Children's home run by Phoenix Children’s Homes Limited in North Devon

Inspection report children‟s home: SC368137 1 SC368137 Registered provider: Phoenix Child Care Limited Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to two children who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home is operated by a private provider of education and social care.

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Judgement at last inspection: good

Date of last inspection: 1 November 2018

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Judgement at last inspection: good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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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 declined in effectiveness.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Leaders, managers and staff have acted to address the four requirements made at the previous inspection. However, more rigorous action is required as their work to meet these requirements has not brought about enough improvements. For example, the quality of supervision and appraisals has started to improve, but these improvements are not consistently applied. The manager is challenging the placing authority for not providing the home with required care planning documents promptly. However, he has not escalated these requests when there has been a lack of response. As a result, staff are supporting a child without having an up-to-date local authority healthcare plan and education plan in place. Requirements relating to the quality of supervision and challenging other agencies have been reinstated. Inspection report children‟s home: SC368137 2 The manager can now demonstrate which staff have worked in the home and when. The

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

requirement raised previously in relation to staff rotas is now met. The requirement relating to the manager‟s review of the quality of care provided in the home is not yet due and so this requirement continues.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

A recommendation was made at the previous inspection to improve the quality of the location assessment, in particular the evaluation and actions that staff need to take to reduce identified risks. This recommendation has been met.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the previous inspection, one child has moved out and another child has moved in. An impact risk assessment was carried out prior to the arrival of the new child. The responsible individual reviewed this assessment and raised pertinent points that required follow up. These points were not addressed and this omission was not followed up.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The child who moved out did so successfully. The staff team supported this move by working collaboratively with the new home to make this change as smooth as possible.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The current child is not receiving an appropriate education. The child moved into the home at the end of December and since that time, has had no educational input. This concern has recently been resolved, but this has resulted in an insufficient amount of education being provided, only one hour each week. Although staff are making attempts to provide the child with additional opportunities, they have been unable to encourage the child to engage consistently.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children‟s plans are reviewed regularly. However, these important documents do not consistently provide enough guidance to staff on how they will meet a child‟s identified needs. Staff currently use social media forums to maintain contact with a child in the house. How this approach is to be used is not documented in care plans, leaving the potential for it to be subjectively applied.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Missing from home incidents have reduced. However, a child‟s missing from home plan requires improvement. Currently, this plan does not clearly state that staff must follow the child when they leave the home without permission. There has been one incident of this nature and the manager appropriately addressed this poor practice with staff. However, the manager has not since ensured that the written plan was updated to make his expectations to follow the child explicit. In addition, the missing from home plan does not contain information about addresses where the child may be likely to go to when missing. This lack of information could prevent staff from finding the child swiftly.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The current system used by managers to ensure that staff have read updated documents is not effective as staff are not adhering to this system consistently.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager appropriately refers concerns to the designated officer and follows their advice. The quality of internal investigations into safeguarding concerns is good, with one exception. This exception related to concerns raised about staff practice. The manager addressed these concerns with the staff involved, but he has not made a record of these conversations or the outcomes. Inspection report children‟s home: SC368137 3 Staff are managing the child‟s behaviour appropriately. Incident records are clear and discussed with the child in one-to-one meetings to reflect on events and to develop the child‟s understanding of their behaviours. Due to the child being new to the home, this work is in its early stages. There is evidence of incidents being reviewed and reflected on by the team and this information being used to improve practice. The responsible individual replicates this work with the manager.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/11/2018 Full Good 25/10/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 03/01/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 20/04/2016 Full 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

5: Engaging with the wider system to ensure children‟s needs are met In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff— (c) if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority‟s or a relevant person‟s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child‟s needs are met in accordance with the child‟s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (c)) 31/05/2019

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Requirement Due date

8: The education standard The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so. 31/05/2019 Inspection report children‟s home: SC368137 4 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff— help each child to achieve the child‟s education and training targets, as recorded in the child‟s relevant plans; support each child‟s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study; understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers; help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment; promote opportunities for each child to learn informally; help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of

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Requirement Due date

compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible; and help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child‟s relevant plans. (Regulation 8 (1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(viii)(x))

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Requirement Due date

14: The care planning standard 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. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In addition, leaders and the manager need to ensure that impact risk assessments are detailed and where shortfalls are identified in these by the responsible individual, these are addressed and then reviewed by the responsible individual. 31/05/2019

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Requirement Due date

33: Employment of staff The registered person must ensure that all employees— undertake appropriate continuing professional development; receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that records of the supervision and appraisals reflect the discussion that takes place and record any required actions to be taken. These actions need to be reviewed 31/05/2019 Inspection report children‟s home: SC368137 5 regularly to assess progress.

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Requirement Due date

36: Children‟s case records The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which— include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child; and are kept up to date. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In addition, leaders and the manager need to ensure that there is an effective system for ensuring that staff have read and understood updated records and plans. 31/05/2019

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Requirement Due date

45: Review of quality of care The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children („a quality of care review‟) at least once every 6 months. In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating— the quality of care provided for children; the feedback and opinions of children about the children‟s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children. After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review („the quality of care review report‟). The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for

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Requirement Due date

ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1)(2)(a)(b)(c)(3)(5))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the report needs to be more evaluative, including the feedback from children and others. The actions set in this report need to be more inspiring and/or challenging. 31/05/2019 Inspection report children‟s home: SC368137 6

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Recommendations

 Where there is a possibility that a child will run away or go missing from a children‟s home placement, their placement plan should include a strategy to minimise this risk. If the child is looked-after, their care plan (arranged by their placing authority) should include such a strategy. The registered person must specify the procedures to be followed and the roles and responsibilities of staff when a child is missing from care or away from the home without permission and how staff should support the child on return to the home. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 45, paragraphs 9.25 and 9.28)

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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‟. Inspection report children‟s home: SC368137 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Phoenix Child Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Phoenix Learning And Care Limited, First Floor, Rolle Quay House, Rolle Quay, Barnstaple, Devon EX31 1JE

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Inspector

Wendy Anderson, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC368137 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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