Children's home run by Altum Residential Care Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1241656 1

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Altum Residential Care Ltd

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is registered to provide care for three young people. It is managed by a private company. The home accommodates girls who may have complex psychological needs and present with associated behaviours such as self-harm. The service is also designed for children and young people who may be at risk of, or have been victims of, child sexual exploitation and self-harm issues. The home has been without a registered manager for over 26 weeks. The acting manager has submitted his application to register with Ofsted.

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This monitoring visit

The last monitoring visit was conducted on 26 March 2018, following a previous monitoring visit on 6 February 2018. The monitoring visit on 26 March 2018 identified continued shortfalls in leadership and management. Seven breaches of regulation were identified, resulting in a compliance notice being served. Ofsted also added a condition to the home’s registration preventing the home from admitting children. This meant that the provider must inform Ofsted of its intention to admit children at least six weeks prior to the date placement commences. This monitoring visit was conducted to monitor the actions taken by the registered provider to address the breaches in regulation, and to monitor the actions taken to meet the compliance notice. It also considered the provider’s readiness to admit children to the home. No children were present during this monitoring visit. A new model of care is being introduced to the home. The vast majority of the staff

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This monitoring visit

team have undertaken training in the model of care, which was delivered by the responsible individual, with input from the home’s clinical psychologist. This includes training on attachment, the trauma recovery model, key working and positive Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1241656 2 behaviour management. In addition, staff have taken the opportunity to ensure that they are up to date with mandatory training, such as health and safety and fire safety. While there are still some staff waiting to finish all of their training, the vast majority of staff are now fully trained. In addition, the acting manager has a better grasp on staff members’ training needs, skills and abilities and has produced a workforce development plan. This means that the staff team has received appropriate training to meet the needs of children looked after. Management monitoring systems have improved significantly. This is further

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This monitoring visit

strengthened by an improved senior management structure in the home which includes a deputy manager. A new electronic recording system is in place to help to ensure better-quality record-keeping. The management team will have regular senior team meetings with the acting manager. A six-monthly monitoring report was produced and sent to Ofsted, as required by regulation. A manager’s monitoring report, as well as the responsible individual’s monthly monitoring, will help to ensure that leaders and managers have a better understanding of the functioning of the home. Leaders and managers should also be in a better position to take action earlier, should any shortfalls be identified. New and existing members of staff are now receiving regular one-to-one supervision, in line with the home’s statement of purpose. The quality of supervision has improved, with safeguarding and reflective practice discussions taking priority.

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This monitoring visit

Staff members’ understanding of safeguarding and child protection has improved through training. Improvements to monitoring systems mean that poor practice is much more likely to be identified. It can be acted on more quickly, helping to ensure that there is a more transparent safeguarding culture in the home. Historic staff duty rotas are now more easily available. The home’s statement of purpose better reflects staff qualifications and experience, although a shortfall was identified in a lack of information about the home’s clinical psychologist. The home’s location risk assessment now demonstrates a better quality of consultation with stakeholders regarding their opinion of the location of the home. All requirements from the last monitoring visit are met as well as the compliance notice. Two previous monitoring visits identified that the performance of the home over the last six months has been extremely weak. Leaders and managers were not able to

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This monitoring visit

identify failings and take sufficient action to rectify them in a timely way. This resulted in poor outcomes for the majority of young people accommodated at that time. The responsible individual and acting manager show an increased awareness of the impact of the shortfalls identified at the two previous monitoring visits. They can identify what they need to do to ensure that the home’s functioning does not deteriorate again, as and when any new children are admitted to the home. They reflect that a large turnover of staffing significantly hindered the provider’s ability to provide care in line with its statement of purpose. Effort has been made to improve the recruitment process to ensure that better-quality staff are employed. New and Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1241656 3 existing members of staff should benefit from an improved model of care, more frequent supervision from both the acting manager and the home’s clinical

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This monitoring visit

psychologist, and a more transparent safeguarding culture. The role of the home’s clinical psychologist has been strengthened with a plan for him to provide one-to- one support for young people, the staff team and training. A member of staff has been appointed specifically to focus on education and activities for young people. The referral process for new children has been improved, with consultation with the placing social worker, previous placements and involved professionals taking more priority. If implemented well, these are the building blocks to ensuring that children who come to live in the home have a positive experience and receive good-quality care.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/12/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/05/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1241656 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 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) Point 14) This specifically relates to: Details of any healthcare or therapy provided, including— (a) details of the qualifications and professional supervision of the staff involved in providing any healthcare or therapy; and (b) information about how the effectiveness of any healthcare or therapy provided is measured, the evidence demonstrating its effectiveness and details of how the information or the evidence can be accessed. 15/06/2018

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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. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1241656 5

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Altum Residential Care Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Altum Residential Care Ltd, 550 Valley Road, Nottingham NG5 1JJ

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Inspector

Catherine Honey, social care regulatory inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1241656 6 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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