Children's home run by Headway House Limited

Inspection report children’s home: 1214688 1 Registered provider: Headway House Limited Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to five children. The home is privately owned. There has been no registered manager in post since 6 February 2018.

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Information about this children’s home

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Information about this children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged requires improvement to be good at the last full inspection. At the interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has declined in effectiveness.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

This inspection identified many serious failings. Three children were in placement at the time of the inspection. One child’s placement had been ended in June 2018 because of a number of serious incidents, which put the child and others at significant risk. Notice had been given on another child’s placement by the home, due to staff being unable to manage aggressive behaviours; he was still in placement at the time of the inspection. Staff and managers have failed to ensure that children have a positive experience of living in and leaving the home.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Ofsted had not been informed of significant changes to the leaders and managers of the home. A director of Headway House Limited has been involved in the day-to-day running of the home for some time without this being reported to Ofsted. The manager, who had been in place since February 2018, and the responsible individual resigned in July 2018. Inspection report children’s home: 1214688 2 The provider has since employed a new responsible individual and manager; neither has previously worked in a children’s home. There has been a failure to notify Ofsted and ensure that the home’s acting management team has the appropriate experience, qualifications and skills to manage the home safely and to oversee the care of children effectively. Most of the serious breaches found during the inspection had not been identified by the management team.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The new managers were unable to provide up-to-date support plans or risk assessments for any of the children. They were also unable to identify what risks the children faced and how these would be mitigated by staff actions. This leaves children unsafe. Children’s information was either difficult to locate or not available; this does not give staff clear direction on how to support children.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Inspectors identified serious health and safety breaches that had not been identified by the current management or staff team. These included second floor bedroom window restrictors that had been cut; staff were unable to say how or when this had been done. The child had been known to do this before, but no measures were in place to monitor the safety of the windows. One child’s bedroom had a disused fish tank, with stagnant water and algae, and a loose plug socket which was in use. This could have presented a fire risk. The ensuite bathroom for the same bedroom had a strong smell of damp. Other health and safety concerns were identified in the home, which put children and staff at risk; this included the accessibility of potentially dangerous implements around the home. Accessibility to areas such as the garage is of serious concern, particularly in the context of known risks and concerns relating to the children.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Inspectors highlighted concerns that staff did not have the skills to keep children and others safe. For instance, staff have been unable to de-escalate incidents. Incident reports detail situations where children have displayed extreme aggressive behaviours. Staff have been hurt and children have threatened to use weapons, and children have put themselves at risk and the police have been called to the home. In separate incidents, one child was found by staff to have weapons, including a bat, a screwdriver and broken bottles. Previous inspections have raised concerns about staff not being able to manage children’s challenging behaviour.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Inspectors saw a number of incident reports, but were informed that there may have been more incidents, as the managers were unsure as to where the records were. Records pf physical interventions could not be located for all incidents. Between 27 May 2018 and 26 June 2018, four serious incidents involving one child were documented. One incident record states that the police have ‘raised a red flag on the home due to the increasing aggressive behaviours’. This child’s placement was subsequently ended. Between 8 August 2018 and 5 September 2018, five serious incidents were recorded involving another child. The provider has since given notice for the child to be moved.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Managers did not investigate an allegation against a bank member of staff quickly or robustly enough. The investigation did not identify that staff did not follow whistleblowing policies and the investigation also did not evaluate the shortfalls to identify learning for staff and managers. This lack of a thorough investigation and accountability compromises children’s safety. Other safeguarding information and audit Inspection report children’s home: 1214688 3 trails could not be located by managers. This has been an ongoing problem, with repeated requirements made around safeguarding procedures.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

During the inspection, highly sensitive information relating to children and staff was found unsecured in accessible rooms. The staff sleep-in room contained staff recruitment files in unlocked boxes and children’s confidential information on the floor. In the staff office, child-related documents were found on the top of cabinets. The recently appointed managers had not addressed this.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Recruitment processes are not robust enough, potentially putting children at risk. Inspectors found that references had not always been explored and previous disciplinary proceedings had not been followed up. The personnel file relating to the member of staff who was subject to an investigation had been lost. Managers were unable to locate records to demonstrate that the supervision of staff is sufficiently regular.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the last inspection, Ofsted has not received any notifications from the home about serious incidents, allegations or police involvement. This is despite there being records showing a number of events that should have been reported. Further, Ofsted has not received any reports from independent visits made under regulation 44 of the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015, or any quality of care reports from the registered provider. Prior to the inspection, the inspector had reminded the provider of the need for these to be submitted.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Leaders have failed to establish a culture that helps children to fulfil their potential, promotes their welfare and keeps them safe from harm. Following this inspection, a suspension notice was served on 28 September 2018.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/04/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 13/11/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 03/05/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 20/12/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: 1214688 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 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.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose; ensure that staff— protect and promote each child’s welfare; provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background; 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)(ii)(iv)(vi)) 26/10/2018

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on— mutual respect and trust; an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and positive responses to other children and adults.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff— help each child to develop socially aware behaviour; encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding; help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone; help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child’s age and understanding, personal, sexual 26/10/2018 Inspection report children’s home: 1214688 5 and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful; understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children; de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 11(1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(ix)(xi))

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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 staff— assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child; help each child to understand how to keep safe; have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm; manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other; understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)) 26/10/2018

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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.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(d)) 26/10/2018

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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—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their 26/10/2018 Inspection report children’s home: 1214688 6 welfare.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose; ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate; ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child; ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child; 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.

