Children's home run by Cornwall Council in Cornwall

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC361789 1 SC361789

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Cornwall Council

Monitoring visit 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 nine young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties and learning difficulties. The home is owned by a local authority. It is situated near a school for children who have additional needs and a children’s home that offers short breaks. Some facilities and resources are shared between these three services.

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This monitoring visit

At the full inspection on 29 and 30 November 2018, the children’s home was judged to be inadequate. The purpose of this inspection was to monitor progress since the November inspection.

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This monitoring visit

The responsible individual and the manager of the home have supplied Ofsted with a comprehensive action plan in response to the requirements made at the full inspection. The manager and responsible individual have support from senior managers in the organisation to implement the necessary changes. The manager of the home is in the process of completing an application to register with Ofsted.

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This monitoring visit

Since the inspection, two out of six young people have left the home, one being a planned move and the other an emergency move as the home could not meet the young person’s needs. The responsible individual has stated that there will be no further admissions at this time, to ensure that the current young people’s needs are met. Some staff are on sickness leave due to work-related injury.

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This monitoring visit

The work to meet the action plan is ongoing, and managers have focused on priority areas. These include ensuring that enough staff are in place to keep young people safe, helping young people to have better experiences and make progress, and working with other agencies to ensure that young people have the support and services they need. Staffing levels are now sufficient to ensure that young people are safe during the day and night. Young people are now going out more, and some Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC361789 2 changes have been made to improve the environment. There remain a number of points in the action plan that are yet to be completed.

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This monitoring visit

A serious incident occurred, when staff had to take a young person to hospital. This was not notified to Ofsted and so a new requirement has been made.

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This monitoring visit

Ofsted is satisfied that enough action has been taken to date but notes that significant further progress is required to complete requirements. This work will be reviewed at the next full inspection.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 29/11/2018 Full Inadequate 15/11/2017 Full Good 16/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 13/10/2016 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC361789 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—

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Requirement Due Date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due Date

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—

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Requirement Due Date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due Date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b)(2)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due Date

 Ensure that young people have a sensory room or space to go to that meets their needs.  Review any restrictive or institutional areas of the home, so that children can live in a homely environment. 02/01/2019

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Requirement Due Date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due Date

develop positive relationships with them;

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Requirement Due Date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation 02/01/2019 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC361789 4 to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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Requirement Due Date

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

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Requirement Due Date

regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home’s care. (Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a)(iv))

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Requirement Due Date

The enjoyment and achievement standard is that children take part in and benefit from a variety of activities that meet their needs and develop and reflect their creative, cultural, intellectual, physical and social interests and skills.

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Requirement Due Date

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

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Requirement Due Date

that each child has access to a range of activities that enable the child to pursue the child’s interests and hobbies. (Regulation 9 (1)(2)(b)) 02/01/2019

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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—

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Requirement Due Date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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Requirement Due Date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(vii)(b))

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Requirement Due Date

 Ensure that placement plans, risk assessments and positive behaviour plans give staff precise guidance to ensure that they can be confident in consistently delivering the best care to young people.  If an allegation or concern is raised, ensure that it is investigated in accordance with safeguarding and child protection procedures.  Ensure that the needs of one young person do not impact negatively on the welfare of other young people in the home. 02/01/2019 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC361789 5 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

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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

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;

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Requirement Due Date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due Date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due Date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due Date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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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;

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Requirement Due Date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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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)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due Date

In particular:  Ensure that young people have, during the day and night, sufficient staff to look after them, with the right balance of experience and qualifications based on assessment of young people’s needs.  Ensure that all concerns and complaints are recorded and responded to in a transparent way.  Ensure that there is effective communication between 02/01/2019 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC361789 6 the home and school on a daily basis.  Review incident and physical intervention reports to ensure that they reflect the practice in the home and that they contain all of the required information.  Analyse incidents and review data available to help identify patterns and triggers.  Ensure that staff receive training about autism spectrum disorder at a specialist level, as required in their roles.

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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

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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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;

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Requirement Due Date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due Date

a child protection enquiry involving a child—

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Requirement Due Date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due Date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40(4)(a-d)(i)(ii)(e)) 25/01/2019

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Recommendations

 Any home using CCTV or other monitoring equipment should have a written policy describing how this will support the safeguarding and well-being of those living and working in the home in accordance with regulation 24. Homes must gain consent to any monitoring or surveillance by the placing authority in writing at the time of placement. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.16) In particular, ensure that any person with parental responsibility is aware of the use of door alarms for young people.

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Information about this inspection

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC361789 7 The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Accounts Payable, PO Box 727, TRURO TR1 9GP

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Tony Phillips-Jones

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Inspector

Sarah Canto, social care inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC361789 8 to 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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