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

Monitoring visit 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 up to three children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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This monitoring visit

An unannounced visit took place on 9 October 2017. This was as a result of a number of concerns that were raised with Ofsted by the police and the local child sexual exploitation team. During the visit, a number of significant shortfalls were identified. The registered manager and staff had failed to take effective action in response to safeguarding concerns. Furthermore, the registered manager and staff had failed to identify, minimise and manage all known risks to the young people. The lack of robust safeguarding practice compromised young people’s welfare and safety resulting in eight requirements being raised and two compliance notices being issued.

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This monitoring visit

On 19 October 2017, Ofsted carried out a further unannounced visit to the home. The purpose of the monitoring visit was to assess the progress made by the registered manager in meeting the steps required in the compliance notice, Regulation 12, The protection of children. The monitoring visit identified that the registered manager had taken sufficient steps to ensure that there were effective safeguarding practices in place to promote the safety and welfare of the young people.

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This monitoring visit

On 13 November 2017, Ofsted carried out a further unannounced visit to the home. The purpose of the monitoring visit was to assess the progress made by the registered manager in meeting the steps required in the compliance notice, Regulation 8, The education standard.

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This monitoring visit

The inspector found that the registered manager had taken appropriate action to ensure that there are clear routines and structures in place each day for the young Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC489660 2 people. The registered manager had ensured that staff are now following daily plans and consistently encouraging the young people to get up in good time each day to engage in their education plans. Young people are involved in devising these plans and additional financial incentives are in place to encourage the young people to engage in setting individual targets and goals.

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager and staff now request individual education plans from the placing social workers. When the local authority has failed to provide plans, the registered manager had appropriately challenged social workers and escalated concerns to senior managers. The registered manager and staff are now working more closely with all virtual head teachers to ensure that they can obtain worksheets from young people’s school provisions so that this, and the one-to-one tutoring, enhances and supports all young people to re-engage with their education.

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This monitoring visit

In the absence of school placements, there are now improved structures and processes in place to ensure that young people receive some form of education on their arrival at the home. Improved relationships with education providers ensure that young people who are new to the home receive an assessment of their educational needs and one-to-one home tuition. This prioritises mathematics and english. Although this initial support and service enable and support young people to consider and engage in an education provision, initial signs are that this is having limited effect for some young people.

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This monitoring visit

Staff offer young people the opportunities to continue to broaden and develop their knowledge, skills and experiences when they leave school. Staff support young people to get involved in completing household chores, budgeting and meal preparation to enable them to develop some of the skills and knowledge they will need to manage adulthood successfully. Furthermore, staff also support young people to attend college open days, complete curriculum vitae, and attend job interviews.

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager has taken suitable action to address one of the requirements made at the monitoring visit on 9 October 2017. The premises are now decorated and furnished to a good standard and provide young people with a comfortable and pleasant home environment. The new sofas have arrived, the door separating the hall and the living room has been re-hung, and the plaster around the door frame has been replaced and re-painted. In addition, the damage that had been caused by the young people to the upstairs nurture room has now been addressed to enable the young people to use this room again.

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager and staff continue in their efforts to promote the safety and well-being of young people. The staff have actively implemented young people’s missing-from-home protocols and have been effective in their efforts to search, locate and return young people to the home quickly and safely. Following a requirement made during the monitoring visit on 9 October 2017, the manager and staff are now informing Ofsted, along with the police and young people’s placing Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC489660 3 authorities in line with young people’s plans, when significant events, such as going missing from home, occur. Furthermore, following a further requirement made during the visit on 9 October 2017, the registered manager is now stringent in escalating her concerns to the placing authorities when young people’s missing- from-home behaviours become increasingly risky. She ensures that the relevant

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This monitoring visit

meetings are held and suitable interim arrangements are in place to support young people’s safety and to reduce potential risks for all young people while alternative placements are sought. That said, despite the best efforts of the registered manager and staff, young people continue to engage in behaviours, such as going missing from home, self-harm, and engaging in alcohol and substance use, that compromise the safety and well-being of young people.

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This monitoring visit

Although staff are aware of the actions that they must take to safeguard young people at times of emotional distress, the current risk assessments do not provide staff with detailed and specific actions that they must take when supporting young people during self-harm incidents, such as when they engage in ligature use. This, and a lack of specialist training in this area, compromises the staff’s ability to provide safe and consistent care to young people. As such, two new requirements in regards to risk assessments and staff training have been raised during this visit.

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This monitoring visit

The provider has taken the necessary steps to address the actions raised in the compliance notices under regulation 8. Ofsted will continue to monitor this provider to ensure that these improvements are maintained.

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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 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, 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

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 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

The protection of children standard. In order to meet the protection of children standard the registered person must ensure that children are protected from harm. In particular, the standard 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(1)(2)(b)) This is with particular regards to ensuring that there are clear written risk management plans in place identifying how the staff will support, manage, supervise and monitor young people when young people engage in self-harming behaviours such as ligatures. 01/12/2017

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard. In order to meet the leadership and management standard the registered person must enable, inspire and lead a culture in relation to the children’s home that helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare. 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; 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 01/12/2017 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC489660 5 care provided in the home; use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard. In order to meet the leadership and management standard, the registered person must ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13(2)(c)) This is with particular regards to ensuring that staff are provided with training in self-harm which covers ligatures. 01/12/2017

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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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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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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: 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 6 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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