Children's home run by Archways Care Limited in Wolverhampton

Inspection report children’s home: SC061837 1 SC061837 Registered provider: Archways Care Limited

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

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, ‘From the onset of the placement we support young people gaining the personal and social skills to move forward in their life.’

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home has been without a registered manager since April 2018. The responsible individual provided managerial cover until a new manager was appointed in December 2018.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

requires improvement to be good

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

p.1

requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

p.1

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.

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 11 September 2018

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

p.1

Enforcement action since last inspection:

A compliance notice was issued under regulation 12 (2)(c) in September 2018. This was found not to have been met at a monitoring visit on 10 October 2018. The compliance notice was therefore reissued and is found to be met at this inspection. Inspection report children’s home: SC061837 2

p.1

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 children’s home: SC061837 3

p.2

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.

p.3

Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that the health and well- being needs of children are met; children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

p.3

Requirement Due date

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 the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a)(i)) 21/02/2019

p.3

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.

p.3

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(e)) 21/02/2019

p.3

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.

p.3

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to 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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(f)) 21/02/2019 Inspection report children’s home: SC061837 4

p.3

Recommendations

 Staff should keep and encourage children to keep appropriate memorabilia of the time spent living at the home and help them record significant life events. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.5)  Staff should continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. Where there are safeguarding concerns for a child, their placement plan, agreed between the home and their placing authority, must include details of the steps the home will take to manage any assessed risks on a day-to-day basis. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)  Evaluation of missing incidents should be undertaken to identify any gaps in training, skills or knowledge for staff or to record and retain evidence of what worked well. This evaluation should inform the review of the quality of care.

p.4

Recommendations

(‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.31)  The registered person is responsible for deciding what each review should focus on, based on the specific circumstances of the home at that particular time and any areas of high risk to the children that the home is designed to care for, such as missing or exploitation. They will also consider what information or data recorded in the home will form part of the evidence base for their analysis and conclusions. There is no expectation that the registered person will review the home against every part of the Quality Standards every six months – registered persons should use their professional judgement to decide which factors to focus on. The review should enable the registered person to identify areas of strength and possible weakness in the home’s care, which will be captured in the written report. The report should clearly identify any actions required for the next 6

p.4

Recommendations

months of delivery within the home and how those actions will be addressed. The whole review process and the resulting report should be used as a tool for continuous improvement in the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.4)

p.4

improvement to be good

Two young people are living here and are happy and settled. They benefit from warm and nurturing care from staff who are attentive and sensitive. Inspection report children’s home: SC061837 5 Young people are re-engaged in school or college. The home’s education coordinator liaises well with education providers and local authorities. She also relates well to young people and helps them to overcome difficulties that create barriers to their learning.

p.4

improvement to be good

Young people enjoy social activities with staff and with friends. Staff take them on outings for shopping, cinema, meals and drinks. After one outing, a young person said, ‘Today was the happiest I have felt for a long time, thank you.’ However, staff on occasion do not update young people’s records with memorabilia of their time here

p.5

improvement to be good

Young people make good progress towards independence. One young person now travels independently and spends time with a suitable friend in her free time. She has recently obtained a part-time job. She is making her own meals and learning to budget on the types of benefits that she could receive if she is not working. However, care planning is sometimes difficult to track to see how young people are making progress in their healthy daily routines for eating, sleeping, exercise and personal hygiene.

p.5

improvement to be good

Staff and managers understand and manage young people’s risks adequately. Staff supervise young people carefully. For example, one young person requires a high level of supervision when she is going to and returning from school. Staff liaise closely with school staff if they notice any risk of the young person planning to go missing and take swift action to stop it from happening. However, staff are still not clear about how they should supervise young people when they are in their bedrooms or bathrooms.

p.5

improvement to be good

Staff take every opportunity to advise and help young people understand and avoid exploitative situations. They focus on developing young people’s self-worth and expectations of what they can achieve. As a result of this hard work, young people are now more willing to discuss their personal safety and the impact of their past experiences. One young person has completed a course of counselling to help her manage her angry feelings better. Both young people have made progress in regulating their emotions and understanding the impact of their behaviour on those around them.

p.5

improvement to be good

A young person who is subject to a Deprivation of Liberty (DOL) order has not suffered further exploitation. This is because all staff follow the supervision requirements on the DOL order. Staff take action if the young person makes unsafe contacts online or by phone. Staff limit, observe and record all her communications. They do not over-rely on safety apps because they know these apps only supply limited information and the young person can find ways to ‘work around’ the apps. Staff follow her if she walks away from them. They can calm her down and persuade her to return without needing to use physical intervention. They praise all her safe and positive choices, but they know that she is still unable to consistently behave safely. Staff therefore continue to provide a high level of help and protection, given with tolerance and warmth.

p.5

improvement to be good

Another young person has stayed overnight with suitable friends on a few occasions. Inspection report children’s home: SC061837 6 Staff know that the friends are suitable because they have made contact and found out about the persons involved. Staff follow a protocol which states that they must report the young person missing if she stays away from the home without authorisation.

p.5

improvement to be good

Managers correctly follow good safeguarding procedures if young people make allegations about staff. Managers also recruit new staff safely. This means that young people are well protected from unsuitable people.

p.6

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

Since September 2018, the registered individual has been overseeing the day-to-day management of the home. He has appointed a new manager, who started work on 1 December 2018. The manager is going through Ofsted’s registration process.

p.6

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

The registered individual has now met the compliance notice issued last year. He has shared with staff his written report and ensured that staff have received training, role- modelling, supervision and advice on safe practice and the nurturing approach that young people need.

p.6

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

Despite, the good progress, analysis and advice is not always clearly written for staff. This leaves staff at times without a full understanding on how strategies help to kept young people safe.

p.6

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

The new manager is methodical in her approach. She has a plan to streamline daily records and add a section for written analysis and practice advice.

p.6

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

The registered individual completed a quality of care review in November 2018. However, the report does not focus on staff practice and lacks analysis.

p.6

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

There is one relief member of staff who has not gained the required qualification in residential childcare in the required timescale.

p.6

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.

p.6

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 Inspection report children’s home: SC061837 7 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: SC061837 8

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Archways Care Limited

p.8

Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Christopher Aristidou

p.8

Inspector

Rachel Britten, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC061837 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

p.8

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.9

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.9

Inspector

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

p.9