Children's home run by Phoenix Learning & Care Holdings Limited in North Devon

Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC463647 1 SC463647

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Phoenix Learning And Care Ltd

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children‟s home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to five children who have emotional and/or social care needs. The home is operated by a private provider that operates a number of homes in the local area.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit was undertaken to address specific concerns received by Ofsted. Inspectors identified several shortfalls:

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This monitoring visit

Christmas decorations had not been taken down from the outside of the premises. These, in February, create an impression of a lack of care and attention to the environment.

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This monitoring visit

Entries in the home‟s restraint log do not provide sufficient clarity about how children are held, or how items are removed from them. Some entries in the restraint log and incident logs imply that prohibitive measures are used as sanctions. In addition, the manager fails to de-brief staff on numerous occasions when staff have been involved in restraining a child or when they have been assaulted.

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This monitoring visit

A new and positive approach to managing one child‟s behaviour has been devised by senior staff. Unfortunately, the approach is implemented before staff have been fully briefed. The child‟s plans are not updated to set out the new approach. In general, children‟s care plans are not signed by the staff team to confirm that they are aware of and understand the content. Consequently, the staff team‟s approach is not fully aligned with the senior team‟s intended approach and could result in inconsistent care being delivered to children.

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This monitoring visit

Safeguarding incidents are not always recognised as such. In one case, following a Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC463647 2 significant incident, a child sustained bruising. The manager, failed to inform the child‟s social worker and safeguarding agencies. There is a failure to record some significant incidents and confusion among the team about what constitutes an incident that is worthy of recording. The manager does not monitor all the incidents and restraint. When the manager has monitored, he provides a good evaluation and scrutiny of events. However, some entries are personal to individual members of staff and may serve to ostracise the team.

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This monitoring visit

Children‟s risk assessments do not identify or account for known risks. As a result, the staff team is not fully equipped with strategies to mitigate some risky behaviours. The home‟s locality risk assessment fails to fully account for significant risks that are near the home. The possible impact of these risks to the children living in the home is not explored thoroughly, and there are insufficient protective strategies in place.

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This monitoring visit

Younger children are not fully protected from the behaviours of older children. One child became distressed following a significant incident when an older child was restrained. The staff provided comfort and care, but the child was, nevertheless, adversely affected by this incident.

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This monitoring visit

Following this visit, seven statutory requirements are set. Ofsted will continue to monitor the home and will conduct a full inspection at the earliest convenience.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 15/05/2018 Full Good 05/09/2017 Full Good 09/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 07/06/2016 Full Good Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC463647 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 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 adults.

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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 is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(b)) 01/04/2019

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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

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child‟s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child; help each child to understand how to keep safe; have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm; manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other; 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 01/04/2019 Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC463647 4 about a child‟s welfare; and are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home‟s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii))

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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—

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Requirement Due date

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—

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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)(h)) 01/04/2019

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children— receive effectively planned care in or through the children‟s home; and have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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 the child‟s placing authority is contacted, and a review of that child‟s relevant plans is requested, if— the registered person considers that the child is at risk of harm or has concerns that the care provided for the child is inadequate to meet the child‟s needs; the child is, or has been, persistently absent from the home without permission; or the child requests a review of the child‟s relevant plans. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b)(2)(e)(i)(ii)(iii)) 01/04/2019

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Requirement Due date

No measure of control or discipline which is excessive, unreasonable or contrary to paragraph (2) may be used in relation to any child.

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Requirement Due date

The following measures may not be used to discipline any 01/04/2019 Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC463647 5 child— any form of corporal punishment; any punishment involving the consumption or deprivation of food or drink; any restriction, other than one imposed by a court or in accordance with regulation 22 (contact and access to communications), on— a child‟s contact with parents, relatives or friends; visits to the child by the child‟s parents, relatives or friends; a child‟s communications with any persons listed in regulation 22(1) (contact and access to communications); or a child‟s access to any internet-based or telephone helpline providing counselling for children; the use or withholding of medication, or medical or dental treatment; the intentional deprivation of sleep; imposing a financial penalty, other than a requirement for the payment of a reasonable sum (which may be by

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Requirement Due date

instalments) by way of reparation; any intimate physical examination; withholding any aids or equipment needed by a disabled child; any measure involving a child imposing any measure against another child; or any measure involving punishing a group of children for the behaviour of an individual child. (Regulation 19 (1)(2)(a)(b)(c)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(d)(e)(f)(g)(h)(i)(j))

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Requirement Due date

35: Behaviour management policies and records

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Requirement Due date

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

the name of the child; details of the child‟s behaviour leading to the use of the measure; the date, time and location of the use of the measure; a description of the measure and its duration; details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure; the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used; the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the 01/04/2019 Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC463647 6 measure; and 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

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

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)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children‟s home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c) (the protection of children standard).

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Requirement Due date

When conducting the review, the registered person must consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person. (Regulation 46 (1)(2)) 01/04/2019

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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

Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC463647 7 Unique reference number: SC463647

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Phoenix Learning and Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Rolle Quay, Barnstaple EX31 1JE

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Inspectors

Michelle Oxley, regulatory inspection manager Paula Lahey, regulatory inspection manager Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC463647 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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