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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)(a)(c)(d)(e)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. (Regulation 14 (1)(b)) 26/10/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if—

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Requirement Due date

there is no registered manager in respect of the home; and the registered provider— is an organisation or a partnership; does not satisfy regulation 28; or is not, or does not intend to be, in day-to-day charge of the home.

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Requirement Due date

If the registered provider appoints a person to manage the home, the registered provider must, without delay, give HMCI notice of— the name of the person so appointed; and the date on which the appointment takes effect. (Regulation 27 (1)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(2)(a)(b)) 26/10/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety. 26/10/2018 Inspection report children’s home: 1214688 7 The registered person may only—

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

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,

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Requirement Due date

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; the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform; the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and 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)(a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development; receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b)) 26/10/2018

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes— the name of the child; details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure; the date, time and location of the use of the measure; a description of the measure and its duration; details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure; the name of the person who used the measure (‘the user’), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and 26/10/2018 Inspection report children’s home: 1214688 8 a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure; within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (‘the authorised person’)— has spoken to the user about the measure; and has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (‘case records’) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child; are kept up to date; and are signed and dated by the author of each entry.

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Requirement Due date

Case records must be kept— if the child dies before attaining the age of 18, for 15 years from the date of the child’s death; in cases not falling within sub-paragraph (a), for 75 years from the child’s date of birth; securely in the children’s home during the period when the child to whom the case records relate is accommodated there; and in a secure place after the child has ceased to be accommodated in the home. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a)(b)(c)(d)) 26/10/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the following items, which may be kept in electronic form, are kept in an accessible manner—

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Requirement Due date

the statement of purpose; the children’s guide; placement plans for children who are not looked after (see regulation 18); the policy for safeguarding children (see regulation 34); the policy for preventing bullying (see regulation 34); the missing child policy (see regulation 34); the behaviour management policy (see regulation 35); records of the use of measures of control, discipline or restraint (see regulation 35); children’s case records (see regulation 36); other records (see regulation 37); 26/10/2018 Inspection report children’s home: 1214688 9 the procedure for considering complaints (see regulation 39); records of complaints (see regulation 39); the independent person’s reports (see regulation 44); quality of care reviews (see regulation 45); annual reviews of the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the home’s premises (see regulation 46). (Regulation 38 (a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(g)(h)(i)(j)(k)(l)(m)(n)(o))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious; there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there; there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(b)(c)((e)) 26/10/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person— if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires; and to inspect the premises of the home and such of the home’s records (except for a child’s case records, unless the child and the child’s placing authority consent) as the independent person requires.

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Requirement Due date

A visit by the independent person to the home may be unannounced.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must produce a report about a visit (‘the independent person’s report’) which sets out, in particular, the independent person’s opinion as to whether— children are effectively safeguarded; and the conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person’s report may recommend actions that the registered person may take in relation to the home and timescales within which the registered person must consider whether or not to take those actions. (Regulation 44 (1)(2)(a)(b)(3)(4)(a)(b)(5) 26/10/2018 Inspection report children’s home: 1214688 10 The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person’s report to—

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Requirement Due date

HMCI; upon request, the local authority for the area in which the home is located; the placing authorities of children. (Regulation 44 (7)(a)(b)(c)) 26/10/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (‘a quality of care review’) at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating— the quality of care provided for children; the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review (‘the quality of care review report’).

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must— supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed; and make a copy of the quality of care review report available on request to a placing authority, if the placing authority is not the parent of a child accommodated in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1)(2)(a)(b)(c)(3)(4)(a)(b)(5)) 26/10/2018

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Requirement Due date

If the person who is in day-to-day charge of the children’s home proposes to be absent from the home for 28 days or more, the registered person must give notice in writing to HMCI of the proposed absence. Except in the case of emergency or unforeseen absence, a notice under paragraph (1) must— 26/10/2018 Inspection report children’s home: 1214688 11 be given no later than one month before the proposed absence commences, or within such shorter period as agreed with HMCI; and specify with respect to the proposed absence— its length or expected length; the reason for it; the arrangements which have been made for running the home during the absence; the address, name and qualifications of the person who will be responsible for the home during the absence; and in the case of the absence of the registered manager, the arrangements that have been, or are proposed to be, made for appointing another person to manage the home during the

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Requirement Due date

absence, including the proposed date by which the appointment is to be made. (Regulation 48 (1)(2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must give notice in writing to HMCI, as soon as it is reasonably practicable to do so, if any of the following events take place or are expected by the registered person to take place —

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Requirement Due date

a person other than the registered person carries on or manages the children’s home; a person ceases to carry on or manage the home; if the registered person is an organisation— any change of director, manager, secretary or other similar officer of the organisation; Any change in the identity of the responsible individual. (Regulation 49 (a)(b)(e)(ii)(iii)) 26/10/2018 Inspection report children’s home: 1214688 12

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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

This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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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: 1214688 13

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Headway House Limited

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Inspectors

Emeline Evans, social care inspector James Harmon, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1214688 14 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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