Children's Home run by Rite Directions Limited in Kingston upon Hull

Inspection report children‘s home: 1254316 1 Registered provider: Rite Directions

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A private provider operates and runs this home. It is registered to provide care for up to four children and young people who present with complex needs associated with learning disabilities or difficulties. The appropriately qualified registered manager has been managing this home since it was registered.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 13 to 14 November 2018

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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 requires improvement to be 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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good

A case was opened but was subsequently closed on 27 June 2018.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/03/2018 Full Good Inspection report children‘s home: 1254316 2

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 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. In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating— the feedback and opinions of children about the children‘s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it. (Regulation 45 (1)(2)(b)) 01/01/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must provide a copy of the statement of purpose to HMCI and make a copy of it available upon request The registered person must— notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (2)(3)(b)) 01/01/2019

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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. 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. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b)(2)(c)) 01/01/2019

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Requirement Due date

Before implementing, or making an amendment which the registered person considers to be substantive to, the missing child policy, the registered person must— consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person; and have regard to any relevant local authority or police protocols on missing children. (Regulation 34 (5)(a)(b)) 01/01/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that— within 48 hours of the use of the measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person 01/01/2019 Inspection report children‘s home: 1254316 3 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)(b)(i)(ii)(c)) The health and well-being standard is that— children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff help each child to— achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in

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Requirement Due date

the child‘s relevant plans. (Regulation 10 (1)(b)(2)(a)(ii)) 01/01/2019

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Recommendations

 The information set out in the statement of purpose is an essential part of the process of agreement between the registered person and placing authority that a placement in that home is the right one for that child, and that the home will be able to respond effectively to the child‘s assessed needs. (‗Guide to the children‘s homes regulations including the quality standards‘, page 15, paragraph 3.6). This is with particular reference to the manager ensuring that she works in line with the home‘s statement of purpose when admitting children into the home.

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Recommendations

 All children must have access to appropriate advocacy support, and where possible this should be provided by a person that the child chooses. Looked-after children are entitled to an independent advocate to advise them and ensure they have the support needed to express their views, wishes and feelings about their care and lives. (‗Guide to the children‘s homes regulations including the quality standards‘, page 23, paragraph 4.16)

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Recommendations

 When a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, the responsible local authority must provide an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. Homes should take account of information provided by such interviews when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child. (‗Guide to the children‘s homes regulations including the quality standards‘, page 45, paragraph 9.30)

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Recommendations

 Staff should be familiar with the home‘s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. Inspection report children‘s home: 1254316 4 (‗Guide to the children‘s homes regulations including the quality standards‘, page 62, paragraph 14.4). This is with particular reference to the staff not recording when they are making telephone contact with a child while he is out in the community. His care plan states the frequency with which contact should be made, but there remains no daily record.

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Recommendations

 Staff should understand and help children to understand what makes a healthy, nurturing relationship. Staff should be skilled to recognise the signs and provide support to children in danger of or involved in exploitative or damaging relationships with others and where possible prevent these types of relationships. (‗Guide to the children‘s homes regulations including the quality standards‘, page 39, paragraph 8.10)

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Recommendations

 Staff should ensure that each child understands the home‘s procedures and policies for respecting their confidentiality and also when it will not be possible to preserve this – e.g. where protecting a confidence puts themselves or others at risk. (‗Guide to the children‘s homes regulations including the quality standards‘, page 22, paragraph 4.12). This is with particular reference to the staff monitoring the children‘s and young people‘s computer usage.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should actively seek independent scrutiny of the home and make best use of information from independent and internal monitoring (including under regulations 44 and 45) to ensure continuous improvement. They should be skilled in anticipating difficulties and reviewing incidents, such as learning from disruptions and placement breakdowns. They are responsible for proactively implementing lessons learned and sustaining good practice. (‗Guide to the children‘s homes regulations including the quality standards‘, page 54, paragraph 10.24). This is with particular reference to the manager‘s oversight of documentation.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children and young people have varying levels of additional needs and complexities which impact on their functioning. The staff provide them with individualised levels of care by utilising different approaches which have a positive impact on their progress. One child is learning about money by going to the supermarket self-service checkouts, which he loves to do. Another child can now hold a conversation, whereas previously he was described as almost non-verbal. His confidence is excelling.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager has faced challenges when sourcing schooling for all the children and young people. The children and young people who are attending education are encouraged to go, and they report that they are happy and look forward to their days. The children and young people are also involved in after-school activities and were excited about wearing pyjamas for ‗children in need‘. Inspection report children‘s home: 1254316 5 The children‘s and young people‘s complex health needs are being met. The staff routinely implement goals to encourage the children and young people to maintain their health. The staff proactively address any outstanding appointments. This has resulted in one child having their eyes tested. The child is now wearing glasses and is also under consultation for a potential genetic disorder. Through the support of the staff, the children and young people are demonstrating an ability to regulate their emotions. A

