Children's home run by Evergreen Children’s Home Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 1241407 1

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Evergreen Children’s Home Ltd

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a private company. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three young people who may have social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has been without a registered manager since January 2018. The current manager was appointed on 6 May 2019. He is yet to make an application to register with Ofsted.

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This monitoring visit

Ofsted judged the home to be inadequate at the last full inspection on 8 and 9 April 2019. A restriction of accommodation notice was issued on 15 April 2019 to prevent any new young people from being admitted to the home for up to a period of 12 weeks.

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This monitoring visit

The purpose of this monitoring inspection was to review the action taken by the provider to meet the three compliance notices raised at the inspection in April 2019. At this monitoring inspection the inspector found that, while some progress had been made, the three compliance notices remain unmet.

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This monitoring visit

Since the last inspection, managers have reviewed risk assessments. However, these risk assessments still lack enough detail to help the staff to keep young people safe. For example, risk assessments identify risk, but do not make clear to staff how to manage or reduce the risk-taking behaviour. Staff still do not update risk assessments promptly following an incident. Staff are still not consistently following risk assessments, and this lack of insight means that young people remain at risk. For example, staff have not followed the risk assessment regarding one young person’s use of a mobile phone and access to the internet. Staff have also failed to keep to a risk assessment around a young person’s smoking. Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 1241407 2 More positively, staff have used team meetings to discuss young people’s risks and to agree strategies. Some direct work with young people around risk has also taken

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This monitoring visit

place during targeted key-working sessions.

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This monitoring visit

While staff training has improved, one member of staff still has 10 areas of key training to complete. Furthermore, managers have not ensured that staff have received training on helping them to identify and respond to risk, and on the home’s child protection policies.

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This monitoring visit

Managers have failed to respond correctly to safeguarding incidents and have not reported them to the right professionals and agencies. In May 2019, a young person alleged that he had accessed inappropriate images on his mobile phone. This was not investigated through the right safeguarding procedures and Ofsted, as the regulator, was not notified of this event. In addition, the young person continued to access the internet using another device. Timely action was not taken, and the organisation’s own child protection procedures have not been followed.

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This monitoring visit

Since the last inspection, managers have introduced an induction and probation process for staff. However, these systems are not yet effective. Managers have not reviewed the performance of staff across their probation periods. Professional development plans are not yet in place. Supervision has begun to take place but is still not yet in line with the home’s policy.

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This monitoring visit

The systems for monitoring and reviewing the quality of care and consultation with professionals and young people are still not established.

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This monitoring visit

As a result of this inspection, the three compliance notices have been reissued. The restriction of accommodation remains in place.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 08/04/2019 Full Inadequate 30/11/2018 Interim Declined in effectiveness 26/06/2018 Full Good 16/03/2018 Interim Declined in effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 1241407 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 help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person— to ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to meet the needs of each child; and enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6(2)(b)(vi)(c)(i)(ii)) 31/05/2019

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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; engage with them; and take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home’s care. (Regulation 7(1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a)(iv) 31/05/2019

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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 05/07/2019 Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 1241407 4 serious concern about a child’s welfare; and are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii))*

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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 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 of the quality of care provided in the home; best met; 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)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(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; and have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the 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. (Regulation 14(1)(a)(b)(2)(a)) 31/05/2019

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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; and have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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 access and contribute to the records kept by the registered person in relation to the child. (Regulation 14(1)(a)(b)(2)(f)) 31/05/2019 Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 1241407 5 The registered person must ensure that all employees undertake appropriate continuing professional development and receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager is to ensure— that staff attend training in line with their professional development. The registered manager is to receive regular supervision and have a copy of the supervision record. (Regulation 33(4)(b))* 05/07/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must— ensure that each employee completes an appropriate induction; ensure that each permanent appointment of an employee is subject to the satisfactory completion of a period of probation. (Regulation 33(1)(a)(b))* 05/07/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if— a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation; an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious; there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there; a child protection enquiry involving a child is instigated or concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40(4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e)) 31/05/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must— review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children’s home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c) (the protection of children standard).

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Requirement Due date

When conducting the review, the registered person must consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person. (Regulation 46(1)(2)) 31/05/2019

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice. Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 1241407 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. Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 1241407 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Evergreen Children’s Home Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Fairgate House, 205 Kings Road, Tyseley, Birmingham B11 2AA

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Inspector

Debbie Holder, social care inspector Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 1241407 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

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