Children's Home run by Aspris Children’s Services Limited in Devon

Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: 1271467 1

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The Priory Group

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home provides care for up to five children who have a learning disability. The home is operated by a national, private organisation.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has recently resigned from this service, as has the interim manager who was covering this post. At present, a further interim manager is in day-to-day charge of the home. They are supported by the responsible individual and staff from the organisation‟s quality team.

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This monitoring visit

This children‟s home was judged to have declined in effectiveness at the interim inspection on 5 November 2018. At that inspection, inspectors identified serious weaknesses in how well children were helped and protected. These concerns related to poor leadership and management oversight.

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This monitoring visit

Due to the severity of the concerns, a restriction of accommodation was issued after the interim inspection. Following this monitoring visit, Ofsted concludes that insufficient action has been taken to manage the home effectively and to fully safeguard the one child who lives here. As a result, the restriction will remain in place.

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This monitoring visit

The inspector did not access the home or spend time with the child during this visit. The manager advised the inspector that visitors to the home can act as a trigger for the child to become unsettled, and described the current situation as volatile. A recent increase in the frequency and severity of behavioural incidents has resulted in the safety of the child and staff being seriously compromised. Staff have been injured and the home damaged. Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: 1271467 2 Although the manager was concerned that unfamiliar people can be a trigger for incidents, a member of staff who had not worked at this home before had been asked to do so earlier on the same day. This staff member was not well prepared and was not clear about risks and expectations to care for this child safely.

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This monitoring visit

The interim manager reported that she had made the decision to give notice to the placing authority to end the child‟s placement at the home. This followed an incident when she concluded that there was a „possible risk to life‟. At the time of this visit, an alternative and more appropriate home is being identified.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 05/11/2018 Interim Declined in effectiveness 12/06/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: 1271467 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

6: The quality and purpose of care standard

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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; and 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 understand and apply the home‟s statement of purpose; and ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the statement of purpose; protect and promote each child‟s welfare; provide personalised care that meets each child‟s needs, as recorded in the child‟s relevant plans, taking account of the child‟s background; and make decisions about the day-to-day arrangements for each child, in accordance with the child‟s relevant plans, which gives the child an appropriate degree of freedom and choice.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iv)(ix))

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Requirement Due date

 Ensure that the child is supported to engage in a wide range of activities, makes measurable educational progress and is provided with access to primary healthcare practitioners. 21/11/2018

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from relationships based on mutual respect and trust; an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and positive responses to other children and 21/11/2018 Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: 1271467 4 adults.

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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

meet each child‟s behavioural and emotional needs as set out in the child‟s relevant plans; help each child to develop socially aware behaviour; communicate to each child expectations about the child‟s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child‟s age and understanding; understand how children‟s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children; and de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a)(I)(ii)(v)(ix)(xi))

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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

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child‟s welfare; and are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home‟s child protection policies.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(v)(vi)(vii)) 21/11/2018

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard

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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.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 21/11/2018 Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: 1271467 5 lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and deliver the outcomes, set out in the home‟s statement of purpose; ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care to each child; ensure that the home‟s workforce provides continuity of care to each child; 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.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(c)(d)(e)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

 Continue to prioritise the review and assessment of the child‟s needs.  In response to this review and assessment, continue to ensure that staff have the training, skills and experience required to meet his needs.  Take urgent action to ensure that staff who are administering medication have been assessed as competent by a suitable person.  Continue to ensure that staff have specialist training in meeting the needs of children with autism spectrum disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder. This training must provide sufficient knowledge and skills for staff to meet the needs of the child and to reduce his anxiety and isolation.  Take urgent action to ensure that where staff have not received up-to-date training in physical restraint that this training is provided without delay.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children‟s home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular the registered person must ensure that— 21/11/2018 Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: 1271467 6 medicines kept in the home are stored in a secure place so as to prevent any child from having unsupervised access to them; medicine which is prescribed for a child is administered as prescribed to the child for whom it is prescribed and to no other child; and a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child.

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Requirement Due date

Paragraph (2) does not apply to medicine which—

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Requirement Due date

is stored by the child for whom it is provided in such a way that other persons are prevented from using it; and may be safely self-administered by that child.

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Requirement Due date

ordered for a patient, for provision to the patient, under or by the virtue of the National Health Service Act 2006 or section 176(3) of the Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Act 2003(b); or in a case not falling within sub-paragraph (a), prescribed for a patient in accordance with regulation 217 of the Human Medicines Regulations 2012(c).

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 23 (1)(2)(a)(b)(c)(3)(a)(b)(4)(a)(b)

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Requirement Due date

 Take urgent action to ensure that staff who are administering medication have been assessed as competent by a suitable person.  Take urgent action to review the storage or medication keys. 33: Employment of staff

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Requirement Due date

ensure that each employee completes an appropriate induction; and ensure that all employees receive practice- related supervision by a person with appropriate experience.

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Requirement Due date

35: Behaviour management policies and records

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that— 21/12/2018 Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: 1271467 7 within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure.

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Requirement Due date

 Ensure that staff respond effectively when children are injured during incidents when restraint is used.

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Information about this inspection

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: Priory Education Services Limited, 80 Hammersmith Road, London, Middlesex, W14 8UD

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Inspector

Tracey Ledder, social care inspector Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: 1271467 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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