Children's home run by Castle Homes Limited in North Northamptonshire

Inspection report children’s home: SC413106 1 SC413106 Registered provider: Castle Homes Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is run by a private provider. It offers care and accommodation for up to six children who have emotional and/or behavioural needs.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 31 January to 1 February 2018

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 15 November 2017

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

A restriction of accommodation notice and three compliance notices were issued following the inspection in November 2017. The restriction of accommodation notice ended on 29 January 2018 and was not extended. All of the steps in the compliance notices are deemed to have been met. Inspection report children’s home: SC413106 2

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Key findings from this inspection

This children’s home requires improvement to be good because:

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Key findings from this inspection

 Improvement and development to address the previously identified shortfalls and failures have either not yet been completed, have been completed but not yet embedded or have not yet been tested.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Recruitment for a permanent manager is still ongoing and an appointee will require a meaningful period of induction in order to lead the current improvement plan effectively.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The capacity of staff to consistently provide a good level of care, which enables the young people to make the expected progress, will, however, need to be demonstrated.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The reduced occupancy of the home has enabled staff to achieve consistency and stability for the young people currently in residence and has also enabled the staff to address the areas requiring improvement.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The young people currently in residence are receiving a good level of care and are adequately safeguarded.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The staff team has been strengthened, is more cohesive and staff reflect a positivity about their capacity to provide the young people with a good quality of care.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The changes and improvements under way to address the identified shortfalls have been well considered, and leaders and managers are confident that the improvements will be sustainable.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/11/2017 Full Inadequate 24/01/2017 Full Requires improvement 15/11/2016 Full Inadequate 08/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC413106 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

12: 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 ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care for each child and also understands 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. (Regulation 13(2)(e)(f)) In particular, to ensure that all staff are able to formulate and follow clear and effective plans for the progress of each child; and also, effectively use available monitoring sources to inform improvement in the quality of care provided. 30/04/2018

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Requirement Due date

13: 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. (Regulation 12(2)(a)(i)) In particular, to ensure that all staff are able to formulate and follow clear and effective plans to manage and reduce the risks and self-defeating behaviours for each child. 30/04/2018

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Requirement Due date

14: 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 manage and review the placement of each child in the home. (Regulation 14(2)(b)(ii)) In particular, to ensure that effective mechanisms are used to understand the needs and risks of children before they move into the home and understand how these might be managed; and also, to consider how these might affect children already in the home. 30/04/2018 Inspection report children’s home: SC413106 4

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improvement to be good

The plans for the young people are clearer and the efforts of staff to support their progress are more focused. The new systems introduced to achieve this are more robust in highlighting the key areas for change for each young person. Recording systems have been improved and the young people’s records provide a clearer, more concise picture of individual backgrounds, needs and risks.

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improvement to be good

All of these developments and improvements are not yet completed and need to become embedded in the day-to-day running of the home. The staff team needs to demonstrate its capacity to consistently maintain the improved levels of care and planning for increased numbers of young people in the home.

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improvement to be good

The organisation’s templates for capturing and understanding the needs and risks for the young people before they move into the home, as well as understanding the mutual impact of these for those already in the home, are not suitable for this purpose. The staff team has passed its views on this to senior managers. Following some targeted training in assessing prospective residents, they have developed a supplementary assessment tool. This has been tested on a mock referral to the home and has been found to be more effective. The organisation’s procedures for considering new residents need to be clearly established and properly tested. Current staff display a keen awareness and understanding of what they now regard as a critical part of the process of appropriately receiving and safely caring for the young people.

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improvement to be good

The young people in the home are making expected progress across all areas and are being adequately prepared for their planned transitions. When relevant, good liaison is maintained with their families, as well as with their local authority social workers and other involved professionals.

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improvement to be good

The risks associated with the young people are appropriately understood and effective strategies are in place to appropriately manage these. This follows a review and rewriting of risk assessments, as well as refresher training for staff in safeguarding. Further work is required to make plans for reducing risks clearer and more measurable. A process of regular reviewing of risk plans, as well as automatic reviews following significant incidents, needs to be included in the current practice model. The embedding of this improved practice, as well as the capacity of the staff team to maintain these safeguarding standards for increased numbers of young people in the home, also needs Inspection report children’s home: SC413106 5 to be demonstrated.

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improvement to be good

Current staff responses when the young people go missing from the home are wholehearted and sustained until the young people are located and safeguarded. Staff are knowledgeable and sensitive to circumstances in which the young people might be exploited or radicalised and respond appropriately when these arise.

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improvement to be good

The physical environment of the home is adequately maintained and health and safety procedures are followed. The staff team displays a good understanding of the locality, particularly as this relates to potential risks to the young people and knowing where they might be when they go missing.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Interim management arrangements have been in place since October 2017 following the departure of the registered manager. The responsible individual has been overseeing the home, and to assist him a second deputy manager was appointed. These arrangements are sufficient for the day-to-day running of the home, with the current number of young people in residence. A permanent and effective registered manager is required to support the longer-term development and stability of the home, as well as to provide a good quality of care to any increased number of young people in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Leaders and managers have made steady and concerted efforts to address the deficiencies and failures identified at the last inspection. During a monitoring visit in January 2018, significant progress across all steps required by the compliance notices was evident. During this inspection they were all deemed to have been met. Some further refinements and additions are still needed and all improvements need to become embedded in daily practice. The current number of young people in the home is less than half the current registration capacity and the staff need to demonstrate their capacity to meet the needs of increased numbers of young people effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The responsible individual conducted a review under regulation 45 for the last quarter of 2017. This was conducted with rigour and honesty and laid the foundation for a relevant and effective action plan, which went beyond the requirements of the compliance notices. There has been a positive collaboration between managers and staff in addressing the identified shortfalls and this has contributed to positive staff morale and a more cohesive staff team, which has also been refreshed by some new members. Inspection report children’s home: SC413106 6

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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

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’. Inspection report children’s home: SC413106 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Castle Homes Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Fifth Floor, 80 Hammersmith Road, London W14 8UD

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Christopher Wells

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Inspector

John Pledger, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC413106 8 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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