Children's home run by ABC Care Solutions

Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC460740 1 SC460740

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Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A limited company runs this service. The home provides care for up to four boys who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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This monitoring visit

A monitoring visit was carried out to investigate information received, which suggested there had been a breach of regulations. The service remains fit for registration.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 03/07/2017 Full Good 06/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 10/10/2016 Full Good 21/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC460740 2

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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

The registered person must compile in relation to the children‟s home a statement (“the statement of purpose”) which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1. (Regulation 16(1)) Specifically, include greater detail about the training and support staff receive to deliver therapeutic care. 31/05/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (“the missing child policy”) setting out— (a) the steps taken, and to be taken, to prevent children from being absent without permission; and (b) the procedures to be followed, and the roles and responsibilities of persons working at the home, in relation to a child who is, or has been, so absent. (Regulation 34(4)(b)) 31/05/2018

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Requirement Due date

Before implementing, or making an amendment which the registered person considers to be substantive to, the missing child policy, the registered person must— (b) have regard to any relevant local authority or police protocols on missing children. (Regulation 34(5)(b)) 31/05/2018

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Recommendations

 A record of supervision should kept for all staff, including the manager. The record should provide evidence that supervision is being delivered in line with regulation 33(4)(b)). („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 61, paragraph 13.3)  Ensure that all policies (for the protection of children) are reviewed regularly and revised where appropriate. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 44, paragraph 9.19) Specifically, ensure that the telephone policy includes guidance on use of personal mobile phones and that this is commensurate with the social media policy. Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC460740 3

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to investigate a complaint raised with Ofsted about the running of the home. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000.

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Information about this inspection

Since the last inspection, a senior member of staff applied and was registered to manage the home. However, they then moved on to manage another home provided by the same company and resigned their registration for this home. Another senior staff member is now acting as the manager of the home and intends to apply for registration shortly.

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Information about this inspection

One child has moved on and one child remains living in the home. Children have experienced a period of stability and have been supported to attend school regularly and to do well.

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Information about this inspection

The registered manager has updated the home‟s statement of purpose to include pertinent information about what to expect from the service. However, this would still benefit from further detail about the training and support that staff receive to deliver therapeutic treatment plans and care.

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Information about this inspection

The staff have a good track record of keeping children safe, especially in protecting them from going missing. Since the last inspection, only one child has been missing, and only on one occasion. The staff‟s response to this incident was proactive, in reporting this to the police and the child‟s family, searching for the child and trying to contact them by telephone. However, the home‟s policy and procedure contains some information which is both confusing and wrong and does not reflect actual practice. For example, it states that staff must ask the permission of a senior staff member before reporting a child missing and that staff may only report children as missing after 48 hours has elapsed.

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Information about this inspection

The home has policies on staff use of mobile phones in cars. Managers advise that they are drawing up a policy on the use of staff members‟ own mobile phones in the home and while out on activities with children. Staff use their personal mobile phones to take pictures of children doing activities, for example, to evidence their achievements. However, this use conflicts with the guidance in the home‟s social media policy, which states that staff should not take photographs of children on their personal mobile phones, and is confusing for staff.

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Information about this inspection

The home has a policy on the use of social media for staff. However, guidance for staff on their use of a messaging group as a way of exchanging information is not included in the policy. Although staff speak with confidence about how they use this service only to support their communication as a team, they would benefit from clear, written guidance on its use.

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Information about this inspection

Arrangements are usually in place for staff to receive supervision from managers and clinical supervision from a therapist. However, formal supervision was not arranged in one case, although there were frequent opportunities for informal Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC460740 4 meetings and discussions with the staff member over a relatively short period.

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Information about this inspection

This monitoring visit has concluded that the home remains fit for registration.

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Inspector

Jacqueline Graves, social care regulatory inspector Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC460740 5 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 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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