Children's home run by Potensial Limited

Inspection report children’s home: SC489820 1 SC489820 Registered provider: Potensial Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The children’s home is operated by an independent national company. The home is registered for up to four young people who may have learning disabilities. The manager was registered with Ofsted to manage this home in February 2019.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC489820 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/01/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness 10/07/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 17/01/2018 Interim Declined in effectiveness 05/04/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children’s home: SC489820 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

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— seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans; seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs; 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; and seek to develop and maintain effective professional relationships with such persons, bodies or organisations as the registered person considers appropriate having regard to the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the children’s

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Requirement Due date

home is to provide care and accommodation. (Regulation 5 (a)(b)(c)(d)) In particular, obtain up-to-date local authority care planning documents and ensure that the home and school work together to improve a young person’s educational engagement and development. 28/06/2019

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Requirement Due date

11: The positive relationships standard 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. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the 28/06/2019 Inspection report children’s home: SC489820 4 registered person to ensure— that staff— 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 socially aware behaviour; and 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. (Regulation 11(1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)) In particular, staff are required to continue to implement boundaries and promote positive behaviour, so that these

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Requirement Due date

practices become embedded. 13: The leadership and management standard (1) The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that— (a) helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and (b) promotes their welfare. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— (b) ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate; (c) ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; (e) ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. In particular, ensure that the improvements that have been made since the appointment of the new manager are embedded into practice. 28/06/2019

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Requirement Due date

33: Employment of staff (4) The registered person must ensure that all employees— (a) undertake appropriate continuing professional development; (b) receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and (c) have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. In particular, ensure that supervision is regular and meaningful and that it fully addresses any practice concerns identified. 28/06/2019 Inspection report children’s home: SC489820 5

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Recommendations

 Ensure that all areas are homely and provide a domestic environment. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) In particular, remove unnecessary locks from doors.  The registered person must ensure that it is suitably located so that children are effectively safeguarded and can access services to meet needs identified in their relevant plans. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.2) In particular, consider the emergency services’ response times and risks in the immediate locality of the home.

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improvement to be good

Outcomes for the young person are mixed. This inspection found weaknesses in care planning, behaviour management and management monitoring. Local authority statutory documents are not up to date. The manager has not taken enough action to challenge this. This has meant that the local authority’s aims and objectives are not clearly set out and understood. Internal care plans are cumbersome and mainly focus on historical needs and behaviours. Targets identified in these documents are generic and, consequently, ineffective. They do not focus on the young person’s current needs and behaviours, reducing opportunities to maximise his potential. The young person’s attendance at school is good. Despite this good attendance, his school reports indicate that his engagement and attainment is an escalating concern. To date, the manager has not taken enough action to address this concern. This means that the young person’s educational needs are not being fully promoted.

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improvement to be good

Some improvements have been made to the quality of the home’s environment. The manager knows that more work is required. The lounge and the young person’s bedroom and play room are personalised to his tastes and interests. However, all doors in the home have key locks fitted. The manager said that these locks are not used to restrict the young person’s access to rooms, and acknowledged that the locks detract visually from the otherwise homely environment that is provided. The young person’s wishes and feelings are sought informally on a daily basis. However, focused key-working sessions do not take place frequently. Sessions that are completed do not focus on the young person’s current needs and behaviours. This prevents the manager and key worker from being able to track and improve the young person’s progress.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: requires

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improvement to be good

The young person is, in the main, helped and protected effectively. Weaknesses identified at this inspection relate to behaviour management and environmental risks. The management of difficult behaviour requires improvement. Not all unacceptable behaviours are challenged or managed well by staff. In recent months, significant incidents have occurred whereby the young person has displayed high-risk behaviours, for example breaking a window. Staff have followed therapeutic advice not to intervene. However, when the incident has calmed not all staff promptly check how the young person is and to make sure he is safe. Restorative consequences are not considered when the young person displays unwanted behaviours. The staff have not considered alternative ways for the young person to take responsibility for his actions or learn to manage his frustrations and anxieties. The manager has undertaken a locality assessment. However, aspects of this

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improvement to be good

assessment are weak, as it does not include the response times and contact details of the emergency services. The manager has not assessed the impact of all local amenities near the home and the young person it cares for. The arrangements for the safekeeping and administration of medication are safe. New and improved storage and recording systems have been introduced that are effective. The new systems now need to be embedded into practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

At the time of this inspection, the newly appointed manager has successfully been registered with Ofsted. The manager has the skills and experience required to continue to drive this service forward. In the short time that he has been managing this home, he has shown great resilience and determination to improve the quality of care and support that the young person needs. Improvements can be seen in all aspects of the service. These improvements now need to be embedded into day-to-day practice. Since his appointment, the manager has undertaken a full review of the reporting and recording systems. He has sought training opportunities for staff and worked alongside staff to provide effective support and guidance. Staff spoke positively of the new manager and the training sessions they have recently completed. The staff team is working well together, and morale has improved. All staff receive formal supervision, and some receive clinical supervision if required. However, not all

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

formal supervision takes place regularly. Team meetings do take place regularly, but do not consistently provide an opportunity for staff to reflect on their own practice or learn from others. Monitoring by the manager and the independent visitor requires improvement to be good. They have not identified all of the omissions found at this inspection. Inspection report children’s home: SC489820 7

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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

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: SC489820 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Potens, 68 Grange Road West, Birkenhead CH41 4DB

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Bettina Jeppesen

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Inspector

Sharron Escott, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC489820 9 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

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