Children's home run by South West Childcare Services

Inspection report children’s home: 1268518 1 Registered provider: South West Childcare Services

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This children’s home was registered in November 2017 to provide care and accommodation for two children. The home is operated by a small private company that has other children’s homes in the same region.

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 requires improvement to be good

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

Overall judgement at last inspection: Not applicable

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: Not applicable Inspection report children’s home: 1268518 2

p.1

This is the home’s first inspection

Inspection report children’s home: 1268518 3

p.3

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

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—

p.3

Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans;

p.3

Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs.

p.3

Requirement Due date

In particular, this is in relation to arrangements being in place for children who go missing to have an independent return home interview on their return.

p.3

Requirement Due date

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

p.3

Requirement Due date

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

p.3

Requirement Due date

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

p.3

Requirement Due date

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

p.3

Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

p.3

Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose.

p.3

Requirement Due date

In particular, this is in relation to the use of sanctions which 14/05/2018 Inspection report children’s home: 1268518 4 should be meaningful and restorative in nature and reflect the home’s philosophy of ‘normalisation’.

p.3

Requirement Due date

(Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)) 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—

p.4

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

p.4

Requirement Due date

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

p.4

Requirement Due date

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;

p.4

Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

p.4

Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

p.4

Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child.

p.4

Requirement Due date

In particular, this is in relation to the staffing structure being improved to provide senior, qualified and experienced staff to lead shifts and support the manager.

p.4

Requirement Due date

(Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(c)(d) and (e)) 31/05/2018

p.4

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—

p.4

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.4

Requirement Due date

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

p.4

Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. 14/05/2018 Inspection report children’s home: 1268518 5 In particular, this is in relation to the manager’s oversight of records maintained by the home, including missing from care, physical restraints, sanctions and children’s finances. The manager must review records and the practices they describe in order to identify whether improvements can be made and also to ensure that records are fit for purpose.

p.4

Requirement Due date

(Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) and (2)(h)) 27: Appointment of manager The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if—

p.5

Requirement Due date

there is no registered manager in respect of the home; and

p.5

Requirement Due date

is not, or does not intend to be, in day-to-day charge of the home.

p.5

Requirement Due date

If the registered provider appoints a person to manage the home, the registered provider must, without delay, give HMCI notice of—

p.5

Requirement Due date

the name of the person so appointed; and

p.5

Requirement Due date

the date on which the appointment takes effect.

p.5

Requirement Due date

In particular, the appointed manager must submit their application by the agreed date to ensure that Ofsted can conduct a suitability interview within 26 weeks of the previous registered manager leaving their position.

p.5

Requirement Due date

(Regulation 27 (1)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii) and (2)(a)(b)) 30/04/2018

p.5

Requirement Due date

33: Employment of staff The registered person must ensure that all employees—

p.5

Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

p.5

Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience.

p.5

Requirement Due date

(Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b)) 31/05/2018 Inspection report children’s home: 1268518 6 12: The protection of children standard The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.5

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

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.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, this refers to the importance of storing medication safely, and any decisions about the safety of administering medication should be carefully risk assessed following specialist advice.

p.6

improvement to be good

The overall experiences and progress of children living in this home require improvement. Care practices need to be consistently good, as lapses in standards have put children at risk of harm, for example in relation to the management of their medication. In addition, opportunities have been missed to help children to become increasingly safe, as correct procedures have not been followed to ensure that children who have been missing have the opportunity to talk to someone independent of the home.

p.6

improvement to be good

Staffing arrangements have not been robust. Changes in the management of the home and the need to use company bank staff to offset shortages have meant that children have been cared for by several different adults. For children moving into a new children’s home, this will have been disconcerting at times.

p.6

improvement to be good

Notwithstanding the above, children are settling into their new home and starting to make progress. They are developing good relationships with staff. From their individual starting points, both children have achieved progress in education. Staff are understanding of the challenges some children face within a school setting and are offering sensitive and nurturing support. Where difficulties arise, they seek to advocate for children and liaise with other professionals to seek a suitable resolution.

p.6

improvement to be good

Staff have been effective in helping children to see their families regularly, and one parent described how she is being supported to build a more ‘positive relationship’ with Inspection report children’s home: 1268518 7 her child, which she is very appreciative of. Children are also supported to pursue hobbies and enjoy a range of activities, such as horse riding and dog walking.

