other rooms in the house, where they smoke and cause damage. Consequently, these risks are not reducing, nor are they being managed sufficiently. This, together with the lack of effective behaviour management strategies to address these particular behaviours, means that young people are placing themselves and others at risk of potential harm.

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager and staff have failed to take appropriate action to follow the risk management strategies that are in place to protect young people and themselves. Furthermore, when significant incidents have been highlighted, appropriate action has not taken place to minimise and address all risks. As this significantly compromises the safety and welfare of young people, a compliance notice under regulation 12, the protection of children, has been made.

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This monitoring visit

Educational outcomes for young people are poor. The children’s home’s staff do not provide a sufficient level of structured activity, particularly during the day in the absence of formal education or college placements or when young people fail to attend their education setting. Young people are not given clear expectations around Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC489660 3 the need to attend education and are not engaged in any suitable structured activities during school times. Therefore, staff have failed to support young people to regain their confidence in education and improve their educational outcomes.

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This monitoring visit

The full inspection, which took place on 14 and 15 June 2017, identified that the educational progress for young people was varied and that young people were not making measurable progress or reaching their full potential. As a result, a requirement was issued in regards to improving the educational outcomes for young people. However, during this visit the inspector identified that this requirement has not been met and that young people still do not benefit from improved educational outcomes.

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This monitoring visit

Throughout this monitoring visit, the inspector identified that staff are still inconsistent in their approach when encouraging and supporting young people to engage with any meaningful education or training. In addition, poor structures, boundaries and routines further hinder young people’s ability to engage in any meaningful education, training or employment opportunities. Records viewed, such as the daily logbook, demonstrate that staff do not provide young people with any structured routines or activities during the day. Young people spend most of their morning in bed and then spend time outside of the home with each other. When young people return to the home, evidence suggests that they engage in harmful behaviours, such as violence and aggression towards staff and each other. There has also been significant damage in the home. This often continues late into the evening and during the early hours of the morning. As a result, young people do not

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This monitoring visit

normally settle to bed until the early hours of the morning and therefore do not wake up until mid-afternoon. The logbook further demonstrates that, while some staff do attempt to wake young people up early in the morning, all staff do not systematically undertake this. Consequently, young people do not have clear expectations regarding the routines and boundaries in the home, nor do they understand the importance of their attendance in education or engage in suitable structured activities during school hours.

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This monitoring visit

One young person has yet to receive an appropriate education package to meet her educational needs, despite moving into the home in July 2017. The registered manager informed the inspector that, as of 9 October 2017, an education tutor has been identified, for five days a week for three hours a day. However, the first session was cancelled and the young person did not receive the agreed plan of education and learning. Furthermore, the second young person in the home has not been supported effectively to engage in further education, training or employment, despite leaving school in July 2017. The lack of suitable education provision for young people limits their opportunities to reach their full educational potential and impacts on their later life chances. A compliance notice under Regulation 8, the education standard, has been made.

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager has identified an increase in risk-taking behaviours that young people continue to engage in, including going missing from the home, smoking, engaging in alcohol use and displaying aggression towards staff members. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC489660 4 She increased the number of staff on shift in the home to attempt to deal with the young people’s behaviours. However, at times this meant that agency staff, who had not established positive relationships with the young people, covered the entire shift. In turn, this lack of stability caused further disruption and upset for young people. The registered manager had requested from the agency recruitment details to ensure that the agency staff members are safe to work with young people. However, some agency staff members do not have the required childcare qualification and have not had training in physical intervention. This means that staff

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This monitoring visit

are not equipped with the right skills and experience to meet the needs of the young people.

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This monitoring visit

Young people do not develop positive relationships with staff so that they can be supported to modify and adapt their behaviour. This is because there has been a high turnover of staff and an increase in the use of agency workers. As such, staff have little influence in supporting young people to address their behaviour. This, along with the lack of consistent and effective guidance and boundaries in place to address inappropriate behaviour and poor behaviour management strategies, has resulted in 57 police contacts since 4 January 2017. Consequently, young people continue to engage in violent and aggressive behaviour between themselves and the staff team. This compromises the safety of young people and staff and has a negative impact on the progress that young people make in this home. A requirement has been made to address the breach of the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015.

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This monitoring visit

Although the registered manager requests the necessary strategy and planning meetings with the placing local authorities when she identifies that she can no longer keep young people safe, the registered manager does not request children looked after reviews to escalate her concerns when these risks become too great. In addition, when there have been delays in the placing authorities identifying a suitable alternative placement, no immediate risk management strategies are implemented. This hinders young people’s ability to make good progress in the home, and places them and others at risk of harm.

