Children's Home run by Your Chapter Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1271998 1

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Care 4 Children Residential Services Ltd

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care up to three young people between the ages of 11 and 17 years who have experienced emotional and/or behavioural difficulties and demonstrate challenging behaviours.

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This monitoring visit

On 11 March 2019, social care regulatory inspectors, Lisa Gregoire-Parker and Marie Cordingley, carried out a monitoring visit of Ribbleton House. This monitoring visit was undertaken because of concerns arising from a recent increase in incidents of a safeguarding nature at the home.

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This monitoring visit

On arrival at the home, inspectors found that the registered manager had left three days before the day of the visit. A new manager has been appointed. They were in the process of submitting the application to register with Ofsted.

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This monitoring visit

Managers and staff have failed to effectively assess and manage the risks of harm posed to individual children. Staff have no clear understanding of children’s needs and risks. In addition, the recent manager has not adequately monitored standards of practice and recording at the home. The standards of recording at the home are poor. Thus, care plans, assessments and plans are out of date and unhelpful in the day-to-day care and protection of children.

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This monitoring visit

Risk assessments fail to identify clear strategies for helping and protecting children. Furthermore, they do not recognise the wider factors and implications of risk-taking behaviour. For example, when children go missing from home, effective safeguarding arrangements are not in place. One child has a pattern of going missing for short periods of time to a neighbouring social housing estate. Staff believe that he does this because there is access to cannabis on this estate. The Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1271998 2 manager and staff have not analysed this pattern of behaviour. Nor have they considered the wider safeguarding implications of the child’s actions. Furthermore, the manager and staff have not acted in line with missing from home policies and procedures. For example, staff have not raised this risk-taking behaviour with the police missing from home coordinator.

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This monitoring visit

Documentation that reflects the risk associated with a child who has type one diabetes lacks clarity. The risk assessment does not set out clear strategies for staff to follow to ensure that his healthcare needs are met. Because of this lack of medical guidance, staff do not understand the complexities surrounding the child’s medical condition. Consequently, they are unable to adequately support his health and protection.

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This monitoring visit

There is a large amount of damage in the home. Incidents have resulted in damage being done to walls, furniture and kitchen appliances. Children’s bedrooms are not kept to the required standard. For example, there are doors missing from wardrobes and they are generally untidy and not in good repair. There is also evidence that children are smoking cannabis in their bedrooms. There is a clear aroma of cannabis in one child’s room. Incident records support this evidence and state that this child smokes cannabis in their room.

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This monitoring visit

Placement matching is poor. For example, one child was admitted to the home with a risk of gang-related behaviours. It was clear from the paperwork that this child 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 also has history of being in a gang. Consequently, children have had a negative impact on each other’s behaviours, and this has resulted in a number of incidents. Managers and staff have not managed these incidents well. Instead, staff call the police to assist. This has led to an over-reliance on the police to manage behaviour in the home.

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This monitoring visit

Key-work sessions between staff and children are poor. Consequently, children are not offered the necessary advice and guidance on how to make safer choices and decisions. As a result, risk-taking behaviours increase, and children put themselves and staff at risk of harm.

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This monitoring visit

Managers and staff do not provide children with the consistency that they need to progress. Relationships between some children and staff are fraught. Children at times target staff members. These incidents result in verbal and physical assaults against staff. This level of unrest is not addressed in its entirety and, as a result, the behaviours continue.

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This monitoring visit

Management oversight of the home and staff support are poor. The home is not managed in a way that is consistent with the statement of purpose. Leaders and managers have not provided staff with the necessary oversight, guidance or support to work effectively with children. In addition, there are shortfalls in the quality assuring and monitoring arrangements for the home. Consequently, poor practice Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1271998 3 has not been addressed, and correct support and guidance have not been put in place quickly enough.

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This monitoring visit

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.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 17/10/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1271998 4

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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 health and well-being standard is that the health and well-being needs of children are met and children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)) 15/04/2019

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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; and 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 meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans; help each child to develop socially aware behaviour; encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding; help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone; 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; strive to gain each child’s respect and trust; 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; are provided with supervision and support to enable

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Requirement Due date

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; de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children; understand and communicate to children that bullying is unacceptable; have the skills to recognise incidents or indications of bullying and how to deal with them; and that each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive 03/05/2019 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1271998 5 relationships with others. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) and (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(viii)(ix)(x)(xi)(xii)(xiii)(b))

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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; 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 located so that children are effectively safeguarded; that the premises used for the purposes of the home are

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Requirement Due date

designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) and (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(b)(c)(d)) 15/04/2019

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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 work as a team where appropriate; ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to 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 feedback on the experiences of 03/05/2019 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1271998 6 children, including complaints received; and use monitoring

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Requirement Due date

and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) and (2)(a)(b)(c)(e)(f)(g)(ii)(h))

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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; that arrangements are in place to 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. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) and (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(c)(e)(i)) 03/05/2019

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Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home. The registered person must ensure that the records are kept up to date. (Regulation 37 (1) and (2)(b)) 03/05/2019

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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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

Provision sub-type: Children’s home Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1271998 7 Registered provider: Care 4 Children Residential Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 1 Stuart Road, Bredbury Park Industrial Estate, Bredbury, Stockport SK6 2SR

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Inspectors

Lisa Gregoire-Parker, social care inspector Marie Cordingley, social care inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1271998 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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