Children's home run by Greenacre Care Services Limited

Inspection report children’s home: SC379104 1 SC379104 Registered provider: Greenacre Care Services 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 privately owned home is registered to provide care for up to four children who experience social, behavioural and/or emotional difficulties. The registered manager resigned with effect from 11 February 2018. The home has not had a registered manager since that time. Three managers have been appointed since February 2018 but have not remained in post.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children are not protected or their welfare safeguarded. The care and experiences of children are poor, and the children are not making sufficient progress.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: declined in effectiveness

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC379104 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/01/2018 Interim Declined in effectiveness

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/05/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children’s home: SC379104 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

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who— understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children; use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose; and ensure that staff— help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(b)(vii)) In particular, ensure that the staff implement the independence plan agreed with the placing local authority. 03/08/2018

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Requirement Due date

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 staff— help each child to understand how to keep safe. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(ii)) 03/08/2018

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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— helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the 03/08/2018 Inspection report children’s home: SC379104 4 registered person to— ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; and ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(c)(d)) The care planning standard is that children— receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)) 03/08/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must— keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (3)(a)(b)) 03/08/2018

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Requirement Due date

If the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005(a) applies to the home— the registered person must ensure that the requirements of that Order and any regulations made under it, except for article 23 (duties of employees), are complied with in respect of the home. (Regulation 25 (2)(b)) 03/08/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety. The registered person may only— employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3). The requirements are that full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1)(2)(a)(b)(3)(d)) 03/08/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must— ensure that each employee completes an appropriate induction. (Regulation 33 (1)(a)) 03/08/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees— undertake appropriate continuing professional development. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)) 03/08/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must review the appropriateness and 03/08/2018 Inspection report children’s home: SC379104 5 suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes 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). When conducting the review, the registered person must consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person. (Regulation 46 (1)(2))

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Since the monitoring visit, which was conducted on 18 April 2018, interim management arrangements have not been good enough. The organisation has failed to make the necessary improvements in order to meet regulatory requirements. Inconsistency and changes in leadership and management have been significant factors in the lack of meaningful progress for each child. This visit has raised serious concerns about care and practice. The provider is likely to be subject to enforcement action. The same two children continue to live at this home. Staff lack the required experience, skill and knowledge to offer the children effective support, advice and guidance and to prepare them adequately for their future. The children continue to be significantly disengaged. Staff at the home are not able to demonstrate how they are working together to prepare the children for independence. A child told one of the inspectors that

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

living at this home is depressing. The relationships that children build with some staff are short lived because of the turnover of staff. For example, when the recently appointed deputy manager resigned, the responsible individual asked that she leave without notice and was not given the opportunity to say goodbye to the children. This action shows a lack of understanding of the impact of transient relationships on children. One child attended a health appointment with a member of staff. However, the member of staff has since left and information from the appointment is not available to the rest of the staff team. This does not ensure that children receive effectively planned care that meets their needs. Furthermore, children do not benefit from secure relationships with adults who care for them. One child continues to spend significant time out of the home. This child’s placement plan has not been kept up to date. As a result, staff on shift are unaware of the detail of

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

the changes made by the placing local authority. This does not ensure that this child receives consistent care that meets the expectation of the placing local authority and the needs of the child. The interim manager and responsible individual said that the staff have successfully engaged one child in independence work. They said that the child is shopping with staff and undertakes some chores around the home. However, the child is not being appropriately prepared for future independence as they continue to eat an unhealthy Inspection report children’s home: SC379104 6 diet and have takeaway food delivered to the home using the home’s bank card. The misuse of the bank card is under investigation. Written information to demonstrate the focus for the recently introduced independence work is not available. The interim manager could not demonstrate the steps taken to ensure that the placing local authority produces a pathway plan. This does not ensure that children are helped to

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

develop the necessary skills to live independently.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

