Children's home run by Rushcliffe Specialist Schools (Mickleover) Ltd in Nottingham

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC463386 1 SC463386

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Rushcliffe Specialist Schools (Mickleover) Ltd

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is a residential special school that is registered as a children’s home. This is because it provides care to children for over 295 days per year. The children receive education and care on the same site. The home is privately owned. It is registered to provide care for 24 children who have learning disabilities. At the time of this monitoring visit, eight children were on roll.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit was conducted following the receipt by Ofsted of several complaints, some of which were anonymous, about the functioning of the home. Following receipt of one of the anonymous complaints, Ofsted wrote to the provider, which then conducted its own investigation into the concerns raised. This monitoring visit was arranged in response to continued concerns being raised, and concerns that there could be a breach of regulations. The purpose of the visit was to monitor the provider’s response to these concerns, and to monitor the progress made since the last inspection.

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This monitoring visit

As a result of this visit, two of the requirements made at the last inspection are repeated. These requirements relate to the quality of care provided, and the leadership and management in the home.

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This monitoring visit

One requirement is met. This relates to the procedure for complaints. The procedure now meets regulation. Complaint records are sufficient and detail the action taken and the outcome. However, young people report that they are often dissatisfied with the outcome of complaints. The manager is aware that the system for consultation with young people is an area for development.

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This monitoring visit

Six additional requirements are made and one recommendation. This indicates a decline in the functioning of the home. Progress in meeting the recommendations made at the home’s previous full inspection will be reviewed at the next inspection. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC463386 2 The children’s home was judged good overall in June 2017, but required improvement in the effectiveness of leaders and managers. At the time of the last inspection, a consultation about staff rotas had created feelings of unrest within the staff team. Young people had picked up on this, and some reported feeling increased anxiety as a result. The majority of shortfalls identified at this monitoring visit stem from this very poorly managed consultation period. Leadership and management have become ineffective. The previous responsible individual and registered manager have left the home’s employment. A new responsible individual

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This monitoring visit

is now in post, and interim arrangements were in place while the responsible individual was absent. A new manager has been in post since mid-September 2017.

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This monitoring visit

Since the last inspection, there has been a very high turnover of permanent members of staff, leading to the high use of agency staff. While the provider has tried to maintain some consistency by using regular agency staff, this has not always happened. As a result, young people have often been cared for by strangers. This has had a significant impact on the well-being of some young people. It has led to an increase in self-harm, and increased feelings of insecurity and anxiety. One young person is choosing to stay at home as opposed to staying at the children’s home as there has been such a high emotional impact from all the changes of staff. For some young people, this is their permanent home and they are not feeling comfortable there. One young person said: ‘Lots of my core staff have left. Only one is left. Bear in mind these are the people I see day in and day out. I live here. It’s a big deal.’ Another young person said: ‘It is very disorganised. It doesn’t feel very

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This monitoring visit

stable. It makes me feel worried and anxious.’ However, other young people reported that they were satisfied with the care they received and said that they were ‘happy’.

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This monitoring visit

Recently, the provider recognised that, due to the regular lack of experienced, core members of staff on duty, one young person could no longer be cared for safely. The young person’s placement was ended with immediate effect. There was no consultation with the young person’s carers or placing authority, and the young person did not have the opportunity to make their feelings known. This is a diversion from the young person’s care plan and represents a poor outcome for a young person nearing their transition to adult services. The breakdown in this young person’s placement is a direct result of ineffective leadership and management.

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This monitoring visit

Care is provided in three ‘lodges’ on site. Due to pressures on staffing, one lodge has been closed. The young people living there were moved to a different lodge with very little notice. There was no consultation with young people, their parents/carers or placing authorities. The majority of young people who live at the home have autistic spectrum disorder. A characteristic of this disorder can be difficulties in processing and dealing with change. Typically, young people prefer time to reflect, prepare and adjust to any change. Young people told the inspector that they did not have the opportunity for this. As a result, there is increased anxiety for a lot of the young people concerned.

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This monitoring visit

Recruitment checks for agency workers are not robust. Basic information about Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC463386 3 agency workers is held by the manager but there is no further examination of this information. For example, no further scrutiny regarding references or employment history has taken place. The provider is relying on the employment agency to ensure that these checks are carried out, but there is no system in place to ensure the quality of the agency’s checks. This means that the provider has not sought sufficient evidence to demonstrate a person’s suitability to work with children.

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This monitoring visit

The provider recognises that the functioning of the home is not currently effective. However, there is lack of strategic senior leadership oversight. There is no up-to- date or coherent action plan or development plan which clearly recognises and reflects the shortfalls or areas for development. There is no monitoring or auditing of the steps the provider is taking to improve the quality of care. In addition to this, the report regarding the provider’s monitoring of the quality of care has not been sent to Ofsted within the six-month timescale. This means that the regulator has not been able to monitor the functioning of the home in a timely way.

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This monitoring visit

Recognising the concerns of parents and carers, the provider held two face-to-face meetings in August and September 2017. The minutes of these meetings have agreed action points from all participants involved for the provider to act on. There is no record of how, or if, these actions have been met, or how parents and carers have been kept up to date with progress. There is no effective process to engage and communicate with parents.

