Children's home run by Greenacre Care Services Limited

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC379104 1 SC379104

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Greenacre Care Services Limited

Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a privately owned home that is registered to provide care for up to four children who have behavioural and/or emotional difficulties.

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This monitoring visit

This children’s home was judged declined in effectiveness at the interim inspection on 29 January 2018. A monitoring visit took place on 7 March 2018 and resulted in one compliance notice for regulation 13 (the leadership and management standard) being served.

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This monitoring visit

 the compliance notice served under section 22A of the Care Standards Act 2000 in relation to regulation 13 (the leadership and management standard)  the notice restricting accommodation served under section 22B of the Care Standards Act 2000.

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This monitoring visit

The regulator is not serving a further compliance notice. The notice restricting accommodation has been lifted. This is because the provider is taking sufficient action to demonstrate that it is reducing the risk of harm to children living in the home. Following this monitoring visit, the provider met with the regulatory manager to discuss the plans to continue to improve the home and experiences for the children.

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This monitoring visit

Some regulations from the previous monitoring visit are met. For example, the provider notifies the regulator when an incident requiring police involvement occurs. The staff have a clearer understanding of their role in implementing the missing child policy. The recruitment and vetting procedure for new staff has improved. This Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC379104 2 helps to keep children safe from harm.

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This monitoring visit

One of the children continues to spend large amounts of time out of the home; nonetheless, the staff are attempting to implement some structure and boundaries for this child. The children no longer routinely receive large amounts of cash in their hand each week. The children are angry with some of the staff, but this is reducing because the children are beginning to engage with the staff more meaningfully some of the time and seek their advice. The communication with stakeholders is improving. The staff meet with the children’s families and placing authorities to ensure that the home understands the children’s plans, for example in regard to family contact.

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This monitoring visit

Interim management consultants continue to manage the home; additional staff have been employed and a different interim consultant provides direct support to the staff. The home now has a deputy manager. While improvements take hold, more time is required to demonstrate how regulations are fully met. For example, most of the staff receive supervision and this is a recent improvement. New staff receive an induction; however, it is a checklist of tasks and does not demonstrate whether new team members receive good opportunities to assimilate the home’s aims and objectives or information about the children before going on shift. The provider has ensured that staff receive training, for example in safeguarding and supporting children at risk of child sexual exploitation. This is an improvement. However, the staff team has not had behaviour management training and this leads to inconsistencies in approach. The provider has informed the regulator that dates

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This monitoring visit

for this training have been identified. The quality of staff training will be reviewed at the next inspection.

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This monitoring visit

Both children attend education; however, their attendance and engagement continues to be erratic. The home does not have an effective or consistent approach to demonstrate how the staff help the children to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training or employment. The structure and content of the children’s care and independence plans has changed. However, the home fails to demonstrate that the team is working consistently with the children to help them to develop the resilience and skills required for living independently. This does not help the children to prepare for leaving care. The children continue to smoke, use drugs and often have an unhealthy diet, and although the staff are changing their approach they have not had meaningful success in helping the children to lead healthier lifestyles.

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This monitoring visit

The regulator has not received a copy of the home’s required review of the quality of care. The independent visitor continues to visit the home monthly, but the provider cannot show what actions are taken as a result of the recommendations made from the visits. Robust and effective quality assurance processes help to ensure that the leaders and managers have a good understanding of the home’s strengths and areas for development. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC379104 3

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 29/01/2018 Interim Declined in effectiveness 18/05/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 25/01/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 21/04/2016 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC379104 4

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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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs as recorded in the child’s plan, taking account of the child’s background;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop resilience skills that prepare the child to live independently as an adult;

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Requirement Due date

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. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(b)(i)(iv)(vi)(ix))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the staff consistently implement the independence plan agreed with the placing local authority. 15/06/2018

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered 15/06/2018 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC379104 5 person to ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally. (Regulation 8 (1)(2)(a)(iii)(v)) The health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being;

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Requirement Due date

and that children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles. (Regulation 10(1)(a)(b)(c)) 15/06/2018

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children to aspire to their full potential;

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Requirement Due date

and promotes their welfare. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b)) 15/06/2018

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Requirement Due date

ensure that each employee completes an appropriate induction;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that all employees undertakes appropriate continuing professional development. (Regulation 33(1)(a)(4)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, that there is a consistent and robust approach to induction and staff receive training in behaviour management. 15/06/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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Requirement Due date

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. (Regulation 44(5))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, that the registered manager and responsible individual demonstrate that they have read the independent person’s report. 15/06/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (‘a quality of care review’) at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must 15/06/2018 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC379104 6 establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of the care they receive in it and any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of the care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

The system must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45(1)(2)(5))

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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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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Greenacre Care Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 15 Achnacone Drive, Colchester CO4 5AZ

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Inspectors

Rosie Davie, social care inspector Catherine Russell, social care inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC379104 7 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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