Children's home run by Chaigeley Educational Foundation

Inspection report children’s home: 1243966 1 Registered provider: Chaigeley Educational Foundation

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Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a private children’s home registered to provide care and accommodation for up to six children and young people at any given time who are experiencing emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. A primary aim is to ensure that the children and young people access education and therapy. There are currently two children living in two separate cottages within the extensive school grounds owned and run by the same company. There is a new manager in post who was registered with Ofsted on 12 December 2018. There is also a new responsible individual in post.

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Information about this children’s home

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Information about this children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged requires improvement to be good at the last full inspection. At the interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has sustained effectiveness. Since the last inspection, there has been a new management team in place. This has resulted in an improvement in the quality of care that is being provided in the home. The new manager has good internal monitoring systems in place. She had identified most of the issues discussed during the inspection and has a plan in place to address the Inspection report children’s home: 1243966 2 shortfalls. There have been two discharges and one admission since the last inspection. Both discharges were managed in an unplanned way, prior to the new management team being in place. One young person left following an incident in the home, which resulted in her going into police custody before leaving the home. This does not demonstrate positive child-centred planning.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The newest admission has been managed in a better way. The manager and staff met with the young person prior to him moving in. However, the manager has not ensured that all of the relevant documents from the placing authority are in place for this young person, for example the care and placement plans. This means that staff do not have all the required information to plan the young person’s care. Young people have made some progress since the last inspection. For example, one young person now attends school, which he did not do in a previous placement. For some young people, there has been a reduction in challenging behaviour due to strategies that staff have put in place. Young people acknowledge that their behaviour has improved because of staff’s input. Staff are all trained in team-teach, which is the model that they are expected to use to manage young people’s behaviour. Staff use individualised de-escalation strategies to

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

manage young people’s challenging behaviour. They use restraint as a last resort. There are still some gaps in the recording of debriefs and sanctions. For example, life-space interviews are not being carried out with young people following restraint and there are gaps in the manager’s evaluation of sanctions. This does not ensure that a full overview of staff practice is undertaken. There has been a very low level of missing from home episodes since the last inspection. However, when young people do go missing from home, staff are proactive and follow missing from home protocols. The new manager has developed good links with local child sexual exploitation and missing from care services to ensure that there is a multi- agency approach to keeping young people safe. Staff ensure that young people have individual risk assessments in place, which reflect young people’s known risks and vulnerabilities. In most risk assessments, there is clear

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

guidance for staff to follow to manage known risks; however, in some risk assessments there is not, and it is unclear whether placing authorities have had any input in these plans. Staff understand safeguarding procedures. Any allegations are managed appropriately, and the designated officer for the local authority was complimentary about the new manager and how she responds to concerns and allegations. There is a high staff ratio in the home, which contributes to young people staying safe. However, the staff team is predominantly male, which does not ensure that young people can maintain relationships with people of a different gender. The manager acknowledged this shortfall and has a plan in place to ensure that the staff team includes staff from different gender groups. Despite a programme of redecoration, the home still lacks a homely feel. Some rooms Inspection report children’s home: 1243966 3 look worn in parts, with paintwork being marked, windows locked down until they are

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

replaced, bedrooms that require redecoration, and cigarette ends left on the ground outside the home. This does not provide a welcoming home environment for young people. The new manager has taken effective action to address most of the requirements made at the last inspection. There are still some gaps in the recording of restraint and sanctions; however, all the other requirements made at the last inspection are met. This demonstrates the manager’s commitment to improving standards in the home. The inspection identified some further areas of development, for example ensuring that a clear record is kept of any training or qualifications completed by staff and that the workforce plan is updated regularly to reflect this. Furthermore, the manager needs to ensure that there is a system in place whereby the identification is checked of any visitors to the home and that they are made aware of fire procedures. This is to ensure

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

the safety of visitors and young people living in the home.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/04/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 30/01/2018 Interim Improved effectiveness 19/09/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good

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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 understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children; use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that the premises used for the 27/03/2019 Inspection report children’s home: 1243966 4 purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) and (2)(c)(i)) 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. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the

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Requirement Due date

approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b)(2)(a)) 27/03/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that 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 the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and 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")— has spoken to the user about the measure; and has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and 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)(vii)(c)) 27/03/2019

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Recommendations

 When there are safeguarding concerns for a child, their placement plan, agreed between the home and placing authority, must include details of the steps the home will take to manage any assessed risks on a day-to-day basis. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)  The registered person is responsible for ensuring that all staff consistently follow the homes policies and procedures for the benefit of the children in the home’s care. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.20)  Whenever possible, staff in day-to-day contact with children should include staff from the different gender groups. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.22)  The registered person should have a workforce plan, which can fulfil the workplace requirements of Regulation 16, schedule 1. This plan should be

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Recommendations

updated to include any new training and qualifications completed by staff while Inspection report children’s home: 1243966 5 working at the home and used to record the ongoing training and continuing professional development needs of staff. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)

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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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Inspector

Sarah Billett, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1243966 6 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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