Children's home run by Rushcliffe Specialist Schools (Mickleover) Ltd in Nottingham

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC463386 1 SC463386

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Rushcliffe Specialist Schools (Mickleover) 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 and accommodation for children and young people who have autism spectrum disorder and associated communication and behavioural difficulties. It is registered for 24 children. The purpose-built accommodation is split into a number of lodges. It is owned and operated by a private company. There is a school on site, which all children attend. At the point of this inspection, the home had been without a registered manager for 51 weeks.

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This monitoring visit

The home has been without a registered manager for 51 weeks. The home was judged as requires improvement to be good in September 2018, then declined in effectiveness at the interim inspection in January 2019. A restriction on any new placements was put in place and a compliance notice was issued. These focused on the persistent concerns relating to the poor leadership and management of the home and the repeated failure to meet regulations, which had the potential to place children at risk. A new manager has been appointed and he is in the initial stages of the registration process. The manager has identified some issues and has made initial changes to working practices, such as seeking to reduce/end lone working. Staff are happy with the changes that have been implemented so far. However, having experienced numerous changes of managers, staff say that they are wary and worry whether this new manager will stay.

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This monitoring visit

Three children have placements at this home. Two children have remained living in the home. A third child has remained at home and she is not using the provision. She feels unsafe. The decision not to return has been made in consultation with her parents and health professionals. Her placement is about to be ended by the placing authority. The shortfalls identified in leadership and management remain. The steps originally Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC463386 2 set out in the compliance notice have not been met. Other shortfalls, leading to requirements being made, were not assessed at this visit. They will be assessed at the home’s next inspection. The restriction on the admission of new children remains in place until 3 May 2019. Following this inspection visit, it is proposed that this restriction is extended for a further 12 weeks.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 30/01/2019 Interim Declined in effectiveness 05/09/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 15/05/2018 Full Inadequate 27/06/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC463386 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

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— understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose; ensure that staff— understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose; protect and promote each child’s welfare; treat each child with dignity and respect; provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background; help each child to understand and manage the impact of any experience of abuse or neglect; help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live

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Requirement Due date

independently as an adult; make decisions about the day-to-day arrangements for each child, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans, which give the child an appropriate degree of freedom and choice. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(ix)) 10/07/2019

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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. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff— 10/07/2019 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC463386 4 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; (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(i)) This relates to the quality and accuracy of children’s risk assessments. The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child

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Requirement Due date

effectively from harm. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(b)) This relates to the home’s systems for the safe use of the internet. 10/07/2019

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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. 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 has sufficient staff to provide care for 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

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Requirement Due date

of the quality of care provided in the home. demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account 10/07/2019 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC463386 5 and acting on— research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(g)(i)(ii)(h)) If the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005(a) applies to the home— the registered person must ensure that the requirements of that Order and any regulations made under it, except for article 23 (duties of employees), are complied with in respect of the home. (Regulation 25(2)(b)) In particular, ensure that, where applicable, children have a

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Requirement Due date

personal emergency evacuation plan. 10/07/2019

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained— the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) ("the Level 3 Diploma"); or a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma. The relevant date is— in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home; or in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016. (Regulation 32(4)(a)(b)(5)(a)(b)) 19/08/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must— ensure that each employee completes an appropriate induction; (Regulation 33(1)(a)) 10/07/2019

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC463386 6

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Recommendations

 Staff should be familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4) In particular, records must be clear.

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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. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC463386 7

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Children’s home details

Provision sub-type: Residential special school

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Rushcliffe Specialist Schools (Mickleover) Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 3rd Floor Butt Dyke House, 33 Park Row, Nottingham NG1 6EE

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Inspector:

Sonia Hay, social care inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC463386 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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Inspector:

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Inspector:

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Inspector:

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

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