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

Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: 1236278 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 children‟s home provides care for up to four children. The home is part of a large, national organisation.

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This monitoring visit

This children‟s home has received three full inspections since July 2018. At each of these three inspections, the home was judged to be inadequate. At the last of these inspections, concerns remained about serious weaknesses in how well children were helped and protected, the quality of care provided to children and the safekeeping and administration of medication. These weaknesses stemmed from poor leadership and management oversight.

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This monitoring visit

At the full inspection in November 2018, inspectors found that compliance notices served following the full inspection in October 2018 had not been met. Enforcement action was taken. This monitoring visit was carried out to review the actions that leaders and managers have taken to address the weaknesses. While some improvements were noted at the previous monitoring visit, this visit concludes that the effectiveness of leaders and managers remains weak. Requirements that were made at previous inspections have not been fully met.

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This monitoring visit

Monitoring by the interim manager is not yet wholly effective. The inspectors identified weaknesses in managerial oversight of incidents. Managers have not asked important questions to understand what happened and to reduce the risk of repetition. Debrief discussions held with children following physical intervention or serious incidents have, at times, been undertaken by staff involved in the incident. This does not allow the child to talk to someone independent about any worries or concerns that they may have. Insufficient action has been taken by leaders and managers to address known risks for one of the children when they visit their family. Insufficient planning has taken Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: 1236278 2 place with the placing authority to agree a plan to ensure that these visits are always a positive experience for the child.

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This monitoring visit

Known triggers for one child who uses electronic devices have not been addressed swiftly or effectively. This lack of action has led to incidents in school and in the home. An agreement that was put in place nine months ago has not been reviewed or updated. At times, staff have responded to the child punitively. This has led to the child feeling frustrated and incidents happening that could have been avoided.

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This monitoring visit

Staff have not promptly addressed triggers and emerging themes in respect of the deteriorating relationship between two of the children. No clear direction has been provided to staff and the care planning documentation has not been updated.

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This monitoring visit

The out-of-hours on-call support system for staff is not effective. Some managers remain the first point of contact, despite senior leaders being aware of current practice concerns in respect of them.

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This monitoring visit

The interim manager continues to take steps to provide children with better-quality day-to-day care. Children‟s experiences are slowly starting to improve because children receive more nurturing care in a more homely environment.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 29/11/2018 Full Inadequate 10/10/2018 Full Inadequate 04/07/2018 Full Inadequate 04/05/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: 1236278 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

(1) The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who— (a) understand the children‟s home‟s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children; (b) use this understanding to deliver care that meets children‟s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— (a) understand and apply the home‟s statement of purpose; (b) ensure that staff— (i) understand and apply the home‟s statement of purpose; (ii) protect and promote each child‟s welfare; (iii) treat each child with dignity and respect; (iv) 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 (vi) help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult.

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Requirement Due date

In particular:  Ensure that when the care provided falls below expectations, action is taken to swiftly address this.  Ensure that children receive care that meets their individual emotional needs.  Ensure that all staff understand the importance of providing a consistent approach to care and that they have the training, skills, confidence and expertise to deliver that care.  Ensure that staff receive practice-related supervision that supports them to reflect and offers appropriate levels of challenge. 04/03/2019

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Requirement Due date

(1) The education standard is that children make measurable 04/03/2019 Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: 1236278 4 progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— (iii) understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers; (iv) help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment; and (x) help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child‟s relevant plans.

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Requirement Due date

In particular:  Ensure that children are consistently encouraged and motivated to attend school.  Ensure that staff understand the importance of education and how best to support children to attend.  Ensure that leaders and managers can demonstrate that they are effectively challenging educational provisions when they have concerns or worries about children. 12: The protection of children standard

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Requirement Due date

(1) The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— (a) that staff— (i) 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; (ii) help each child to understand how to keep safe; (iii) have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm; (v) understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; (vi) take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child‟s welfare; and (vii) are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home‟s child protection policies; and (e) that the effectiveness of the home‟s child protection

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Requirement Due date

In particular: 04/03/2019 Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: 1236278 5  Ensure that any allegations or complaints are progressed promptly and investigated rigorously.  Ensure that any safeguarding concerns are escalated and managed effectively.  Ensure that staff undertaking internal investigations have the skills, knowledge and experience to do so and that children are consulted effectively as part of that process.  Ensure that known risks for children are adequately tackled and discussed with placing authorities to reduce the risk of future harm. 13: The leadership and management standard

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Requirement Due date

(1) The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children‟s home that— (a) helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and (b) promotes their welfare. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— (a) 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; (c) ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; (e) ensure that the home‟s workforce provides continuity of care to each child; (f) 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; (g) demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and

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Requirement Due date

improved by taking into account and acting on— (i) research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and (ii) feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and (h) 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

In particular:  Ensure that any staff practice concerns are addressed promptly.  Ensure that leaders have robust oversight and effectively monitor the quality of care that children receive.  Ensure that leaders have the skills, knowledge and 04/03/2019 Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: 1236278 6 experience to take effective and robust action when the quality of care is poor.  Ensure that the arrangements in place to make decisions and support staff out of hours are effective and robust. 23: Medicines

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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. (2) In particular the registered person must ensure that— (a) medicines kept in the home are stored in a secure place so as to prevent any child from having unsupervised access to them; (b) 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 (c) a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child. (3) Paragraph (2) does not apply to medicine which— (a) is stored by the child for whom it is provided in such a way that other persons are prevented from using it; and (b) may be safely self-administered by that child. (4) In this regulation, “prescribed” means— (a) ordered for a patient, for provision to the patient, under or by virtue of the National Health Service Act 2006 or

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Requirement Due date

section 176(3) of the Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Act 2003(b); or (b) 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

In particular:  Ensure that the systems used to manage medication are safe.  Ensure that managers can identify and act upon any medication errors or concerns.  Ensure that staff understand the importance of accurate and prompt recording of medication administration and ensure that action is taken to make such recordings. 04/03/2019

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Requirement Due date

(1) The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children‟s safety. 04/03/2018 Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: 1236278 7

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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 W14 8UD

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Inspector(s)

Tracey Ledder, social care inspector Paula Lahey, regulatory inspection manager Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: 1236278 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(s)

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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