Children's home SC367737

Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC367737 1 SC367737

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Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a private provider who is also the registered manager. Care and accommodation are provided for up to three children and young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The registered manager also operates a school from the same address.

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This monitoring visit

The purpose of this visit was to assess the actions taken by the provider to address the weaknesses identified at the recent full inspection, when the home was judged as inadequate.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers produced a detailed action plan in response to each of the requirements raised at the previous inspection. The action plan confirms that leaders and managers recognise and understand the shortfalls in the quality of care provided to children.

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This monitoring visit

The manager has employed a new senior leader who has a range of experience in the social care sector. The new leader is providing good support to the manager and staff team in order to develop their skills in safeguarding children and meeting their identified needs. The new leader‟s skills and expertise are helping to balance the manager‟s lack of knowledge in certain areas.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers are helping staff to start taking more responsibility for supporting children‟s needs and using appropriate boundaries with them. New plans are in place to improve staff supervision sessions. In addition, all staff have been enrolled on a training scheme to enhance their professional development. The effectiveness of these improvements is not yet evident and will be reviewed at the next inspection. Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC367737 2 The manager has started to decorate the home to make it more homely. Further work is still required to fully achieve this goal.

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This monitoring visit

The manager has appointed a new independent visitor to quality-assure the home and to help improve the service provided. This visitor is independent of any other role in the company. The first visit has taken place. However, at the time of this inspection the report had not yet been received by the manager or Ofsted for their scrutiny and oversight.

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This monitoring visit

Managers and staff have started to improve how they meet the children‟s needs. Managers have addressed the previous concerns relating to the safeguarding of a child who was attending a work placement. The child is still attending the placement and staff from the home are directly supporting him during the placement in order to ensure his safety. Another child‟s health and cultural needs are now being better supported by staff. A young person who has turned 18-years-old now has a definite plan in place as to where he is moving to and when this will be happening.

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This monitoring visit

A second full inspection will be undertaken to review the actions taken to address all of the previous requirements.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 11/10/2017 Full Inadequate 02/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 05/07/2016 Full Requires improvement 20/04/2016 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC367737 3

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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

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

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff— (a) seek to involve each child‟s placing authority effectively in the child‟s care, in accordance with the child‟s relevant plans; (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. 30/11/2017

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Requirement Due date

6: The quality and purpose of care standard

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Requirement Due date

(1) The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who— (a) understand the children‟s home‟s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children; (b) use this understanding to deliver care that meets children‟s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— (a) understand and apply the home‟s statement of purpose; (b) ensure that staff— (i) understand and apply the home‟s statement of purpose; (ii) protect and promote each child‟s welfare; (iii) treat each child with dignity and respect; (iv) provide personalised care that meets each child‟s needs, as recorded in the child‟s relevant plans, taking account of the child‟s background; (v) help each child to understand and manage the impact 30/11/2017 Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC367737 4 of any experience of abuse or neglect;

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Requirement Due date

(vi) help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult; (vii) provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably; (viii) provide to children personal items that are appropriate for their age and understanding; and (ix) 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. 10: The health and well-being standard

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Requirement Due date

(1) The health and well-being standard is that— (a) the health and well-being needs of children are met; (b) children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and (c) children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— (a) that staff help each child to— (i) achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child‟s relevant plans; (ii) understand the child‟s health and well-being needs and the options that are available in relation to the child‟s health and well-being, in a way that is appropriate to the child‟s age and understanding and (c) that each child has access to such dental, medical, nursing, psychiatric and psychological advice, treatment and other services as the child may require. 30/11/2017

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Requirement Due date

(1) The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— (a) that staff— (i) 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; (ii) help each child to understand how to keep safe; (iii) have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm; (v) understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to 30/11/2017 Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC367737 5 protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; (vi) take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child‟s welfare; and (vii) are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the

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Requirement Due date

home‟s child protection policies; (b) 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 (e) that the effectiveness of the home‟s child protection policies is monitored regularly. 13: The leadership and management standard

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Requirement Due date

(1) The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children‟s home that— (a) helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and (b) promotes their welfare. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— (a) 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; (c) ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; (e) ensure that the home‟s workforce provides continuity of care to each child; (f) 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; (g) demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and

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Requirement Due date

improved by taking into account and acting on— (i) research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and (ii) feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and (h) use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. 30/11/2017

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Requirement Due date

(1) The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children‟s home. (2) In particular the registered person must ensure that— (b) medicine which is prescribed for a child is 30/11/2017 Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC367737 6 administered as prescribed to the child for whom it is prescribed and to no other child. (Regulation 23 (1) (2) (b)) 32: Fitness of workers

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Requirement Due date

(1) The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children‟s safety. (2) The registered person may only— (a) employ an individual to work at the children‟s home; or (b) if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3). (3) The requirements are that— (a) the individual is of integrity and good character; (b) the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform; (c) the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and (d) full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in

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Requirement Due date

Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2) (a) (b) (3) (a) (b) (c) (d)) 30/11/2017

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Requirement Due date

(1) The registered person must— (a) ensure that each employee completes an appropriate induction; (4) The registered person must ensure that all employees— (b) receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (1) (a) (4) (b)) 30/11/2017

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Requirement Due date

(4) The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if— (b) an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4) (b)) 30/11/2017

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Requirement Due date

44: Independent person: visits and reports

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Requirement Due date

(1) The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children‟s home at least once each month. (2) When the independent person is carrying out a visit, 30/11/2017 Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC367737 7 the registered person must help the independent person— (a) if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires; and (b) to inspect the premises of the home and such of the home‟s records (except for a child‟s case records, unless the child and the child‟s placing authority consent) as the independent person requires. (3) A visit by the independent person to the home may be unannounced. (4) The independent person must produce a report about a visit (“the independent person‟s report”) which sets out, in particular, the independent person‟s opinion as to whether—

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Requirement Due date

(a) children are effectively safeguarded; and (b) the conduct of the home promotes children‟s well- being. (5) The independent person‟s report may recommend actions that the registered person may take in relation to the home and timescales within which the registered person must consider whether or not to take those actions. (6) If the independent person becomes aware of a potential conflict of interest (whether under regulation 43(3) or otherwise) after a visit to the home, the independent person must include in the independent person‟s report— (a) details of the conflict of interest; and (b) the reasons why the independent person did not notify the registered provider of the conflict of interest before the visit. (Regulation 44 (1) (2) (a) (b) (3) (4) (a) (b) (5) (6) (a) (b)) Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC367737 8

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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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Inspector

Guy Mammatt, social care inspector Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC367737 9 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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