Children's Home run by Phoenix Children’s Homes Limited in Devon

Inspection report children's home: SC403234 1 SC403234 Registered provider: Phoenix Child Care Limited Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a private provider of education and social care for children. It provides care and accommodation for up to three children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home is situated on the edge of town near the coast. Young people may attend education in the company‟s school.

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Information about this children’s home

Judgement at last inspection: Requires improvement to be good

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged requires improvement to be good at the last full inspection. At the interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has declined in effectiveness.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Safeguarding arrangements at the home are inadequate. Leaders and managers fail to train staff in safeguarding procedures. As a result, untrained and inexperienced staff failed to identify a safeguarding concern and to report the matter to the relevant agencies; no action was taken to safeguard the children. On another occasion, when a child made an allegation against other children, staff did not take action until the next day. The action taken was inappropriate. The child who made the allegation was moved out of the home with little notice given to the child concerned. In addition, the child was moved into a holiday chalet with a member of staff whom they did not know and without the knowledge of the placing authority. This child has since returned to the home at the insistence of the placing authority. However, leaders and managers have not taken any Inspection report children's home: SC403234 2

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

additional safety measures to protect the child or the other children living in the home. Records of safeguarding events are inadequate. They do not consistently contain evidence of the actions taken or outcomes of investigations. Staff demonstrated a lack of regard for basic vetting of visitors to the home during the inspection. They failed to ask the inspector for identification on either the 9 or 10 November 2017. On 10 November the inspector was onsite for two hours before being asked to sign the visitors‟ record. The staff team does not manage children‟s behaviour well, and fails to engage young people in a calm and nurturing manner. When incidents escalate, staff are over reliant on the police to manage children‟s behaviours. In addition, staff make threats to children to call the police to the home in an ineffective attempt to de-escalate children‟s behaviour. On one occasion, following the police being called to the home by staff, a 13-

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

year-old child was held in police cells overnight. Some sanctions for children‟s behaviour are punitive – for example, removing children‟s bedtime stories or switching off the electricity supply to children‟s bedrooms. These methods are not appropriate. There is little evidence of staff working with children to reflect on their behaviours, or helping them to develop self-management strategies. Sanction records are inadequate as there is no evaluation of the effectiveness of sanctions used. Children‟s views are rarely recorded, and children said that they „take no notice‟ of sanctions and that they „do not work‟. Records of incidents and restraint are inadequate. The manager fails to monitor incident, restraint and sanction records consistently. The language used in these records is emotive and is often vague, with staff using terms such as the „children are attacking staff‟ and „children are targeting staff‟ for example. Records of incidents and restraints

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

provide insufficient details of events to justify the actions taken by staff, before, during or after an incident. In one case, a report states that a child made „false allegations‟ about staff. There are no other records concerning the nature of these allegations or actions taken to respond to them. In some cases, records are contradictory – for example, two logs about the same incident record that different restraint techniques were used. The staff fail to talk to children about the incidents they are involved in or witness. In particular, when staff physically restrain a child, they fail to consult with the child after the event. Staff rarely involve children in discussion to check on the child‟s welfare. In one case, a discussion was conducted but this was by the member of staff who carried out the restraint; this is not appropriate. Due to these deficits in practice, the team misses opportunities to review and reflect on incidents with a view to avoiding the use of

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

physical restraint in the future. Children are not cared for by an experienced or consistent staff team. Each child is assessed by their placing authority as requiring one-to-one supervision. In practice, children do not always receive this level of staff support. To cover the staffing shortages, staff are brought in from other children‟s homes from across the organisation and agency staff are used. Children do not know the adults who are coming in and out of their home. In addition, staff who are still in their probationary period are sometimes left in charge of the home. Inspection report children's home: SC403234 3 The staff team is inexperienced and, as a result, staff do not have the confidence to make simple decisions without referring to managers. Staff told the inspector that morale is low and that the team is working long hours. Staff do not receive regular supervision and are not provided with opportunities to reflect on their practice or receive

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

sufficient guidance from managers. As a result, there is a lack of understanding of professional boundaries in the interactions between staff and children. For example, some staff allow children to use staff members‟ personal mobile phones. Staff do not work effectively as a team or fully understand children‟s plans. Managers fail to share with staff important care-planning information. For example, the previous manager failed to share sensitive information about the behaviour of one child. As a result, staff failed to implement strategies to guard against the risk associated with these behaviours. This resulted in an allegation being made by one child against another. In addition, no risk assessments were carried out concerning the introduction of a new child. On two occasions, staff have allowed children to go out unsupervised, contrary to their care plans. The home has too little communal internal and external space to accommodate the

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

number of young people living in the home and the required number of staff. There is insufficient space for children and staff to sit and eat a meal together. The home does not have a garden. On occasions, due to no available waking night staff, two staff have slept-in at the home. The second member of staff has slept in the children‟s lounge due to insufficient space in the house. This does not ensure that there is sufficient oversight within the home at night.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/07/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 20/02/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness 23/08/2016 Full Good 02/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children's home: SC403234 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

