Children's home run by Carbrey Care Ltd in Gloucester

Inspection report children’s home: 1155761 1 Registered provider: Carbrey Care 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

This children’s home is owned and managed by a private organisation. Care and accommodation are provided for up to three girls aged between 11 and 17 years. The manager has been registered since October 2016. He is a qualified social worker.

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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: 7 November 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1155761 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/11/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 01/08/2017 Full Good 27/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 26/07/2016 Full Requires improvement Inspection report children’s home: 1155761 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 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

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(c) and (e)) 01/10/2018

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Requirement Due date

16: Statement of purpose The registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

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)) 31/08/2018

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the records are kept up to date; and 31/08/2018 Inspection report children’s home: 1155761 4 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

This is with particular reference to a record of the staff duty roster of persons working in the home, and a record of the actual rosters 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) In particular, review the use of lanyards worn by staff with keys attached and the installation of push button doors to exit the building.  Children’s home staff should take reasonable precautions and make informed professional judgements based on the individual child’s needs and developmental stage about when to allow a child to take a particular risk or follow a particular course of action. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality

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Recommendations

standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.7) In particular, create a formal plan to reduce staff supervision to enable children to have some independence.  As set out in regulations 31−33, the registered person is responsible for maintaining good employment practice. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1) In particular, ensure that recruitment records for permanent and agency staff are collated in a manner that provides simple retrieval.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have formed some positive relationships with staff, enabling them to feel safe in this home. When staff are away from the home, they often send messages to remind children that they care about them. The high number of staff leaving and new staff arriving is unsettling. However, a core group of staff with leaders and managers works additional hours to ensure that there is some consistency of care while recruitment takes place. Inspection report children’s home: 1155761 5 Children are making progress in their personal development. They are attending education and learning, developing their interests, maintaining good health and feeling settled in this home. The reduction in behavioural incidents that require staff intervention is an indicator of this progress. Children are treated with respect and fully involved with their care planning. For example, a guide to the home has been written with a child’s contribution. This level of engagement encourages children to follow their

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

own children’s guide and consequently have a greater understanding about living at this home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy pursuing their interests and joining in local events and activities. Consultation ensures that children do things that they like and, with staff encouragement, to try new things. A trip to the London Chamber Orchestra, falconry and a ride on a hovercraft to the Isle of Wight are just some of the new experiences this year. Photographs and keepsakes are stored in memory boxes to capture these moments.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children describe this house as homely and it is like a family home. However, staff wearing a lanyard with keys attached around their necks detract from providing a comfortable homely place. Similarly, a push button mechanism on the front door is not in keeping with a family home and can remind children that they are in care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Social workers reported that this is a good home. One social worker said, ‘Regardless of what is happening, they always keep the child at the centre’, and ‘I speak very highly of the lengths they go to.’ Such positive comments are echoed by family members who described the manager and staff team ‘making tremendous effort in thinking about (child) and her needs’.

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

Risk management is fully understood by leaders and managers who provide direction and support to the staff. Clear documents provide guidance about known risks to children, potential triggers and strategies to reduce the risks.

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

Since the previous inspection, there have been some serious incidents involving physical assaults by children and allegations against staff. Leaders and managers act swiftly in response to incidents in which children, or others, are harmed or at risk of harm. Safeguarding procedures to report to social care agencies and Ofsted are correctly followed.

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

The senior leadership team meets regularly with the clinical psychologist to carry out a safeguarding management review of each incident. Good analysis takes place, lessons are learned and action is taken to continually improve.

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

Incidents of children going missing have significantly reduced; the last event was five months ago. Physical intervention is used appropriately when children are at risk to themselves or others. Training for staff emphasises the need to understand how each Inspection report children’s home: 1155761 6 child communicates through their behaviour and what strategies can be used to support children.

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

To manage safeguarding risks, the children currently have high levels of staff supervision. Children are consulted about their individual plans and understand that there can be a reduction in staff supervision as they respond well to boundaries. One plan to reduce staff supervision and work towards independent time outside of the home has started but it lacks timescales. More specific details are required in such a plan to support children in taking measured risks.

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

The lack of a permanent stable staff team is hindering the development of this home. This was identified at the previous inspection and, although there has been recruitment of nine staff members since November 2017, seven staff have left. Leaders and managers regularly explore the retention and recruitment of staff and have made positive changes to address the problem such as:  staff surveys  improvements to the recruitment and selection process  liaison with an agency to supply regular staff with the option of employment  creation of a new appointment in April 2018. This staff member is a qualified social worker who can deputise for the manager.

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

To improve the quality of care by temporary staff, the manager ensures that all agency staff spend four hours with him, or the deputy, before supporting children. This allows time to explain the ethos of the home and to read important documents. At the end of the four-hour induction, agency staff complete a quiz in order that the manager can be satisfied that they have read and understood the needs of the children.

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

Children and staff benefit from a clinical psychologist who visits once a week. In addition to his contribution to behaviour support plans and risk management, he provides consultation for the senior leadership team, staff members and children.

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

The statement of purpose is subject to review and remains relevant to the care provided at this home. Following the review, the manger failed to provide an updated version of the statement of purpose to Ofsted.

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

A recent transfer of recruitment records to an electronic system lacks a methodical approach and not all records are easy to locate. Similarly, the details provided by agencies for temporary staff are inconsistent and stored in different ways. Another management area to improve is the production of staff rosters in an accessible format. Logbooks and other documents record who is working and when. However, this information is not held in one document as required by children’s homes regulations. Inspection report children’s home: 1155761 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: 1155761 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 17 Brunswick Square, Gloucester, Gloucestershire GL1 1UG

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Inspector

Clare Davies, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1155761 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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