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This monitoring visit

Some concerns brought to the attention of Ofsted prior to the monitoring visit relate to the provision of food. There have been inconsistencies around the provision and availability of food. Additionally, there are complaints that staff have provided meals that do not consider young people’s needs and their likes and dislikes. Young people report that there has not always been food available to meet their specific needs. The manager has recognised this, and the system for ordering food has improved. However, there are still areas for development as some young people remain dissatisfied. While there is now a large amount of frozen, dry and canned food in the lodges, an effective system for planning meals, in consultation with young people, is not consistently in place.

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This monitoring visit

Health and safety practice within the lodges is not always effective. Two fire doors were observed to be propped open, including a kitchen door. This undermines fire safety systems as, in the event of a fire, smoke and fire may spread more rapidly. Food hygiene principles are not always adhered to. On the day of the monitoring visit, out-of-date food was seen in the kitchen, as well as uncovered and/or undated meat in a freezer. This has the potential to cause illness and demonstrates that basic systems of house-keeping and stock rotation are not working.

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This monitoring visit

Basic organisational systems require further development. During the monitoring visit, managers were unable to provide the inspector with an accurate historic staffing rota. Parents and young people also report that they have requested information about staff rotas, so that it is clear who will be working in each lodge. A poster was observed to be pinned to a young person’s bedroom door, and had Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC463386 4 been placed there by staff. Although the young person confirmed that this was a joke between him and the staff, and that he did not take offence, the content of the poster was inappropriate and does not demonstrate that staff treat young people with dignity. Staff have removed graffiti (which includes expletives) from a communal open space. However, this graffiti is still visible and can be read, which detracts from the homely atmosphere the manager is trying to create.

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This monitoring visit

The home’s new manager has been in post for a short time. The impact of the changes she has made is beginning to be seen. She has focused on recruitment and a number of new, permanent staff are due to start imminently. This will begin to address the consistency of staffing. Young people were positive in their feedback about staff, stating that they all try their best, including agency staff. Parents and carers state that they still have confidence in the home and confirm that, prior to this period of deterioration, outcomes for their children were positive. They are hopeful that the home can return to its previous high standard.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 27/06/2017 Full Good 08/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 21/06/2016 Full Good 15/10/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC463386 5

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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 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;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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Requirement Due date

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;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

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Requirement Due date

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)(d)(e)(f)(g)(ii)(h)) 22/12/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (‘a quality of care review’) at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered 22/12/2017 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC463386 6 person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed.

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45(1)(2)(a)(b)(c)(4)(a)(5))

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Requirement Due date

This is with particular reference to demonstrating how actions from consultation meetings with parents and carers have been acted on. The registered person must ensure that full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32(3)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This includes obtaining evidence that all the required checks have been obtained for all agency staff used. 22/12/2017

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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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

ensure that staff ascertain and consider each child’s views, wishes and feelings, and balance these against what they judge to be in the child’s best interests when making decisions about the child’s care and welfare;

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Requirement Due date

regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the 22/12/2017 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC463386 7 quality of the home’s care;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to prepare for any review of the child’s relevant plans and to make the child’s views, wishes and feelings known for the purposes of that review; and

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the views of each relevant person are taken into account, so far as reasonably practicable, before making a decision about the care or welfare of a child. (Regulation 7(1)(c)(2)(a)(i)(iv)(vi)(e)) The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that each child’s relevant plans are followed;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the child’s placing authority is contacted, and a review of that child’s relevant plans is requested, if—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person considers that the child is at risk of harm or has concerns that the care provided for the child is inadequate to meet the child’s needs. (Regulation 14(1)(a)(b)(2)(iii)(c)(e)(i)) 22/12/2017

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff— 22/12/2017 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC463386 8 treat each child with dignity and respect;

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Requirement Due date

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. (Regulation 6(1)(a)(b)(2)(b)(iii)(ix))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that playful jokes between staff and young people are not victimising in nature. Ensure that children are provided with nutritious meals, suitable for each child’s needs. Where appropriate, children should be involved in choosing and preparing meals, and opportunities to sit together and eat should be promoted. Ensure that food hygiene principles are applied in the kitchen area. Ensure that a stock rotation system is in place to prevent food being available for young people which is out of date. The registered person must ensure that the requirements of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and any regulations made under it, except for article 23 (duties of employees), are complied with in respect of the home. (Regulation 25(2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, that fire safety systems are not compromised by the propping open of fire doors. 22/12/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4 and ensure that the records are kept up to date. (Regulation 37(2)(a)(b)) 22/12/2017

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Recommendations

 For children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.9) In particular, ensure that graffiti is effectively removed.

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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

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC463386 9 Unique reference number: SC463386

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Children’s home details

Provision sub-type: Residential special school

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Rushcliffe Specialist Schools (Mickleover) Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 3rd Floor Butt Dyke House, 33 Park Row, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire NG1 6EE

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Inspector

Catherine Honey, social care inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC463386 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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