Children's home run by Archways Care Limited in Wolverhampton

Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC061837 1 `

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Archways Care Limited

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is part of a small organisation. The home can accommodate up to four young people. The home’s statement of purpose states, ‘Our team have an informed and empathetic approach to understanding troubled young people, the difficulties that they face, and are supported in working with them.’

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Information about this children’s home

The home has been without a registered manager since April 2018. The responsible individual is providing managerial cover until a new manager is appointed.

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This monitoring visit

This children’s home was judged inadequate at the full inspection on 11 September 2018. This monitoring visit has focused on assessing if the provider has met one compliance notice.

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This monitoring visit

The responsible individual is continuing to provide day-to-day management of the home. He has now obtained a copy of a young person’s deprivation of liberty order and has ensured that staff have read the content of the order. He has written a short briefing to help the staff to understand their responsibility in meeting the detail set out in the order. For example, the briefing explains to staff how they should supervise the young person, including their responsibility to safeguard her from going missing from the home.

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This monitoring visit

However, the responsible individual has not ensured that staff’s everyday practice keeps the young person safe. For example, staff allow the young person to go outside the house unsupervised. There are still no clear procedures that explain to staff what they should do to reduce the risk of young people going missing from the home. This is despite staff having a development day that was aimed at increasing Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC061837 2 their awareness of what it means for a young person to be on a deprivation of liberty order which has been issued by the courts. Risk assessments are too general and are not up to date. For example, the strategies to prevent one young person from going missing from the home have not been updated in the light of concerns from previous missing episodes.

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This monitoring visit

Staff have access to a protocol that details the steps they should take if a young person goes missing from the home. However, this protocol has not been updated to reflect that a young person now has a mobile phone. As a result, staff are not clear about information that they will need to pass on to the police.

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This monitoring visit

Staff described to the inspectors that young people are ‘stir crazy’ because they do not get out and about enough. However, staff have not come up with safe ways to enable young people to engage in the wider community.

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This monitoring visit

The responsible individual has not ensured that staff know how to supervise and protect young people when using the internet and other forms of communication. He has not ensured that staff use their professional curiosity about numerous males and relatives whom one young person is contacting. Staff are not using their relationships to help young people to make safer decisions and to reduce risks.

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This monitoring visit

Staff are not keeping an up-to-date record of when young people use the internet and other forms of communication. They do not understand how recording young people’s media use should inform their strategies for helping and protecting them. For example, following the last inspection, staff started to record what one young person was doing when she used her laptop. However, they did not review these records to help them decide if it was appropriate to give one young person a mobile phone. Staff do not have sufficient knowledge of the risks young people can be exposed to when accessing social media sites. They have stopped recording the young person’s laptop use and are also failing to record her phone use. Staff have also not been sufficiently concerned over who the young person is contacting on her mobile phone and the potential risks. As a result, the young person is making unsafe contacts and there is increased risk that she will go missing from the home and will

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This monitoring visit

The responsible individual has ensured that staff receive an induction to the home. He has provided them with training, supervision and support. Staff feel more confident about working together. However, staff still do not understand what advice and help young people need to learn to behave more safely. Staff still do not know what they should be focusing their everyday conversations on to help and protect young people. Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC061837 3

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 11/09/2018 Full Inadequate 06/09/2017 Full Good 13/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 04/07/2016 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC061837 4

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

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(b)) *31/12/2018

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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.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(h)) 31/12/2018

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Requirement Due date

*This requirement is subject to a compliance notice.

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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.

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Information about this inspection

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

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Christopher Aristidou

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Post vacant Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC061837 5

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Inspectors

Rachel Britten, social care inspector Debbie Holder, social care inspector Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC061837 6 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.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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

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