Children's home run by Blackford Education (schools) Ltd in Somerset

Inspection report children’s home: SC060839 1 SC060839 Registered provider: Blackford Education (schools) Ltd

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a private company that also operates a number of other homes and one school in the locality. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for three young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been registered with Ofsted since 2017. She is also registered to manage a second home within the organisation.

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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 requires improvement to be good

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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: 13 September 2017

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC060839 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/09/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 21/12/2016 Full Good 07/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 19/01/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC060839 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

13: The leadership and management standard

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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

uses monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1) and (2)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that all documents including placement plans, risk assessments, daily living records, activities records and menu records are effectively monitored, evaluated and updated. 03/08/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b)) 03/08/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purpose of the children’s home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation (12)(2)(c) (the protection of children standard). (Regulation (46)(1))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should consider the known 03/08/2018 Inspection report children’s home: SC060839 4 risks in the immediate locality of the home that have the potential to affect the safety and well-being of the children living in the home.

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Recommendations

 Ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 9.60)

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improvement to be good

Currently only one child lives in the home. His overall progress since living here has deteriorated. Leaders and managers are working with the local authority to find an alternative placement because his needs can no longer be met in this home.

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improvement to be good

While the child made initial progress, this has since plateaued. Staff are now unable to meet his complex needs, help him to maintain a healthy weight and manage unpredictable behavioural incidents. A social worker confirmed this and said, ‘Not all staff are confident in challenging his diet or managing his complex behaviours. A joint decision has been made to identify an alternative placement.’

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improvement to be good

The child has made positive progress with developing his emotional resilience and social skills. This is because the relationships between staff and the child are warm and genuine. The child’s views and wishes are well understood and considered by staff every day. However, staff do not always record in the child’s records what support and guidance they have provided and the discussions that have been held. The registered manager has identified that the frequency of discussions specifically targeted at addressing the child’s behaviours and needs are insufficient, and the records relating to these discussions need to be improved.

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improvement to be good

Staff have been successful at encouraging the child to maintain personal interests and hobbies. He engages in a range of activities in the local and wider community. In recent weeks, staff have reintroduced activities that are beneficial to the child’s health and well- being. These include walking, swimming and playing badminton. Staff support the child to develop independence skills. He spends time in the community independently and attends army cadets. Financial incentives are in place that promote his ability to complete domestic chores.

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improvement to be good

The promotion of education is a strength of the registered manager and her team. They have sourced an alternative education provider to deliver a bespoke learning programme that meets the child’s learning needs. His attendance is good and targets set are being Inspection report children’s home: SC060839 5 achieved. In addition, the registered manager and staff have secured a work experience placement for the child.

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improvement to be good

Staff are not provided with clear strategies to safeguard the child currently living in the home. A lone-working risk assessment is in place, but the guidance and instruction in this document are too broad and do not specify exactly how to manage and mitigate the risks presented by the child’s behaviour. Staff said that they enjoy working with the child, but also said that they find the complex behaviours difficult to manage.

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improvement to be good

Staff have not sufficiently considered the strategies required to safely manage the times that the child spends independently away from the home. Currently, the child is allowed to spend time on his own in the local community. However, staff are not provided with clear guidance and protocols about the length of time he is allowed to stay out, or if they should carry out face-to-face checks on his welfare.

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improvement to be good

Fire drills take place regularly and all staff are provided with fire awareness training. The registered manager’s monitoring of health and safety has not identified that two out of the four staff have not taken part in a fire evacuation with the child in residence.

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improvement to be good

The registered manager has reviewed the home’s locality assessment. This document now includes the response times and contact details of the emergency services. However, weaknesses in this assessment still remain. The registered manager has not assessed the impact of the local amenities on the home and the children it provides for.

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improvement to be good

Since the previous inspection, there have not been any safeguarding concerns, complaints or missing-from-home incidents. Staff spoken to showed an understanding and awareness of safeguarding procedures and have received safeguarding training.

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improvement to be good

Restraint is rarely used. When it is, it is appropriate and clear records are kept about its use. The registered manager monitors the effectiveness of these interventions to ensure that actions taken are appropriate and proportionate.

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improvement to be good

The registered manager’s approach to recruiting new staff is good. Recruitment records are well maintained. The child is looked after by adults whose suitability has been rigorously assessed.

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

The registered manager’s monitoring of the quality of care provided in the home requires improvement. Records about the child’s care are not scrutinised for errors or factual inaccuracies. Written records completed by staff continue to have omissions. For example, daily records do not give a comprehensive overview of the child’s day and the direct care and support he receives. Records do not confirm what activities he has Inspection report children’s home: SC060839 6 engaged in, nor describe incidents of unwanted behaviours. The registered manager’s lack of monitoring and oversight of these records means she is unable to identify possible trends and patterns in the child’s behaviour and/or in staff’s practice.

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

The home is properly staffed and resourced to meet the needs of the child. Staff receive effective mandatory and awareness training in specialist areas. To improve the staff’s ability to understand and meet the child’s needs the registered manager is considering providing training in understanding attachment and separation and loss. All staff receive formal supervision. However, supervision is not always regular and the records of these meetings vary in quality.

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

The home is well maintained and resourced. The function of two rooms in the home has been changed at the request of the child. These rooms now include space where he can spend time to regulate his anxieties and undertake music and art activities. These rooms are frequently used for in-house activities.

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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: SC060839 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Blackford Education (schools) Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Blackford House, Blackford, Minehead TA24 8SY

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Inspector

Sharron Escott, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC060839 8 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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