6: The quality and purpose of care standard The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who understand the children‟s home‟s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children; use this understanding to deliver care that meets children‟s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to: ensure that staff protect and promote each child‟s welfare; provide personalised care that meets each child‟s needs, as recorded in the child‟s relevant plans, taking account of the child‟s background; provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably; make decisions about the day-to-day arrangements for each child, in accordance with the child‟s relevant plans, which give the child an appropriate degree of freedom and choice; ensure that the premises used for the

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Requirement Due date

purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to meet the needs of each child. The conditions are that the care meets the child‟s needs; that the care is delivered by a person who has the experience, knowledge and skills to deliver that care; and is under the supervision of a person who is appropriately skilled and qualified to supervise that care.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 6 1(a),(b), 2(b)(ii, iv, vii, ix),(c)(i), 3(b),(c)(i, ii)) 31/12/2017

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Requirement Due date

11. The positive relationships standard 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, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to: ensure that staff meet each child‟s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child‟s relevant plans; help each child to develop socially aware behaviour; encourage each child to take responsibility for the child‟s behaviour, in accordance with the child‟s age and understanding; help each child to develop and practise skills to 30/12/2017 Inspection report children's home: SC403234 5 resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone; communicate to each child expectations about the child‟s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those

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Requirement Due date

expectations in accordance with the child‟s age and understanding; help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child‟s age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful; strive to gain each child‟s respect and trust; understand how children‟s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children; are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same; de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children; understand and communicate to children that bullying is unacceptable, and have the skills to recognise incidents or indications of bullying and

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Requirement Due date

how to deal with them; and that each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 11 1(a)(b)(c), 2 (a)(i, ii, iii, iv, v, vi, viii, ix, x, xi, xiii),(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, staff must not use the police as a routine means of managing children‟s behaviours. Admission to the home must be well managed, including carrying out an impact risk assessment. Information about children must be shared with the staff who will be caring for them. 12. The protection of children standard The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to: ensure that staff 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; manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other; understand the roles

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Requirement Due date

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; and are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home‟s child protection policies; that the home‟s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each 30/12/2017 Inspection report children's home: SC403234 6 child effectively from harm; that the effectiveness of the home‟s child protection policies is monitored regularly.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 12 1, 2(a)(i, ii, iii, iv, v, vi, vii)(b),(e))

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Requirement Due date

All staff must receive regular safeguarding training and visitors must be asked for identification upon arrival at the home 13. The leadership and management standard 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. 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; ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate; ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child; ensure that the home‟s workforce provides continuity of care to each child; understand the impact that the quality of care

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Requirement Due date

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; demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 13 1(a),(b), 2 (a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(g)(i, ii,)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and manager must ensure that staff who are in their probationary period are not left in charge of the home. 30/12/2017

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Requirement Due date

14. The care planning standard The care planning standard is that children receive effectively planned care in or through the children‟s home. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to: ensure that each child‟s relevant plans are followed; that staff help each child to access and contribute to the records kept by the registered person in relation to the child.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 14 1(a), 2(c, f)) 30/12/2017

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Requirement Due date

19: Behaviour management and discipline 30/12/2017 Inspection report children's home: SC403234 7 No measure of control or discipline which is excessive, unreasonable or contrary to paragraph may be used in relation to any child.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, children‟s bedtime stories should not be removed as a sanction and staff should not use threats to call the police as a means of managing children‟s behaviours. 32. Fitness of workers The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children‟s safety. The requirements are that the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform.

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Requirement Due date

35. Behaviour management policies and records The registered person must ensure that within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes details of the child‟s behaviour leading to the use of the measure; the date, time and location of the use of the measure; a description of the measure and its duration; details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure; the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”) has spoken to the user about the measure; and has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 35 3 (a)(ii, iii, iv, v, vii)(b)(i, ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, debriefs with children should not be carried out by staff members involved in the restraint. The language to describe events should not be emotive or vague but provide a clear description of what happened. 30/12/2017

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Recommendations

 The design of the home should provide staff that sleep in the home overnight with appropriate accommodation and facilities to do so. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 17, paragraph 3.26) In Inspection report children's home: SC403234 8 particular, staff should not use the young people‟s lounge when working sleeping- in duties.

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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

This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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Information about this inspection

Using the „Social care common inspection framework‟, this inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with the Children‟s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the „Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Phoenix Child Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Phoenix Learning & Care Ltd, First Floor, Rolle Quay House, Rolle Quay, Barnstaple, Devon EX31 1JE

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Deborah Lovering-Roddis

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Inspector

Wendy Anderson, social care inspector Inspection report children's home: SC403234 9 achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children‟s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children‟s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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