Children's Home run by Phoenix Children’s Homes Limited in Devon

Inspection report children’s home: SC403234 1 SC403234 Registered provider: Phoenix Child Care 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 home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to two children and young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home is operated by a private provider of education and social care. The manager has been registered with Ofsted since September 2018.

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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

Date of last inspection: 31 January 2019

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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: SC403234 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

31/01/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness 11/10/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 09/11/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness 12/07/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children’s home: SC403234 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

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 home is to provide care and accommodation. (Regulation 5

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Requirement Due date

(a)(b)(c)(d)) In particular:  Escalate concerns about the long-standing lack of education for the young person, so that effective plans are in place for the young person to be able to learn.  Seek to secure a personal education plan for the young person. 30/07/2019

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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 30/07/19 Inspection report children’s home: SC403234 4 registered person to— protect and promote each child’s welfare; provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background; provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live their comfortably. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b)(iii)(iv)(vii)) In particular:  Ensure that room searches are carried out in line with the organisation’s policy.  Help the young person to reach their targets with strong

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Requirement Due date

and consistent care planning and recording.  Replace the carpet in the young person’s bedroom. The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff— help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans; maintain regular contact with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child’s education and training and to maximise the child’s achievement; raise any need for further assessment or specialist provision in relation to a child with the child’s education or training provider and the child’s placing authority; help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation

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Requirement Due date

8(1)(2)(a)(i)(vi)(vii)(viii)(x)) 01/09/2019

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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— ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to 01/09/2019 Inspection report children’s home: SC403234 5 meet the needs of 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; use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b)(2)(c)(f)(h)) In particular:  Ensure that staff have effective debriefs following incidents.  Log relevant information to help monitor the young

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Requirement Due date

person’s key targets and review practice for its effectiveness.  Expedite drugs and alcohol face-to-face training for staff. 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:  Review the frequency of fire drills that the young person participates in.  Review the frequency of fire checks that staff undertake. 09/07/2019

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improvement to be good

The young person has lived in this home for over six months. Coming from an unsettled background of several moves, he has started to make incremental progress by spending more time out of his bedroom and making positive relationships with staff. The young person says that he is happier living in this home and feels safe. He is secure in the knowledge that this is his planned home until adulthood. Staff are clear about what targets the young person needs to achieve, but guidance as to how staff help him achieve these targets is ambiguous. Staff do not consistently record the young person’s routines and how they try to help him structure his day better, for example earlier getting up times. Therefore, progress is not easily monitored. Inspection report children’s home: SC403234 6 Suitable educational provision and a personal education plan is not in place for the young person and is a longstanding concern; attending school or an educational

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improvement to be good

provision was a significant care plan objective for the young person when he first came to the home. Communication and partnership working with educational professionals has not been effective to secure the right learning for the young person and the manager has not escalated the problem to the local authority for resolution. Following incidents, the young person has repaired damage to his bedroom walls and, having chosen the colour scheme, has repainted them to an excellent standard, with help from staff. This has helped the young person feel comfortable in his own surroundings and take responsibility for his actions. However, there are several burn marks on the carpet from last year, but the carpet has not been replaced. This gives a neglectful impression of an otherwise nicely decorated bedroom. Staff have helped the young person re-establish positive relationships with family members, after a considerable gap in communication. The manager and staff have a

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improvement to be good

good relationship with the young person’s grandparent and they regularly communicate with one another; the grandparent is pleased with the improvements she has seen her grandson make.

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improvement to be good

Adequate arrangements in relation to fire precautions are not in place, given that the young person may accidently cause a fire while smoking or using lighters in his bedroom and simultaneously covering up the smoke alarm. Weekly fire checks are carried out by staff, but this is not frequent enough given the current situation. Conversely, the young person is expected to take part in monthly fire drills. This is excessive as he has demonstrated to staff that he knows what to do in the event of a fire. Room searches and checks are not being implemented in line with the organisation’s policy. For example, the searches are not always carried out by two people. Although the manager can explain why searches have been necessary, the reasons are not always specifically documented, and records do not indicate that the social worker has been informed. Staff are not clear about what needs to be done when a search or a check

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improvement to be good

takes place, and how often they should be carried out. Plans to guide staff on what strategies to use to help the young person when incidents happen, or if he goes missing, are inconsistent in parts, and this leads to inconsistent staff practice. However, the young person’s views are reflected in some plans, but are lost in the considerable duplication of documents available. The young person does go missing, but these episodes have reduced due to the approach that staff have taken. When the young person returns, he speaks to a person who is independent from the home. The manager has made sure he knows about the content of these conversations should he need to respond to any concerns that the young person may have. Staff have had limited guidance and training in how to help the young person to understand his motivation in relation to drugs and alcohol, and to think about realistic Inspection report children’s home: SC403234 7

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improvement to be good

goals for behaviour change in this area. The manager and registered individual are in the process of arranging face-to-face training in how to manage the risk a young person may place themselves when using drugs and alcohol. This has now become an urgent training need.

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

Leadership and management oversight and monitoring systems are not sufficiently robust to ensure that the care provided to young people is as good as it could be. The manager and staff look after the young person in a caring and sensitive way, often having challenging conversations that are well managed. However, the logging of information and the coordination of strategies to pinpoint key areas for improvement are not organised well enough. When incidents happen, the manager does provide supportive debriefs for staff. However, the debriefs lack the necessary exploration with staff, for example about whether a situation could have been handled differently to prevent it from escalating to the point of needing to call the police. Therefore, there is a gap in helping staff to learn from experiences. The manager, with the support of the registered individual, has decided not to admit a second young person in the home until he is confident that the time is right. This

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

decision prioritises the young person so that his progress is not jeopardised. Supervision is regular, organised and well recorded. Team meeting notes also evidence useful discussions and action planning. The team enjoys caring for the young person and working with each other. Staff feel confident to raise issues that need to be resolved, which are then tackled by the manager. Staff feel supported by their manager, who is a caring and supportive leader and has the young person’s best interests at heart.

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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: SC403234 8 Inspection report children’s home: SC403234 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Phoenix Child Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Phoenix Learning And Care Ltd, First Floor, Rolle Quay House, Rolle Quay, Barnstaple, Devon EX31 1JE

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Inspector

Sarah Canto, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC403234 10 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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