p.6

improvement to be good

Children are being encouraged to be reflective and to think positively about their achievements, and this is helping to build their emotional resilience. The manager and staff have access to clinical support and are striving to care for children in a way that recognises their childhood experiences.

p.7

improvement to be good

The management and safekeeping of children’s medication have not been consistently good. A serious incident occurred when a child was able to easily access medication that should have been locked in a suitable cabinet. This put the child at serious risk of harm. Since then, improved medication storage facilities have been provided and staff are more vigilant.

p.7

improvement to be good

On a separate occasion, a child was given prescribed sleeping tablets following an incident when there was a possibility that the child had taken an overdose of paracetamol. The inspector was told that advice about this was taken from paramedics who attended, but the home’s record does not indicate this, nor is there a separate risk assessment or rationale in place to explain this action.

p.7

improvement to be good

On too many occasions, children do not receive an independent return home interview after going missing from the home. Out of eight occasions, only once did the child have the opportunity to meet with an independent person. This demonstrates that opportunities are being lost to ascertain the reasons why a child is going missing from the home and what can be done to help reduce incidents in the future. It is imperative that current arrangements in place are reviewed and improved as a matter of urgency.

p.7

improvement to be good

When a child’s behaviour is deemed unacceptable, sanctions are sometimes used. Not all of the sanctions used have been fully recorded. Some of the sanctions used are punitive and inappropriate. For example, a child is expected to pay for the replacement of mugs they broke while distressed, following a difficult conversation with a parent. This approach is not in keeping with practices outlined in the home’s statement of purpose and should be reviewed.

p.7

improvement to be good

A social worker told the inspector that the behaviour of the child she has placed in this home has ‘improved immensely’ and, while there is still much to achieve, she feels that the staff are being very supportive and working well with her, the child and the child’s family.

p.7

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

Inspection report children’s home: 1268518 8 Since being registered five months ago, this children’s home has had inconsistent management arrangements in place. The original manager was registered by Ofsted but left soon after registration. For two months, the home then had an interim manager from another of the company’s homes, who shared her time across both children’s homes. From late January, a new manager has been in place. She is due to submit an application for registration to Ofsted. These inconsistent management arrangements have been an unsatisfactory start to this new home, and the impact is evident through practices and records that require improving.

p.8

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

The current manager has previously been a registered manager, has suitable experience and is a qualified social worker. She is committed to making improvements and securing good outcomes for children in her care. She has established a good relationship with both children and is reflective and considered in her practice.

p.8

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

The staffing arrangements require improvement. There are no senior staff to support the manager, and the majority of staff are relatively inexperienced, with just one of six staff members having achieved a level 3 diploma in residential childcare. Due to sickness, bank staff from within the company have been used regularly, and, although children have got to know these adults, these arrangement do not provide a good level of consistency which children need to form positive relationships.

p.8

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

The rationale for reducing night-time staffing from two staff sleeping overnight at the home to one requires reviewing and formalising in the light of children’s needs.

p.8

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

Staff have received induction training. However, many require additional training in areas that include safeguarding, child sexual exploitation and abuse, self-harm and autistic spectrum disorder.

p.8

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

Supervision arrangements require improvement. There are no records of supervision prior to late January and, since then, staff have not received supervision as regularly as required.

p.8

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

The quality of recording key incidents requires improvement, as does the robustness of the manager’s oversight of the practices they describe. For example, missing from home records are not of a consistently good standard. They do not detail the child’s safe return and follow-up actions. Records relating to children’s monies managed by the home are inadequate and incomplete. They do not provide a clear audit trail of how money is being used or an account of money used as reparation. Sanction and physical restraint records are signed off but do not include the manager’s review, which should detail whether practices are good and effective and, if not, what staff need to consider in the future that will improve practices and benefit children.

p.8

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

Children’s care plans are of a good standard. They clearly set out the objectives of the placement and progress being made.

p.8

Information about this inspection

Inspection report children’s home: 1268518 9 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.9

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: 1268518 10

p.9

Children’s home details

Registered provider: South West Childcare Services

p.10

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 46 Durnford Street, First Floor Flat, Plymouth, Devon PL1 3QN

p.10

Inspector

Norma Welsby, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1268518 11 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.

p.10

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.11

Inspector

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

p.11

Inspector

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

p.11