Children's home run by Educare Adolescent Services Limited in Cannock Chase

Inspection report for children‘s home – monitoring visit: SC063285 1 SC063285

p.1

Educare Adolescent Services Limited

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is owned by a private company. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four young people aged between 10 and 17 years old, who have social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in 2014 and is suitably qualified.

p.1

This monitoring visit

This children‘s home was judged inadequate at the full inspection on 30 July 2018. On 3 August 2018, a notice was issued that restricted any further accommodations of young people to the home until 26 October 2018.

p.1

This monitoring visit

On 7 August 2018, Ofsted served four compliance notices. These related to shortfalls in the quality standards regarding the protection of children, leadership and management and the safe recruitment of agency members of staff.

p.1

This monitoring visit

To evaluate the progress being made by the organisation, a monitoring visit was conducted on 12 September 2018.

p.1

This monitoring visit

During the monitoring visit the registered manager was on annual leave. The home was being supported by a registered manager from another home and the responsible individual. Previously, the home has been found to have poor risk management. Since the last inspection, young people‘s risk assessments have all been reviewed and updated and have been shared with the placing authority.

p.1

This monitoring visit

It was reported during the monitoring visit that given that a restriction notice is currently in place, it has been difficult to implement aspects of one of the compliance notices relating to safeguarding. The managers were unable to provide any evidence or demonstrate their understanding of the risks and how these will be managed when another young person is admitted to the home. Inspection report for children‘s home – monitoring visit: SC063285 2 There has been a review of the home‘s policy and procedures in relation to keeping keys secure. Staff have also received training in recording skills. This means that information in respect of young people is now written in a more child-friendly way.

p.1

This monitoring visit

The inspection conducted in July 2018 found that the provider had failed to ensure that the home‘s staff had qualifications and skills to provide safe and effective care. This monitoring visit found that staff who were waiting for training in health and safety, food hygiene and first aid were now suitably qualified in these areas. However, there has been no additional training provided to staff in respect of key issues that affect young people. For example, the staff team has still not received training in understanding the risk to young people in relation to child sexual exploitation.

p.2

This monitoring visit

A range of regulatory shortfalls were identified in relation to the leadership and management standard at the last inspection. The registered manager had failed to ensure that adequate monitoring and review systems in the home were effective in identifying and addressing areas for improvement. Since the last inspection the registered manager has received regular supervision and annual appraisal. There continue to be shortfalls in the home‘s system for monitoring and review of the service. The work undertaken to date by the registered manager does not demonstrate that there is an adequate system in place to review the quality of care in the home.

p.2

This monitoring visit

Managers have previously failed to ensure that suitable recruitment checks for agency workers are undertaken. This failure to complete all necessary checks continues, and means that potentially unsuitable adults are being allowed to work in the home.

p.2

This monitoring visit

There continue to be delays in one young person accessing formal education. The young person is still not provided with a structured routine within the home.

p.2

This monitoring visit

As a result of this monitoring visit, three compliance notices have been re-issued.

p.2

Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 30/07/2018 Full Inadequate 09/08/2016 Full Good 01/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 23/06/2015 Full Good Inspection report for children‘s home – monitoring visit: SC063285 3

p.2

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.

p.3

Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

p.3

Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child‘s needs;

p.3

Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority‘s or a relevant person‘s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child‘s needs are met in accordance with the child‘s relevant plans. (Regulation 5(b)(c)) 10/09/2018

p.3

Requirement Due date

The children‘s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children‘s care and welfare and their lives.

p.3

Requirement Due date

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

p.3

Requirement Due date

help each child to express views, wishes and feelings;

p.3

Requirement Due date

regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home‘s care;

p.3

Requirement Due date

ensure that each child is given appropriate advocacy support. (Regulation 7(1)(c)(2)(a)(ii)(iv)(b)(iii)) 10/09/2018

p.3

Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

p.3

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non- attendance and to return to school as soon as possible. 21/10/2018 Inspection report for children‘s home – monitoring visit: SC063285 4 (Regulation 8(1)(2)(a)(viii)) The health and well-being standard is that—

p.3

Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met:

p.4

Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

p.4

Requirement Due date

children are helped to live healthy lifestyles. (Regulation 10(1)(a)(b)(c)) 10/09/2018

p.4

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.4

Requirement Due date

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

p.4

Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child‘s relevant plan, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

p.4

Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

p.4

Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

p.4

Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child‘s welfare; and

p.4

Requirement Due date

that the home‘s day-to-day care is delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)*(i)(ii)(iv)(vi)(b)) 10/09/2018

p.4

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—

p.4

Requirement Due date

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

p.4

Requirement Due date

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

p.4

Requirement Due date

ensure that the staff have the experience, qualification and skills to meet the needs of each child; 10/09/2018 Inspection report for children‘s home – monitoring visit: SC063285 5 ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

p.4

Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

p.5

Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b)(2)(c)*(d)(f)(g)(ii)(h))* The care planning standard is that children receive effectively planned care in or through the children‘s home; and have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. (Regulation 14(1)(a)(b) 10/09/2018

p.5

Requirement Due date

The registered person must make appropriate arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children‘s home. (Regulation 23(1)) A responsible individual must have the capacity, experience and skills to supervise the management of the home, or the homes, in respect of which the responsible individual is nominated. (Regulation 26(7)(b)) 10/09/2018

p.5

Requirement Due date

A person may only manage a children‘s home if having regard to the size of the home, its statement of purpose, and the number and needs (including any needs arising from any disability) of the children—

p.5

Requirement Due date

The person has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills to manage the home effectively and lead the care of children. (Regulation 28(1)(b)(i)) 10/09/2018

p.5

Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children‘s safety. 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)(3)(d))* 10/09/2018

p.5

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees— receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

p.5

Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33(4)(b)(c)) 10/09/2018

p.5

Requirement Due date

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; 10/09/2018 Inspection report for children‘s home – monitoring visit: SC063285 6 are kept up to date; and

p.5

Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36(1)(a)(b)(c))

p.6

Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

p.6

Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children‘s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

p.6

Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000.

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Educare Adolescent Services Limited

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Venture House, 12 Prospect Business Park, Longford Road, Cannock, Staffordshire WS11 0LG

p.6

Inspector

Sarah Junor-Fitzpatrick, social care inspector Inspection report for children‘s home – monitoring visit: SC063285 7 to 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.

p.6

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7