Children's home run by Keys Nhcc Ltd in Rossendale

Inspection report children’s home: SC020606 1 SC020606 Registered provider: New Horizons Childcare Ltd

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a private company. It is registered for three young people. The home provides care for young people aged seven to 17 who have experienced adverse childhood experiences that have led to associated trauma and presenting complex behaviours. The registered manager’s post is currently vacant and there is an interim manager overseeing the home.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 20 to 21 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 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

Date of last inspection: 18 December 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/12/2017 Full Outstanding Inspection report children’s home: SC020606 2 09/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 21/09/2016 Full Outstanding 04/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC020606 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 leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that promotes the children’s welfare.

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Requirement Due date

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

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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; and use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(1)(b)(2)(f)(h)) 25/01/2019

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Requirement Due date

Restraint in relation to a child is only permitted for the purpose of preventing—

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Requirement Due date

injury to any person (including the child); serious damage to the property of any person (including the child); or a child who is accommodated in a secure children’s home from absconding from the home.

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Requirement Due date

Restraint in relation to a child must be necessary and proportionate. (Regulation 20(1)(a)(b)(c)(2)) 25/01/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or 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). 25/01/2019 Inspection report children’s home: SC020606 4 The requirements are that—

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32(2)(a)(b)(3)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, fully explore previous employment histories and any concerns arising from this.

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Requirement Due date

The procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect must, in particular, provide for records to be kept of an allegation of abuse or neglect, and the action taken in response. (Regulation 34(2)(d)) 25/01/2019

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Recommendations

 All staff must have their performance and fitness to carry out their role formally appraised at least once annually. This appraisal should take into account, where reasonable and practical, the views of other professionals who have worked with the staff member over the year and children in the home’s care. As part of the performance management process, poor performance should be addressed by a timely plan to bring about improvement. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including quality care standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.5)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have extensive experience and have worked at the home for several years. As a result, staff know young people’s areas of strength and need. They treat young people with respect and dignity, and give them care which meets all of their needs. Staff are nurturing and patient, and have developed positive relationships with young people. Young people can express their wishes and feelings through key-worker sessions and young people’s meetings. Young people feel listened to and valued. Staff promote positive contact between young people and their close family and friends. Young people form excellent support networks, which reduces social exclusion and isolation.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people living at the home and those who have left the home have made significant progress in all aspects of their lives, considering their starting points. For example, staff supported a young person to attain a hairdressing qualification and another young person to get part-time employment. Staff equipped two young people with independent life skills which enabled them to quickly settle in their new placements. Inspection report children’s home: SC020606 5 Young people live healthy lifestyles. They are encouraged to eat healthily, take regular exercise, and to develop their self-care skills. Young people have access to a variety of activities within their community, such as horse riding, swimming, attending football club, shopping and going out on day trips. They improve their social skills, self-esteem and confidence

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff generally manage young people’s transitions to and from the home well. Young people are comfortable and happy, and their needs are met. However, one young person’s placement was abruptly ended, but this was done to safeguard them and the other young people who live in the home.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Safeguarding concerns are well managed by the staff and manager, with prompt monitoring of incidents and quick referrals to safeguarding agencies. The registered manager works in partnership with safeguarding agencies. Concerns about young people’s welfare are routinely notified to Ofsted and show that appropriate safeguarding action is taken as concerns arise. A young person told the inspector that they feel safe living at the home.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Behaviour management plans and risk assessments give staff clear guidance which enables them to manage and reduce risks to young people. Staff use reward programmes and sanctions to help young people to understand how to keep themselves safe and to make positive choices.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Physical restraints are generally proportionate and enable young people to be safe. However, the recording of one physical restraint was very poor and lacked sufficient detail to enable the manager to scrutinise the appropriateness of the restraint. Staff restricted the movement of one young person in order to stop them going from the home’s kitchen to the back garden. The record of restraint does not detail what risk- taking behaviours the young person was displaying to warrant the use of this restraint. This has the potential to compromise young people’s safety. Some restraint records reflect that staff debriefs are being completed, but dates of when these are completed are not recorded and linked documents are not cross-referenced.

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

The registered manager’s post is vacant and this has contributed to the leadership and management of the home being judged requires improvement to be good. The interim manager has only been in post for just over two months. She has worked hard with staff to manage the instability caused by the home not having a registered manager. However, she does not have extensive management experience and knowledge. Consequently, the monitoring and reviewing of the service is not consistent in some areas. For example, missing-from-care records are poorly written and lack sufficient detail, and the chronological information regarding dates and times is not cross- Inspection report children’s home: SC020606 6 referenced with relevant documents.

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

Managers do not always ensure that follow-up actions from the designated officer are appropriately documented. One management investigation record does not show the outcome. This makes it difficult to ascertain if any concerns or further learning were identified from the investigation.

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

Staff recruitment is generally safe. However, there has been one occasion when the manager failed to effectively follow safer recruitment protocol. She allowed a staff member to work at the home without making sufficient enquiries into their employment history.

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

Staff receive good-quality, reflective supervision which focuses on young people’s needs, and staff training and development. This enables staff to continuously meet the needs of young people. Most staff have had their annual performance appraisals. However, the interim manager has not received her appraisal within recommended timescales. This is a missed opportunity to discuss staff self-development, and to provide feedback on the staff’s individual performance.

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

The manager is passionate about the well-being and progress of young people. She works effectively with partner agencies to provide holistic care for young people.

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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

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: SC020606 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: New Horizons Childcare Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Maybrook House, 2nd Floor, Queensway, Halesowen, Worcestershire B63 4AH

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Inspector

Rumbi Mangoma: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC020606 8 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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