Children's home run by Greenacre Care Services Limited

Inspection report children’s home: SC379104 1 SC379104 Registered provider: Greenacre Care Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home is registered to provide care for up to four children who experience behavioural and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager since February 2018. A new manager has been appointed, but she has not applied to register with Ofsted.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

On 3 October 2018, the home was served with a notice restricting accommodation. Inspection report children’s home: SC379104 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/06/2018 Full Inadequate 29/01/2018 Interim Declined in effectiveness 18/05/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 25/01/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC379104 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

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. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose; and ensure that staff— 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)(vi)) In particular, ensure that children have a coherent plan for independence. 28/12/2018

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that— the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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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—

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Requirement Due date

achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a)(i)) 28/12/2018

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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. 28/12/2018 Inspection report children’s home: SC379104 4 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff—

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Requirement Due date

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. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that all risk assessments are kept up to date and are clear about the action required to reduce risk of harm. 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. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; and ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(c)(e)) 28/12/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children’s home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c) (the protection of children standard). When conducting the review, the registered person must consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person. (Regulation 46 (1)(2)) 28/12/2018

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improvement to be good

Both children who were living at this home at the time of the last full inspection have now left. This inspection considers the outcomes for the child who has most recently moved on. Inspection report children’s home: SC379104 5 The progress and outcomes for children are not sufficiently consistent or far-reaching. Independence planning is inconsistent. Recent measures introduced by the new manager to bring order and structure are positive, but sections of the independence plans are blank, which means that progress in areas such as budgeting and meal planning are difficult to track.

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improvement to be good

Children do not lead healthy lifestyles. Entrenched patterns of behaviour for the child who has recently moved on include smoking and cannabis misuse. Records state that the child’s use of cannabis was reducing. However, this information was based on self- reporting by the child. Children have continued to receive money in hand while living at the home. Until the new manager took up post, the staff lacked the required skills to act curiously, as a responsible parent would, to meaningfully explore how the children can consistently access drugs.

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improvement to be good

Over a protracted period, staff failed to persuade a child who has significant mental health needs to access therapeutic support or guidance. Failure to ensure that the child accessed the services that he needed meant that he had not established a good level of support by the time that he left the home.

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improvement to be good

In the few weeks leading up to the end of a child’s placement, he began to spend more time at the home, enabling staff to engage and build a relationship with him. The staff supported the child with family contact. The staff worked with a local authority advisor and the placing social worker to help this child to gain an apprenticeship, which was a significant and positive achievement.

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improvement to be good

Records of key-work sessions are improving because of the manager’s input and her oversight of staff members’ written work. However, the outcomes of, and actions identified during, key-work sessions are not consistently linked to the children’s individual risk assessments and support plans. This inspection found that although some risk assessments have improved, such as those relating to lone working, other risk assessments are not up to date. This does not ensure that there is a consistent approach and a clearly evaluated plan for all staff to follow to reduce risk.

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improvement to be good

As children have left the home, incidents of the children shouting and swearing at the staff have decreased. Since the new manager took up post and before the last child left the home, staff had been getting better at looking for opportunities to engage with the child, for example spontaneously taking an interest in what the child had been doing and asking him about his day. Taking an active interest increases the likelihood of children accepting help from the staff.

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improvement to be good

The child who most recently moved on did not go missing from the home. The staff do not use physical intervention. The new manager endorses the home’s policy of no restraint. Inspection report children’s home: SC379104 6 Shortly after the last full inspection, a new system for recording rewards and sanctions was introduced by a consultant. Records show that the staff struggled to understand how to use the system. The new manager has begun to implement a completely new system that focuses on recognising when children are succeeding and behaving well. This system includes providing certificates of achievement. The system is in the early stages, but it represents an improvement because the manager has been showing the staff how to celebrate children’s achievement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The home has been without a registered manager for 38 weeks.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Since the last full inspection, several changes to the management of the home have affected the continuity of the day-to-day arrangements for the children and the staff. Some of the previously appointed managers have been consultants and have not remained at the home for a sustained period.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The new manager was appointed at the end of July 2018. However, at the time of this inspection Ofsted had not received an application from the manager to register, as required by the Care Standards Act 2000. Failure to apply for registration does not enable Ofsted to fully assess the manager’s suitability.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager, who is a qualified social worker, is experienced in social care and has worked in fostering services. She has made improvements at the home. These include working positively with placing authorities to identify the necessary action to support a child. A placing local authority social worker said, ‘The new manager is very good. It is a shame that she was not working at the home sooner.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There are no children living at the home, so the core staff have been asked by the responsible individual not to report for duty. The core staff who had been working at the home up until the departure of the last child do not hold the relevant qualifications required by regulation. However, since the full inspection in June 2018 the provider has taken steps to enrol the core staff and the manager on relevant qualification courses.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The provider has taken steps to meet some of the regulatory shortfalls identified at the last full inspection. The statement of purpose has been amended, vetting and recruitment checks are suitable, and staff have access to some additional training. However, not all regulations are met. The location risk assessment has not been reviewed sufficiently thoroughly, although the manager is working to bring this document to the required standard.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager recognises that there is much work to do. Prior to the last child leaving the home, she was role-modelling positive interactions with the child and providing direct training for the staff in record- and report-writing skills. The manager provides mindful supervision for staff that is firmly focused on the needs of children. The manager has introduced both a new quality assurance checklist and a peer group supervision format Inspection report children’s home: SC379104 7 which encourages reflective practice. This is a positive step for the home. Inspection report children’s home: SC379104 8

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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 difference 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: SC379104 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Greenacre Care Services Limited

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Inspector

Rosie Davie: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC379104 10 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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