Staff’s practice at the home does not reflect the children’s written risk assessments. Key- work sessions with the children are infrequent and do not address known behaviours of concern. Recorded discussions do not link to the children’s care plans or the risks of exploitation identified by other agencies. The children have mobile phones. The interim manager informed the inspectors that some months ago, the children gained access to the passcode for the home’s wi-fi without the staff’s knowledge. At the time of inspection, the interim manager was unable to demonstrate if the staff have had any discussion with the children about internet safety or social media. This does not ensure that children learn how to keep safe. This is a serious concern given the identified risks associated with one of the children. The children continue to engage in risk-taking behaviour by smoking cigarettes and cannabis at the home. Room searches do not consistently take place. Identified actions

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

are not followed through. The manager failed to update the fire risk assessment when a room search established that, in addition to placing socks over the smoke alarm, towels had been used to block the bottom of a bedroom door. The provider failed to take immediate action, which meant that there was a period of 23 days during which the fire door to the kitchen required repair. A local authority fire service officer has visited the home since this inspection and advised that the kitchen door has been repaired. Nonetheless, the provider’s failure to act promptly placed children at unnecessary risk in the event of a fire. One child has reduced the frequency of going missing overnight. However, staff remain unsure about where the children are when they are out in the community. Staff make welfare calls to the children, but these are infrequent. This does not demonstrate that the risks to the children of sexual exploitation are fully understood or acted on by the

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Since the full inspection in May 2017, the provider has not sufficiently demonstrated the capacity to make the necessary changes to ensure that children receive good-quality care. Lack of consistent, effective leadership means that oversight of practice, development of relationships with children and managerial accountability are all severely compromised. Since February 2018 when the registered manager left abruptly following a whistleblowing incident, the home has had three managers and one deputy manager, and an additional two consultants have provided support to the staff team. This inspection demonstrates that the provider has failed to take sufficient action to address all areas of concern. The progress that has been made has not been sustained, despite a Inspection report children’s home: SC379104 7 high level of intervention by Ofsted. Since the last monitoring visit on 18 April 2018, there has been significant change to the management and leadership of the home. The

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

most recent manager, who was appointed two weeks before this inspection, has resigned. This means that the home is without a manager. Placing local authority social workers are not consistently kept up to date about the changes to the staff team. On the first day of this inspection, one member of staff was on duty. This member of staff does not hold a first aid certificate. There was not a sufficient number of adults at the home to ensure the children’s safety and well-being and to meet the children’s needs. This does not reflect one of the placing local authority social worker’s understanding of the commissioning arrangements for their child. The statement of purpose is misleading. It states that the staff undertake outreach work and that the home has access to therapeutic consultation. These services are not being provided and it does not provide an accurate overview for commissioners. The location risk assessment has not been updated in line with regulation. This means

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

that staff cannot share an understanding of the benefits and risks in the local area. This is significant because one of the children is assessed to be at high risk of child sexual exploitation. On the day of the inspection the provider failed to evidence that safe recruitment checks had taken place for every member of staff working in the home. Shifts rely heavily on a small group of staff, some of whom work excessive hours. This does not ensure that staff have sufficient rest time in between shifts. None of the permanent staff have the required level 3 qualification. Inexperienced staff lead shifts. Induction of new staff continues to be a checklist that is inconsistently applied. Staff supervision is also inconsistent. The provider fails to induct, support and oversee staff effectively. Consequently, staff are not sufficiently equipped to provide good enough care for vulnerable children. This failure to ensure the fitness of staff and monitor and review

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

practice may place children at serious risk of harm. Training continues to be insufficient. Not all staff have received appropriate training, for example in behaviour management and managing child sexual exploitation. The consultant interim manager leading this inspection informed the inspectors that a training audit has been completed. However, the records of the training that staff have undertaken are not clear because some of the certificates, such as first aid training, are not available. Children are unclear about who is responsible for managing the home on a day-to-day basis. The children are not investing in living at this home. Vulnerable children are disengaged and are not set any boundaries, and this places them at serious risk of harm.

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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 Inspection report children’s home: SC379104 8 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: SC379104 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Greenacre Care Services Limited

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Inspectors

Rosie Davie: social care inspector Clive Lucas: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC379104 10 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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