Children's home run by R Place Limited

Inspection report children‟s home: SC429189 1 SC429189 Registered provider: R Place Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This privately run children‟s home provides care and accommodation for up to five young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

requires improvement to be good

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

p.1

requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

p.1

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.

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 28 February 2018

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: declined in effectiveness

p.1

Enforcement action since last inspection:

On 9 March 2018, two compliance notices were issued in respect of regulation 26, fitness of the provider, and regulation 34, policies for the protection of children. These notices were reviewed within this full inspection. Inspection report children‟s home: SC429189 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/02/2018 Interim Declined in effectiveness 18/04/2017 Full Good 16/08/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 19/05/2016 Full Requires improvement Inspection report children‟s home: SC429189 3

p.2

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.

p.3

Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so. (Regulation 8 (1)) 11/05/2018

p.3

Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on— (a) mutual respect and trust; (b) an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and (c) positive responses to other children and adults. The registered person must ensure that staff meet the child‟s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child‟s relevant plans. (Regulation 11 (1) (a) (b) (c) (2) (a) (i)) 11/05/2018

p.3

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. The registered person must ensure 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; (iii) have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm; (iv) manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other; and (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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2) (i) (iii) (iv) (b)) 11/05/2018

p.3

Requirement Due date

If the registered provider appoints a person to manage the home, the registered provider must, without delay, give HMCI notice of the name of the person so appointed and the date on which the appointment takes effect. (Regulation 27 (2) (a) (b)) 11/05/2018

p.3

Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered 11/05/2018 Inspection report children‟s home: SC429189 4 person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children‟s home that— (a) helps children aspire to their full 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; and (c) ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1) (a) (b) (2) (a) (c)) In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating the quality of care provided for children and the feedback and opinions of children about the children‟s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive

p.3

Requirement Due date

in it. (Regulation 45 (2) (a) (b)) 11/05/2018

p.4

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. (3) The registered person must— (a) keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and (b) notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (1) (3) (a) (b)) 11/05/2018

p.4

Requirement Due date

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. (Regulation 6 (1) (a) (b)) 11/05/2018 Inspection report children‟s home: SC429189 5

p.4

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that, in line with their individual health care plans and the ethos of the home, children are offered advice, support and guidance on health and well-being, specifically regarding substance and alcohol misuse. ('Guide to the children's home regulations including the quality standards', 7.18 page 35, paragraph 5))  Staff should be familiar with the home's policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. ('Guide to the children's home regulations including the quality standards' 14.4, page 62 paragraph 2))  Where there is a possibility that a child will run away or go missing from the children's home placement, their placement plan should include a strategy to minimise this risk. If the child is looked after, their care plan (arranged by the placing authority) should also include such a strategy. (Guide to the children's home regulations including the

p.5

Recommendations

quality standards 9.24, page 45 paragraph 2))  The registered person must have a system in place so that all staff receive supervision from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children in their care. (Guide to the children's home regulations including the quality standards 13.2, page 61 paragraph 2))  In a restraint situation, staff should use their professional judgement, supported by their knowledge of each child's risk assessment, an understanding of the needs of the child (as set out in the relevant plans) and an understanding of the risks the child faces. Professional judgements may need to be taken quickly, and staff training and supervision of practice should support this. (Guide to the children's home regulations including the quality standards 9.53, page 48 paragraph 7))  The registered person should ensure that all incidents of control, discipline and

p.5

Recommendations

restraint are subject to systems of regular scrutiny to ensure that their use is fair and suitable de-escalation and re-direction techniques are implemented prior to the intervention. (Guide to the children's home's regulations including the quality standards 9.36, paragraph 5 page 46))

p.5

improvement to be good

Young people‟s care plans fail to identify individual placement needs or how the home aims to address these needs. This means that staff are not working with young people to address specific targets in order to achieve the aim of the placement. As a result, care is not adequately planned and young people receive inconsistent care and support while in placement. Many young people placed in this home have a previous history of non-engagement in Inspection report children‟s home: SC429189 6 education. At the time of the inspection, 70% of current residents do not receive adequate education or training. For example, some residents receive one hour of tuition per day. Education plans identify targets to improve young people‟s educational attendance. However, there is no evidence of how the home aims to implement the targets in order for young people to meet their full potential. Young people have individual healthcare plans and are registered with local practitioners.

