Children's home run by Children’s Service South West

Inspection report children’s home: 1263623 1 Registered provider: Children’s Service South West

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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 owned by a registered charity. The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three children and young people who are victims of trafficking.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Date of last inspection: This is the home’s first inspection since becoming registered on 18 December 2017.

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1263623 2

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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 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).

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Requirement Due date

The requirements are that— the individual is of integrity and good character;

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 32 (1)(2)(a)(b)(3)(a)(b)(c)(d)) 31/08/2018

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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))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that, by means of fire drills and practices at suitable intervals, persons working at the home are aware of the procedures to be followed in the event of a fire. 31/08/2018

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Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must— maintain in the home the records 31/07/2018 Inspection report children’s home: 1263623 3 in Schedule 4; ensure that the records are kept up to date; and retain the records for at least 15 years from the date of the last entry. (Regulation 37 (1)(2)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that records of all staff working in the home are complete and that the duty rota details all persons working at the home and a record of the actual rota worked.

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Recommendations

 For children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. Children’s homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislations (alarms, food hygiene etc.); however, in doing so, homes should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person is responsible for ensuring that all staff consistently follow the home’s policies and procedures for the benefit of the children in the home’s care. Everyone working at the home must understand their roles and responsibilities and what they are authorised to decide on their own initiative. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.20) In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff are familiar with

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Recommendations

regulations and legislative guidance to fully understand their role and responsibilities to children. Records should be well ordered, up to date and readily available.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The care provided is responsive to the specific and unique needs of the young person. The care delivered is provided in line with the care plan and expectations of the placing authority.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Relationships between staff and the young person are based on mutual respect. Staff are dedicated to providing the most positive experience possible for the young person and enhancing their life chances.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Sharing of skills, activities and dedicating lots of time to the young person have been instrumental in the staff’s ability to develop positive relationships with the young person. The young person describes the staff is very caring and kind. The young person is provided with daily activities related to their interests. They have learned very quickly to Inspection report children’s home: 1263623 4 play the guitar to a reasonable standard.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Specialist resources are provided to enable effective communication with the young person. Interim education provision is focused on English lessons provided daily online. Written and spoken language skills have improved significantly in a short space of time for the young person. The placing authority is seeking full-time education provision.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have been instrumental in meeting the young person’s cultural and identity needs, such as an appropriate church, youth club and culturally relevant food shops. Independent advocacy has been arranged and a solicitor who specialises in immigration has been appointed for the young person.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Health assessments have been completed and the young person has received long- overdue dental care, optician checks and immunisation assessments. The young person is described by the placing authority as settled and considerably less anxious than when first admitted to the home.

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

Staff are fully aware of the risk associated with trafficked children. They have negotiated a fine balance between keeping the young person safe and responding to a need to allow some freedom from the constant supervision of adults outside of the home. Comprehensive risk assessments are in place and agreed by the agencies involved. Staff are clear about what to do if the young person goes missing or other risks increase.

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

The young person gets on well with the adults looking after them. The young person is able to express their feelings and wishes effectively and seek further explanations about matters they do not understand. Staff will advocate, and have done so, on the young person’s behalf.

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

Staff have not needed to use any specific model to manage behaviour. The home has accommodated just one young person since registration. The young person has not gone missing, or attempted to go missing, from the home. Sanctions and physical restraint have not been necessary to manage behaviour. The young person is calm and considered and will discuss any problems or discontent, which the staff do their best to sort out.

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

Recruitment records lack the detail required to demonstrate compliance with all safer recruitment requirements. In particular, there are some gaps in the history of employment records, and some references contain very little detail. The manager took immediate action to try to address this issue.

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

Inspection report children’s home: 1263623 5 The manager has suitable experience of working in services where children are looked after. Government guidance, including that specific to the unique nature of this home, is not fully known to staff to aid understanding and knowledge.

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

Some of the strengths and weaknesses of the home are known to the manager. Several identified during this inspection were not known. Continual practice improvement is thwarted by the lack of a development plan.

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

Records lack clarity and ease of access. Staff rotas do not accurately reflect who has worked or stayed overnight in the home. Records are stored electronically and in paper format, but neither method is well organised. The manager and staff struggle to find information in a timely way. Oversight of records has failed to identify anomalies such as gaps in fire records and recruitment records.

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

The home provides the services as described in the statement of purpose and is currently fulfilling the expectations of the placing authority in the service it provides.

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

Staff have high expectations for the young person. They spoke positively about the young person’s progress and their appreciation of the young person’s qualities and personality. A few notices around the home and privacy film applied to the lounge windows detract from what is otherwise a homely, comfortable environment.

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

Multi-agency working is a particular strength of this home and remains essential in promoting the safety and welfare of refugee and/or trafficked children.

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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: 1263623 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Children’s Service South West

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 103 First Floor, Deben House, 1–5 Lawrence Hill, Bristol BS5 0BY

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Inspector

Janice Hawtin, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1263623 7 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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