Children's home run by Discovered Limited

Interim inspection report children’s home: 1272209 1 Registered provider: Discovered Limited Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This five-bedded home was registered in April 2018. It provides care for children who have experienced traumatic childhoods and require support in a nurturing, structured and therapeutic environment. The manager was registered when the home opened and is suitably qualified.

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Information about this children’s home

Date of last inspection: 20 December 2018

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Information about this children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: none. Since the last inspection, Ofsted has received complaints about the home. This has led to an interim inspection being carried out.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged good at the last full inspection. At the interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has sustained effectiveness.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home has experienced an unsettled period. This has included an increase in children being missing from the home and incidents of challenging behaviour. Two complaints have been made recently about the home. These complaints centred on behaviour management, setting and maintaining boundaries and staffing.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

No new children have been admitted to the home since the last inspection and no children have left. Staffing has also remained consistent, although several newly recruited staff are going through their initial induction and are about to join the home. Interim inspection report children’s home: 1272209 2 In the interim, established staff have been covering additional shifts. Many staff have been subject to intimidating and threatening behaviour from the children, including racial abuse. Staff feel that there is a lack of boundaries in the home. There are occasions when boundary setting in the home is undermined by other stakeholders, whose decision-making differs from that of the staff. These conflicting views and decisions have caused tension in the home. Children have been unsettled by what they see as an inconsistent response from staff, with some children being allowed to do as they wish.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children are not being provided with clear boundaries. Staff are not implementing previously agreed plans. The manager is working to address the recent difficulties in managing behaviour, and this includes working on shift with staff. This is to enable the manager to observe practice and, where necessary, model the approach that she wishes the staff to adopt.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children say that they are happy living here. One child spoke about wanting to stay at the home into adulthood. There is also evidence that children have made progress. This is despite some current issues that have arisen between the children. These issues have led to children submitting complaints to the manager.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

A process of matching the needs of any new children against the needs of the children already living at the home takes place ahead of any new placement. It is not clear whether the assessments of need are updated when there are incidents of concern and the dynamics in the home change. This has been exacerbated through inconsistent care and boundary setting.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The police have been called to the home several times recently. Incidents have included children being missing from the home, suspicion of illegal substances on the premises and aggressive and threatening behaviour. Some incidents start as being fun between the children but escalate very quickly. There is a lack of proactive preventative work. Physical intervention has been used to manage behaviour. Appropriate management oversight and debriefing is evident, but some incidents might have been prevented if the boundaries were made clearer.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff have taken the necessary actions to safeguard a child who had started to be away from the home without permission on a regular basis. On one occasion, despite the high level of risk, Ofsted was not notified of the concern. The manager acknowledges this oversight.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home has taken the necessary steps to ensure that a car of concern was reported to the police. This enabled the police to speak to the driver concerned. This proactive action safeguards children.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

When children make allegations against staff these are responded to by managers appropriately. This demonstrates that children are listened to, and the response safeguards children. Interim inspection report children’s home: 1272209 3 There have been issues with children accessing inappropriate material online. The home is updating the way that the internet is accessed to ensure that staff can see what each child is accessing. This will add an additional layer of protection. Staff speak openly with children, in an age-appropriate way, who wish to speak about any issues that concern them.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

There has been a recent lapse in the frequency of staff supervision. This prevents staff from having the formal opportunity to reflect on their practice, discuss their concerns or to share with managers how the children’s behaviour is affecting them.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

In the short time since the last inspection, tuition has been arranged for three of the four children. These arrangements are in their infancy and children have differing degrees of engagement with the tutors.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff are working with the children’s social workers to ensure that planning is effective, and where it is not they are challenging the decisions made. A social worker spoke positively about the partnership working and described some initial teething problems regarding receiving reports as having been addressed. She went on to say that the child she is responsible for is the happiest that she has seen them, and that the home is making a positive difference to the child.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The quality of care has been reviewed by the manager. She has a good awareness of the areas in need of strengthening and further development.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The independent visitor’s reports are now being received. This resolves one of the shortfalls raised in December 2018. The remaining requirement and two recommendations will be restated, in addition to a new requirement being made.

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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. Interim inspection report children’s home: 1272209 4

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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—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

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— 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;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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Requirement Due date

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;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child’s age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship;

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Requirement Due date

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust;

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Requirement Due date

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; 20/03/2019 Interim inspection report children’s home: 1272209 5 are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same;

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children;

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Requirement Due date

understand and communicate to children that bullying is unacceptable; and

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to recognise incidents or indications of bullying and how to deal with them. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi) (vii)(viii)(ix)(x)(xi)(xii)(xiii))

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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 — is instigated; or 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)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e)) 20/03/2019

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Recommendations

 The registered person is responsible for ensuring that all staff consistently follow the home’s policies and procedures for the benefit of the children in the home’s care. Everyone working at the home must understand their roles and responsibilities and what they are authorised to decide on their own initiative. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.20) Interim inspection report children’s home: 1272209 6 In particular, ensure that children receive consistent responses from the staff team.

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Recommendations

 Staff should be familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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Recommendations

In particular, ensure that records are completed fully with attention to detail and accuracy.

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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

This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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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’.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 4-4A Blackburn Road, Accrington BB5 1HD Interim inspection report children’s home: 1272209 7 Responsible individual: Thomas Mayer

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Inspector

Sonia Hay, social care inspector Interim inspection report children’s home: 1272209 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 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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