Children's Home run by Partners in Care Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report children’s home: SC441717 1 SC441717 Registered provider: Partners in 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 one of a range of residential services provided by a private organisation. The home can care for four children and young people aged between eight and 17 years old.

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Information about this children’s home

The current manager was registered with Ofsted on 7 September 2018 and is currently undertaking the relevant qualification.

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Information about this children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable

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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

The inspection identified several shortfalls. Leadership and management of the home and safeguarding practice are poor. This has had a significant negative impact on children’s safety, welfare and progress.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The requirement from the last inspection has not been met. Furthermore, the three recommendations have not been considered. This has had a negative effect on the standard of care and support that children receive.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff have no clear understanding of children’s needs and risks. In addition, the manager has not adequately monitored standards of practice and recording at the home. Thus, care plans are out of date and unhelpful in the day-to-day care of children. Consequently, children are unsure about the content of their plans and what this means Inspection report children’s home: SC441717 2 for their future. This causes children to become anxious and unsettled. Consequently, their emotions heighten, and behaviours become challenging.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Placement matching is poor. For example, one child was admitted to the home with a risk of criminal exploitation. The risks for this child which are clear in his referral paperwork, are that he should not be placed with anyone with similar behaviours. This was not considered or assessed and as a result he was placed in the home with another child who is also being criminally exploited.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff have not established relationships with all of the children who live at the home. This is particularly relevant to two children who do not engage or invest in the home. These children drift through their placements and make limited progress.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Key-work sessions between staff and children are poor. Children do not always receive the support that they need to explore their wishes and feelings, and only receive limited one-to-one support and guidance. Consequently, children are not offered the necessary advice and guidance on how to make safer choices and decisions. They develop patterns of behaviour that staff do not understand. As a result, risk-taking behaviours increase. A recommendation was raised at the last inspection to improve the standard of key working; however, this has not been taken forward.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Not all children attend education on a regular basis. One child has no educational provision, despite there being a clear need for this identified on the referral form. When children do not access education, they do not have a structured educational day. This means that children do not develop good routines and their opportunities to learn and develop are minimal. When children do access education, they progress well.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children are aware of the complaints policy and use this to express their concerns. When children make complaints, the correct process is not followed, and the investigation is weak. Furthermore, investigations lack analysis and the actions taken are not clear enough. Managers do not inform the children of the outcomes, nor do they work with the relevant people to resolve the issues raised in the complaints.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Managers and staff fail to recognise that children are at risk of harm. Risk assessments fail to identify clear strategies for helping and protecting children. For example, one child returned from a period of being missing from home with burns to his arms. This was not assessed or acted upon, which did not adequately safeguard the child. Some children display sexual harmful behaviours yet there is limited assessment or intervention. Other children are at risk of criminal exploitation, yet assessments and strategies to keep them safe are not clear enough. In addition, plans are not in place for helping and protecting children. Consequently, children are not safeguarded and are at risk of harm.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children live in an environment where there are notable hazards. Both the internal and the external areas of the property are in need of significant attention and repair. For example, there are holes in the internal walls; mould, damp and broken tiles are evident in the bathroom; mould and damp can be seen on the landing; and there is evidence of Inspection report children’s home: SC441717 3 fly-tipping in the garden. Concerns about the standard of accommodation were raised at the last inspection in April 2018 and a requirement was made. This has not been met.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Leaders and managers have not provided staff with the necessary oversight, guidance or support to work effectively with children. For example, newly appointed managers have not had the support that they require from senior managers. Staff have not had access to the learning and development that they need. This does not equip them with the knowledge or skills that they require to meet the needs of the children in their care. A recommendation was raised at the last inspection to provide staff with the training that they need. This recommendation has not been considered or progressed, therefore leaving staff without an important deficit in learning.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

As a result of the concerns above, Ofsted conducted an urgent case review, the outcome of which was a decision to issue two compliance notices and a restriction of accommodation notice. The restriction of accommodation notice will remain in place for a period of six weeks, after which the home will be monitored further.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/04/2018 Full Good 09/08/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 23/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 23/11/2016 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

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who develop positive relationships with them.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff ascertain and consider each child’s views, wishes and feelings, and balance these against what they judge to be in the child’s best interests when 29/03/2019 Inspection report children’s home: SC441717 4 making decisions about the child’s care and welfare; help each child to express views, wishes and feelings; help each child to understand how the child’s privacy will be respected and the circumstances when it may have to be limited. (Regulation 7(1)(a)(i)(ii)(v))

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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Requirement Due date

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; promote opportunities for each child to learn informally; maintain regular contact with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child’s education and training, and to maximise the child’s achievement; raise any need for further assessment or specialist provision in relation to a child with the child’s education or

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Requirement Due date

training provider and the child’s placing authority; help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of 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; help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans and ensure that each child has access to appropriate equipment, facilities and resources to support the child’s learning. (Regulation 8(1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(ix)(b)) 29/03/2019

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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.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans; encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding; communicate to each child expectations about 29/03/2019 Inspection report children’s home: SC441717 5 the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding; 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. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi))

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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 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; 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 about a child’s welfare; and are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies; that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm; that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child

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Requirement Due date

from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(d)) 15/03/2019

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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 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 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; ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; 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; demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of 15/03/2019 Inspection report children’s home: SC441717 6 children are best met; and use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation

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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.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose; manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and that each child’s relevant plans are followed; 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, or the child is, or has been, persistently absent from the home without permission. (Regulation 14(1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(ii)(c)(e)(i)(ii)) 29/03/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation. (Regulation 39(3)) 29/03/2019

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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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 Inspection report children’s home: SC441717 7 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: Partners in Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Rouse House, 2 Wyther Lane, Kirkstall, Leeds, West Yorkshire LS5 3BT

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Inspector

Lisa Gregoire-Parker, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC441717 8 and inspects 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or

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Inspector

medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Inspector

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T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: http://www.gov.uk/ofsted

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