Children's Home run by Flourish (Gloucestershire) Limited in Gloucestershire

Inspection report children’s home: 1263571 1 Registered provider: Flourish (Gloucestershire) Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is owned and managed by a private organisation. It can provide care and accommodation for five children aged between 11 and 17 years. There has been no registered manager since 31 December 2017. An application to register the current manager is in process.

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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 inadequate

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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: This is the first inspection since the home was registered in October 2017

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report children’s home: 1263571 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

not applicable Inspection report children’s home: 1263571 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(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

12: The protection of children standard 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 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)(b)) In particular, ensure that broken glass is cleared away promptly. 30/06/2018

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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— 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 staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b)(2)(c) and (e)) With particular reference to the use of agency staff. 30/06/2018

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Requirement Due date

33: Employment of staff The registered person must ensure that all employees— receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33(4)(b)) In particular, ensure that agency staff receive supervision. 30/06/2018 Inspection report children’s home: 1263571 4 36: Children’s case records The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which— include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child; are kept up to date; and are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36(1)(a)(b)(c)) 30/06/2018

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Recommendations

 Staff should encourage children to share any concerns about their care or other matters as soon as they arise. Children must be able to take up issues or make a complaint with support and without any fear that this will result in any adverse consequences. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 23, paragraph 4.13) In particular, when children receive the outcome of their complaint, their level of satisfaction should be established.

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improvement to be good

This is the first inspection of the home. Children are forming some positive relationships with the interim manager and staff team. However, with four staff having left, and the increasing use of agency staff, this reduces the continuity of care provided. Children are supported well to attend education. Staff provide encouragement, resources and transport to enable children to maintain their school placements that they had before living here. The level of support has led to children taking GCSE exams, attending college interviews and enjoying work experience at a motor garage and local stables. Children enjoy the spacious house and grounds, which provide personal space when they do not want to be together as a group. Staff encourage activities and interests in the home and in the local area. Photographs, tickets and mementos are gathered for each child’s memory box. Scrapbooks are created as a record of the children’s positive

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improvement to be good

experiences of living at this home. These include photographs and messages from staff. Children’s views are given importance and they know how to complain. Children receive a response about any complaint, though their satisfaction about the outcome is not established. This reduces the opportunity for leaders and managers to learn from complaints and to develop the home. Choices are available with regards to food, activities and improvements to the home. Older children take part in the recruitment of staff, conducting an interview and formalising this skill with a qualification. Inspection report children’s home: 1263571 5 Two social workers contributed to this inspection and say that this home works well in partnership with them. These social workers say that this home is meeting the needs of the children they are responsible for. Particular mention is given to the staff, who work well to establish positive relationships with children, and for ‘giving love and attention’.

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improvement to be good

One child struggled to settle in this home and it was decided that an alternative home would be more suitable. This led to an abrupt ending of the placement.

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improvement to be good

There has been some minor damage to the home when children have become upset. A door frame and fire alarm call point were in need of repair at the time of this inspection, but their maintenance had been ordered. Broken glass is not always cleared away promptly, posing a risk to children to injure themselves and to use to self-harm. Risk management documents provide staff with guidance and strategies that equip them to care for children and their particular needs. However, it is not always clear where to locate the most up-to-date document, which can lead to confusion and discrepancies when managing risks. This is indicative of the overall recording systems that are weakened during the process of being transferred to an electronic system. There are times when one child goes missing. Although there are concerns about the child’s safety and welfare when missing, this behaviour is reducing. This is a great

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improvement to be good

development, as there were serious concerns about the child’s risk-taking behaviour before coming to live at this home. With praise and encouragement, children recognise that they are more frequently making the right choices with regard to keeping themselves safe. On occasions, some children struggle to get along with each other. Staff use distraction techniques and promote tolerance in group living; however, this is not always successful. As a result, physical intervention takes place when there are risks to children harming themselves or others. There is limited reduction in the use of restraint for one child; however, it is not escalating. Monthly meetings occur with other agencies to identify strategies to avoid the use of restraint. A range of psychological and health assessments are being considered to contribute to a greater understanding of behaviour management. In January 2018, the recruitment of new staff was not always safe, when three staff

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improvement to be good

started work without full references. Leaders and managers are unable to assess that adults are suitable to work with children without full and satisfactory information available. An audit carried out in January 2018 identified these failings and they have now been rectified. The responsible individual takes decisive action in response to any allegations from children about members of staff. Children are protected and prompt referrals are made to the relevant safeguarding agencies. Clear records document such an incident and evidence that children are listened to and action is taken to safeguard them. Inspection report children’s home: 1263571 6

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

This home has been without a registered manager since 31 December 2017. The acting manager appointed in March has failed to submit an application to Ofsted in a timely manner. During the six-week period previous to this inspection, agency staff have increasingly worked at this home. Staff vacancies and long-term sickness have led to the need for agency staff. There is some consistency with one regular agency staff; however, during the inspection, an agency worker arrived for the first time. In addition, the acting manager was planning for two more new agency staff to work together at the weekend. The use of agency staff does not exceed 50%, but the increase in introducing new adults to the children fails to ensure continuity of care. After discussion, the acting manager made arrangements to ensure that two new agency staff do not work at the same time. All permanent staff are trained in safeguarding and are aware of how to report any

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

concerns. Written profiles of agency staff are incomplete and fail to list their experience and training relevant to the role. The acting manager and responsible individual have failed to complete checks to ensure that agency staff are suitable to care for children. During inspection, the acting manager responded quickly to obtain full details about each agency member of staff to confirm their suitability and completion of safeguarding training. Permanent staff report that they feel supported by the management team and each other. They receive supervision and training towards their professional development. One agency worker has worked a total of 15 days and, in this time, he has not received formal supervision. The acting manager has failed to formally review the practice of the regular agency member of staff and this has denied him the opportunity to reflect on practice and receive feedback. Four out of nine staff are suitably qualified to level 3 and

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

the others are working towards this. Meetings are held with an assessor for staff to work towards achieving the level 3 diploma for residential childcare. Systems for maintaining records are weak. For several months, leaders and managers have worked towards finding an effective data management system. Extensive adjustments and revisions of the system have hindered the collation and storage of records for children and the running of the home. At the time of this inspection, the electronic system is functioning reasonably well. However, this leads to a management decision as to which records will be maintained electronically and which, if any, will remain in hard copy on file. Several records are stored in both areas, with some out-of- date records in files, compared to current documents stored electronically. This leads to confusion for staff and inconsistent responses to children. For example, a document on

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

file lists people that a child is not permitted to spend time with due to their influence on not keeping safe. The electronic file has been updated with this restriction lifted. Leaders and managers have produced a service improvement plan and are aware of most of the shortfalls that have been identified at this inspection. Inspection report children’s home: 1263571 7

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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: 1263571 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Flourish (Gloucestershire) Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Hazlewoods, Windsor House, Bayshill Road, Cheltenham GL50 3AT

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Samantha Summers

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Inspector

Clare Davies, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1263571 9 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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