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This monitoring visit

There is a lack of transparency in safeguarding practice. The police have been contacted on a large number of occasions by both staff and young people in this home for support, assistance and to manage behaviour. Staff and young people have reported significant incidents to the police following incidents of violence and aggression in the home, and from young people expressing concern for their safety due to the actions of other young people. However, the regulator is unable to assess the effectiveness of the actions taken to address all these incidents as the manager has failed to notify Ofsted of these incidents as required. This does not allow the regulator to have a clear overview of all safeguarding incidents, and is in breach of the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015. A requirement has been made to address the breach.

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This monitoring visit

Following a requirement made at the last inspection, the provider has taken some Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC489660 5 steps in improving the physical appearance of the home. Young people have been involved in choosing the décor for the front room and benefit from newly decorated bedrooms. However, further work is required to ensure that young people are provided with a warm, welcoming and nurturing home environment. For example, the front room still requires new sofas, the kitchen requires modernising, the water stain on the ceiling in the main staff office needs to be addressed, the door separating the hall and the living room needs to be re-hung and the plaster around this door frame needs to be replaced. In addition, the damage that has been caused by the young people to the upstairs ‘chill out/nurture room’ requires addressing, as this room is presently out of bounds. This requirement will be re-issued.

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This monitoring visit

Young people continue to go missing from home. Staff follow young people’s missing-from-home protocols and report each missing-from-home incident to the police and to the placing local authority. A social worker confirmed that staff search for young people when they go missing from the home. This area of practice has now improved as the registered manager has ensured that independent return home interviews are now conducted, as requested during the last inspection.

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This monitoring visit

The manager accepts the difficulties that she has experienced in making suitable arrangements to provide adequate staffing levels for young people in the home and she has a plan in place to address this moving forward. She is moving to another position within the company as the responsible individual. A new manager has been appointed to take over the running of the home and will be supported by a newly appointed deputy manager. They both have the required management qualifications and are committed to improving the experiences and progress for young people in this home.

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This monitoring visit

Ofsted has found that the registered manager and staff have failed to safeguard and protect young people living in the home. As a result, enforcement action has been taken and two compliance notices have been issued. Furthermore, due to breaches of the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015, requirements have been made.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 14/06/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC489660 6

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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, the 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

5: In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

(b) seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs; (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. (Regulation 5(b)(c)) 08/11/2017

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Requirement Due date

The quality of care standard is that the registered person must ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6(2)(c)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the premises are decorated and furnished to a good standard and provide children with a comfortable and pleasant home environment. This is with particular regards to ensuring that new sofas are in situ in the living area, the kitchen area is modernised, the water stain on the ceiling in the main staff office is addressed, the door separating the hall and the living room is re-hung and the plaster around this door frame is replaced. In addition, the damage that has been caused by the young people to the upstairs ‘chill out/nurture room’ requires addressing, as this room is presently out of bounds. 08/11/2017

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

that staff help each child to understand the importance and 08/11/2017 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC489660 7 value of education, learning, training and employment; help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible; and that staff help each child who is above compulsory school age to participate in further education, training or employment and to prepare for future care, education or employment. (Regulation 8(1)(2)(a)(iv)(viii)(ix)) The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on mutual respect and trust, an understanding about acceptable behaviour and positive responses to other children and adults. In particular, this standard requires the registered

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Requirement Due date

person to ensure that staff help each child to develop socially aware behaviour by encouraging each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour while helping each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone. (Regulation 11(1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(ii)(iii)(iv)) 08/11/2017

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Requirement Due date

12: The protection of children standard *

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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 in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child; help each child to understand how to keep safe; have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm; understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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Requirement Due date

Also, 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; and that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation (1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(d)) 19/10/2017 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC489660 8 13: The leadership and management standard

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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 helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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; understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home; use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(f)(h)) 08/11/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation; an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious; there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there; a child protection enquiry involving a child is instigated; or concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40(4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e)) 08/11/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (‘the behaviour management policy’) which sets out how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home. (Regulation 35(1)(a)) 08/11/2017

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendations:

 Where the registered person considers that a child is at serious risk of harm, due to their escalating violence and aggression or an increase in their risk- taking behaviour, such as being persistently missing from their placement, they must contact the local authority to request a review of the child’s care Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC489660 9 plan. Where a review does not take place, the registered person must escalate this concern under regulation 5, engaging with the wider system to ensure children’s needs are met. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 57, paragraph 11.12)

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to investigate information received which suggests that there may be a breach of regulations.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Altum Residential Care Ltd

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Janine Shortman-Thomas, social care inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC489660 10 to 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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