p.5

improvement to be good

Staff consult with external healthcare professionals, such as eclipse, 42 street and sexual health services, in order to address concerns such as drug and alcohol misuse, going missing from care and sexual relationships. However, young people rarely engage with these services. Young people are not provided with alternative opportunities, such as regular key-work sessions with staff, to address these concerns. Contact with family and friends is supported. Young people say that they are satisfied with their contact arrangements. Staff work well with families to build positive working relationships. The home provides good opportunities for young people to experience different types of activities. Young people have experienced indoor sky diving, skiing, tobogganing, go- karting and trampolining. Some young people join community groups such as Scouts and football teams. Unique experiences are captured and saved within individual photobooks

p.6

improvement to be good

which young people can take with them when they leave the home. Young people and staff form adequate relationships. However, records indicate that the atmosphere within the home can change quickly, resulting in frequent episodes of aggressive and challenging behaviours from young people. Consultation with young people is improved. Recently, young people have been involved in the redesign and decoration of their bedrooms. Young people were clearly happy with the changes and eager to show the inspector the transformation. Likewise, young people are also consulted about activities and menus.

p.6

improvement to be good

Although there has been a slight decrease in the number of young people reported as missing, there remains a concern that young people continue to be frequently away from the home. Young people regularly do not return from their time in the community. The concern for their safety is heightened because staff are unaware of the company that they keep or the areas that they visit. Appropriate action is taken to report young people as missing to the relevant agencies and local searches are conducted. However, missing from home risk management records fail to identify young people‟s previous destinations when they have gone missing. Return home interviews for young people who have been reported as missing are improved. Since the last inspection on 28 February 2018, over 80% of interviews have taken place and are appropriately recorded within the home. This means that professionals are capturing the reasons for incidents and are beginning to use this

p.6

improvement to be good

information to manage the risk of further episodes of missing behaviour. Records of physical intervention require improvement. Records lack important details Inspection report children‟s home: SC429189 7 about the intervention, including the de-escalation and re-direction techniques used prior to a decision to physically intervene. De-escalation plans are not in place in order to guide staff in the use of the most effective and personalised approaches for young people in crisis. Young people placed in the children‟s home have a range of complex and challenging needs. The majority of young people have similar behaviours which include drug misuse, frequent episodes of going missing, non-attendance in education and aggression. Suitable plans and strategies to break the cycles of behaviour are not in place. Consequently, there is limited guidance for staff regarding the management of risk- taking behaviour and minimal expectations and aspirations for young people to make

p.6

improvement to be good

effective and sustained change to their behaviour. A „My plan‟ programme has recently been developed to help young people and staff work together to determine the most effective way to manage crisis. While there is some evidence of this being used in the home, it is not consistent. As a result, some young people become frustrated and angry because their agreed plan is not being followed.

p.7

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The children‟s home has operated without a registered manager for 12 months. Senior managers have been unable to secure a suitably experienced and qualified manager during this time. The home is currently being overseen by the responsible individual. There have been changes to the ownership and directorship of the home. A previous director has stepped down and a member of staff has taken up the position of director of finance. At the time of this inspection, the directors, responsible individual and deputy manager have no previous experience of operating or managing a children‟s home. At the last interim inspection on 28 February 2018, the responsible individual was asked to amend the home‟s statement of purpose. The statement continues to be misleading and misrepresentative of the service provided in the home. For example, the home does not provide specialist educational, health or therapeutic packages of care. Consequently,

p.7

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

placing authorities are not provided with accurate information in order to make suitable referrals to the home. Internal monitoring is deficient. Monitoring does not identify inconsistent practice, poor recording or a lack of basic planning for care, health and risk management. Consequently, practice is not consistently improved. External monitoring takes place at regular intervals and is provided by an independent agency. Actions are raised as a result of these visits and some issues are addressed. However, due to a lack of ongoing review by management, these improvements are not always sustained by the home. At the last interim inspection on 28 February 2018, the responsible individual was asked to review the supervision and staffing arrangements within the home. This is because many of the staff are related or have friendships or relationships. Action has been taken to address this and staff are no longer supervised by a relative. However, because of the

p.7

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

relationships between staff, the home would benefit from an independent source of professional staff supervision. Inspection report children‟s home: SC429189 8 On 9 March 2018, two compliance notices were served on the home. The home‟s attention to these notices was measured at this inspection and both notices have been met. Information pertaining to the employment of a new director has been presented to Ofsted and details of the checks undertaken with regard to this person are held on the home‟s files. The registered individual is qualified at national vocational qualification level 3 and is currently undertaking the diploma in social care. Policies in respect to the protection of missing children are in place and set out the actions to be taken by the home, should a concern arise for the safety of a missing child. Seven requirements and one recommendation from the last interim inspection are restated within this inspection because they have not been met. One further requirement

p.7

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

and five additional recommendations are also made at this inspection. The home has operated for 12 months without the experience and skill of a qualified manager. There are no current managers or staff employed within this service with previous experience of a senior or deputy manager role within a children‟s home. This shortfall significantly impacts on the home‟s capacity to provide consistent, innovative, well-planned and proactive care to young people.

p.8

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.

p.8

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: SC429189 9

p.8

Inspector

Maria McGranaghan: social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC429189 10 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.

p.9

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.10

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.10

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: http://www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.10