Children's Home run by One To One Crisis Intervention Ltd in Devon

Inspection report children’s home: 1249787 1 Registered provider: One To One Crisis Intervention Ltd Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a one-bedroom children’s home. It is owned by a private provider that has a number of other homes in the local area.

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Information about this children’s home

Judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged outstanding 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

Significant changes have occurred at this home since the full inspection in July 2017. The registered manager has left, along with the core staff team. The young person living at the home at the time of the full inspection moved successfully at the beginning of August to more independent accommodation, closer to their family. Another child was admitted within four days, and has also moved out. Her experience of living in the home was not positive. Staff did not meet the child prior to her moving into the home, which is poor practice.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Leaders and managers failed to ensure that thorough assessment and planning were carried out for the new child; the move was agreed too quickly. The child had been missing, and was taken to the children’s home in secure transport. The child’s complex care needs required more careful and considered planning than they received. Inspection report children’s home: 1249787 2 The placing authority had secured a special order that allowed staff to prevent the child from leaving the home, without their supervision. This was deemed necessary due to her high level of vulnerability and risk of being abused. However, not all of the staff were fully trained, or experienced and confident enough to care for a child with such complex needs. Some staff were not trained in appropriate and safe physical restraint methods. The core team did not have a sufficient number of staff and additional staff support had to be provided by several other members of staff from within the company. This led to

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

the child being cared for by up to nine adults in one week, and by staff who she did not know well and who did not fully understand her complex emotional and psychological needs. A member of staff who the child formed a special attachment to was moved to another home. While there were valid reasons for this, it had a negative effect on the child’s emotional well-being, which she expressed through challenging behaviour.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Professionals took longer to identify a local school for the child than was first envisaged. Unfortunately, the child only attended for three days before being permanently excluded. A new school was quickly identified, but by then the child was due to move out of the home.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff physically restrained the child five times. The records do not provide full details, for example whether the child was injured during these restraints. In addition, where an injury was noted, a more detailed record was not made in the children’s accident book. Some staff were injured during these restraints. Subsequently, the registered manager advised that staff should no longer restrain the child, and should call the police if they were not able to dissuade her from leaving the home. This decision was based on concerns that some staff were unable to safely restrain the child, but the use of police is not good practice.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The social worker from the placing authority felt that the home had made a good start in caring for the child. Relationships had started forming and the child had begun to trust some of the staff. The social worker was not aware that leaders and managers were experiencing difficulties in staffing the home appropriately, and felt the decision not to physically restrain the child to prevent her leaving the home had given her mixed messages. Another concern expressed by the placing authority related to leaders and managers failing to report a serious safeguarding concern in a timely way. This meant that information was not shared at the time with specialist staff who were assessing the child, or with other professionals who are responsible for deciding what action needs to be taken to protect children at risk of serious harm.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the child has left the home, the registered manager has resigned and left the company, along with members of the core team. A new manager is being sought and in the meantime an experienced manager has been identified to manage the home on a part-time basis.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

As a result of this interim inspection, six requirements are made.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection report children’s home: 1249787 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 In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans, and seek to secure the input of services required to meet each child’s needs (Regulation 5(a)). In particular, this refers to having open and honest discussions with the placing authority about why the needs of a child cannot be met and why they have reviewed their practice in relation to the care and support of a child. Also it refers to the importance of sharing information with specialist staff, so that a full assessment of need can be made. 31/01/2018

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Requirement Due date

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 requires the registered person to ensure that staff 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 and are familiar with and act in accordance with the home’s child protection policies (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(v)(vi)(vii)). In particular, this refers to ensuring all adults caring for children, including staff and directors, make a safeguarding referral as soon as they become aware of a serious concern in relation to a child’s welfare. 31/01/2018

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Requirement Due date

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 ensures that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child, that the 31/01/2018 Inspection report children’s home: 1249787 4 home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child, that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child, and that the registered person understands the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and uses this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(1)(2)(c)(d)(e)(f)) 14: The care planning standard The care planning standard is that children received effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and that

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Requirement Due date

children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation. (Regulation 14(1)(a)(2)(a)) 31/01/2018

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Requirement Due date

27: Appointment of manager The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home. (Regulation 27) 31/05/2018

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Requirement Due date

35: Behaviour management policies and records The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (the behaviour management policy) and 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 a description of any injury to the child and any medical treatment administered. (Regulation 35(1)(3)(a)(viii)) 31/01/2018

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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

Inspection report children’s home: 1249787 5 Unique reference number: 1249787

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: One To One Crisis Intervention Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: One To One Crisis Intervention, 5 Newton Road, Newton Abbot, Devon TQ12 3AL

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Inspector

Norma Welsby, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1249787 6 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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