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

young person now understands the feeling of anger. This means the staff can provide an immediate response, preventing the escalation of incidents.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children and young people have very good relationships with the staff, and the interactions observed were positive and warm. Even when there are barriers to a child‘s ability to form relationships, these relationships are still being developed by the staff. A social worker said; ‗The staff interact with [Name of child] sensitively. They understand his character and personality and this interaction has progressed.‘ The children‘s and young people‘s wishes are heard. They talk about the activities that they want to do, and the results of these requests are evident through photographs of them attending a firework display and having fun bowling. It is identified that some of the children and young people would benefit from an advocate; however, this need continues not to be met.

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improvement to be good

The children and young people say that the home is ‗good‘. The staff implement clear and consistent boundaries to address any unwanted behaviours. Positive behaviours are commended, and the children and young people can pick a gift from the rewards box. During incidents, the staff ensure that other children and young people are distracted and are provided with reassurances to help them to feel safe.

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improvement to be good

Children and young people are enjoying time in the community with their friends. The staff encourage these relationships, as directed by the children‘s and young people‘s care plans and risk assessments. However, the manager has limited knowledge about the current risks that children and young people face. There is no cohesive understanding around illegal drugs, county lines or safeguards around social media. Although some members of the staff team have this knowledge, the manager has failed to utilise this experience. For example, she has been reliant on a computer programme to safeguard a child. This gap in skills and accountability impacts on the staff‘s ability to protect children and young people effectively.

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improvement to be good

If the children and young people go missing from the home, the staff do act to ensure their safe return. One child‘s missing-from-home protocol does not include specific information about his associates or risks. The staff are expected to contact him when he is out, yet there are no records to demonstrate this. Also, because the child‘s history and vulnerability he has a distorted perception of a healthy relationship, but the staff are not addressing this. The manager has failed to share missing-from-home documents with the police, which impacts on the timeliness of missing procedures starting. Also, independent return home interviews are not routinely undertaken. Inspection report children‘s home: 1254316 6 To maintain the children‘s and young people‘s safety, the staff have deemed it necessary to use physical restraint. The records of interventions are clear, but there are conflicts of interest when around those involved in the incident also complete the debrief and sign

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

The manager reinforces the home‘s ethos, for the children and young people to make progress and gain new experiences. The children and young people talk highly about the manager and they respond well to her guidance and direction. She embraces the children‘s and young people‘s excitement and is interested in their daily achievements.

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

The manager can identify areas of development for the home, and for the staff team, in relation to the quality of care. Despite the manager‘s oversight of internal and external monitoring processes, children and young people are still experiencing delays in specialist mental health support. Although the manager is not responsible for the referrals, she is not forthcoming at addressing this deficit with responsible professionals. There are further gaps in her practice, including the recording of consultation with the children and young people. This has impacted on the manager‘s regulation 45 report, which does not include consultation. Additionally, these reports are not consistently being sent to the regulator.

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

The manager has reviewed the admission and discharge processes. Previously, insufficient planning has resulted in children and young people not being matched effectively. Unfortunately, this has resulted in some children and young people experiencing further placement moves. Following this review, lessons have been learned and the children‘s and young people‘s admissions and discharges from and into the home are now well planned.

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

When members of the staff team start their employment, the manager completes relevant checks, including exploring their experience and ensuring that they pose no risk. The staff say that they are well supported by the manager and that their practice is developed through quality supervision. However, records indicate that when there are gaps in knowledge the staff members have not completed relevant training to further their understanding about pertinent topics, for example autism spectrum disorder and attachment. When there have been new staff, this has been reflected in the home‘s statement of purpose; however, these updates have not been sent to the regulator.

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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 Inspection report children‘s home: 1254316 7 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: 1254316 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Tan Y Marian, Constitution Hill, Penmaenmawr LL34 6BA

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Daniel Macmillan

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Inspector

Jennifer Fenlon, social care inspector Inspection report children‘s home: 1254316 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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