Children's home run by Oxfordshire County Council

Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC033896 1 SC033896

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Oxfordshire County Council

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This local authority children‟s home is registered to accommodate up to six children. The home is registered to care for children who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has been without a registered manager since 8 August 2018.

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This monitoring visit

An interim inspection of the home took place on 7 February 2019. The home was judged to have declined in effectiveness. At that inspection five requirements and three recommendations were made. The date set for meeting these requirements was 29 March 2019.

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This monitoring visit

Because of this, and the serious shortfalls identified, a compliance notice was issued on 6 March 2019 highlighting a failure to comply with a requirement from the previous full inspection on 26 September 2018. The date set for meeting this compliance notice was 9 April 2019. The focus of this monitoring visit was to assess whether the compliance notice had been met.

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This monitoring visit

The requirements from the interim inspection were not checked on this occasion. This will be done at the next full inspection.

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The leadership and management standard (Regulation 13

Previous shortfalls included the failure to carry out any management monitoring over a four-month period.

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The leadership and management standard (Regulation 13

At this monitoring visit, enough evidence was seen to demonstrate that senior leaders and managers have worked together to identify and understand what Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC033896 2 went wrong. This has included carrying out a review of the monitoring systems and putting in an action plan to address the shortfalls identified.

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The leadership and management standard (Regulation 13

Managers from the organisation have attended a briefing meeting about the new monitoring framework and what is expected. Despite the manager being unable to attend the upskilling session, the monitoring for the missing period has now been completed.

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The leadership and management standard (Regulation 13

The information collated from this period has been analysed and evaluated, and has been used effectively to inform staff practice. For example, sanctions have decreased due to staff using a more restorative approach, and there have been improvements noted in how missing episodes are managed due to joint working protocols and in the frequency and quality of staff supervision.

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The leadership and management standard (Regulation 13

Senior managers have also strengthened the management arrangements to ensure that this good practice continues. Extra resources have enabled additional support to be brought in to help with these tasks. Clear lines of accountability ensure that senior managers have oversight and scrutiny of day- to-day practice and ongoing quality assurance.

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The leadership and management standard (Regulation 13

Therefore, sufficient action has been taken to meet this requirement, and the compliance notice has been met. Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC033896 3

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 07/02/2019 Interim Declined in effectiveness 26/09/2018 Full Good 14/11/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 22/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC033896 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 enjoyment and achievement standard is that children take part in and benefit from a variety of activities that meet their needs and develop and reflect their creative, cultural, intellectual, physical and social interests and skills.

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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— develop the child‟s interests and hobbies; participate in activities that the child enjoys, and which meet and expand the child‟s interests and preferences; and that each child has access to a range of activities that enable the child to pursue the child‟s interests and hobbies. (Regulation 9 (1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(b)) 30/04/2019

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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.

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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; manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other; 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. (Regulation 12(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)) 30/04/2019 Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC033896 5 The registered person must ensure that all employees— undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

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Requirement Due date

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)) 30/04/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that— within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes— the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)— has spoken to the user about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(vii)(b)(i)) 30/04/2019

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Recommendations

 Children must be consulted regularly on their views about the home‟s care, to inform and support continued improvement in the quality of care provided. Due consideration should be given to the child‟s cognitive ability in the development and implementation of any consultation processes. Children should be able to see the results of their views being listened to and acted upon. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 22, paragraph 4.11)

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Recommendations

 Those with a leadership and/or management role should be visible and accessible to staff and able to deliver their leadership and/or management responsibilities. Any registered manager employed in the home should have sufficient capacity to ensure that the Quality Standards are met for each child in the home. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 52, paragraph 10.7)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should only accept placements for children where they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child‟s assessed needs as recorded in the child‟s relevant plans and where they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children. The statement of purpose is an important document in the process of care planning as it sets out the needs of children the home is set up and equipped to care for. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 56, paragraph 11.7) Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC033896 6

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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

Registered provider: Oxfordshire County Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: County Hall, New Road, Oxford OX1 1ND

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Inspector

Amanda Harvey, social care inspector Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC033896 7 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 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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