Children's Home run by A Significant Other Limited in Durham

Inspection report children’s home: SC429995 1 SC429995 Registered provider: A Significant Other 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 provides care and accommodation for up to four children or young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. A private provider operates the home. The registered manager has been in post since July 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: 18 December 2018

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: improved effectiveness

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC429995 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/12/2018 Interim Improved effectiveness 18/04/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 16/02/2018 Interim Declined in effectiveness 26/06/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children’s home: SC429995 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, the 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—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and outcomes it seeks to achieve for children; and

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets the children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

protect and promote each child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meet each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background. (Regulation 6 (1)(2)(ii)(iv)) 26/07/2019

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is the 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—

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Requirement Due date

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;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that the child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action when there is a serious concern about the child’s welfare; and 26/07/2019 Inspection report children’s home: SC429995 4 are familiar with and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)) The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

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;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; and

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(2)(a)(c)(d)) 26/07/2019

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

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 arrangements are in place to—

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Requirement Due date

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority. (Regulation 14 (1)(b)(2)(b)(iii)) 26/07/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only employ an individual to work at the home if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3). The requirements are that the individual has the appropriate experience, qualifications and skills for the work that the individual is to perform. (Regulation 32 (2)(a)(3)(b)) 31/08/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered manager must maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4 and ensure that the records are kept up-to-date. (Regulation 37 (2)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this refers to a copy of the staff roster of persons working at the home, and a record of the actual rosters worked. 20/07/2019 Inspection report children’s home: SC429995 5

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Recommendations

 The registered manager must ensure that any staff member in a deputy or supervisory role such as ‘shift leader’ should have substantial relevant experience of working in a children’s home and have successfully completed their induction for the home in which they are employed. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.18)  The registered provider must ensure that contingency plans are prepared in the event of a shortfall in staffing levels. If it is likely that there might only be one member of staff on duty at any time the manager should make a formal assessment of the implications for children’s care, including any likely risks. This assessment should be recorded and available for inspection by Ofsted and placing authorities. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.21)

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improvement to be good

The young people have positive and negative day-to-day experiences. Some young people are progressing and even exceeding expectations. However, other young people have been involved in events that have been detrimental to their safety and well-being. This includes young people who have been missing, a young person who was assaulted by their peer and a young person who was given immediate notice to terminate their placement.

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improvement to be good

The young people have good relationships with the staff and they feel consulted and listened to. They are included in decisions about their day-to-day living, their placement arrangements and their plans for the future. This positive inclusion gives the young people a voice and promotes their rights.

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improvement to be good

Education outcomes are good. Some young people have progressed and excelled in their education achievements and are maintaining 100% attendance. Other young people who are not in a traditional education setting have been supported to attend a local equine school, with positive results.

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improvement to be good

The young people’s health needs are met. They have access to local healthcare services and, where appropriate, healthcare professionals. The staff promote healthy living by providing healthy eating options and by encouraging the young people to take part in outdoor activities. These measures contribute towards the young people meeting their developmental milestones.

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improvement to be good

The young people’s written residential support plans, that the staff use on a day-to-day basis, do not always set out the young people’s individual needs as identified in their Inspection report children’s home: SC429995 6 local authority care plans. In addition, the outcomes of the young people’s placement reviews are not always updated or incorporated into the young people’s daily care and support routines. This potentially compromises the young people’s progress.

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improvement to be good

Transitional arrangements for young people moving into the home and those leaving are inconsistent. For example, a young person moving into the home had one short visit two days before he was admitted, and another young person was served immediate notice on her placement after living at the home for four months. This same young person was also served immediate notice to leave her previous children’s home, which is owned and operated by the same provider. This way of managing young people’s transitions causes disruption and instability for them.

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improvement to be good

Failings by the staff to protect two young people who went missing led to local police contacting Ofsted to express concerns about safety at the children’s home. The young people went missing without the knowledge of the staff. Consequently, the staff did not report the young people as missing until several hours after they had left the building. This placed the young people at risk of harm.

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improvement to be good

Following this incident, and the safe return of the young people, the provider instigated a full and thorough investigation to ascertain what went wrong, why mistakes were made and what lessons could be learned to prevent future safeguarding incidents. As a result of the investigation and the actions taken, safeguarding arrangements are much improved. This proactive, learning approach to improving safe care and practice promotes the young people’s welfare.

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improvement to be good

The staff manage behaviour positively. They are respectful towards the young people and they are positive role models. The staff focus on using de-escalation techniques to manage challenging behaviour. Consequently, restraints are rarely used and only instigated as a last resort.

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improvement to be good

There has, however, been an incident when behaviours between the young people have not been well managed, resulting in a young person being assaulted by one of their peers. The staff contacted the police to assist because they could not safely manage the situation. This was an isolated incident. However, on this occasion the young person assaulted was not adequately protected.

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improvement to be good

The home has recently reviewed and updated the way in which risks are identified and managed. The staff are more risk aware and better equipped to safely monitor, supervise and observe the young people. This promotes the young people’s welfare and well-being.

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

The registered manager has been in post since July 2018. He has the appropriate Inspection report children’s home: SC429995 7 qualifications and experience to meet the requirements of his role. He is supported by a newly appointed deputy manager. She has worked at the home for some time and is using her hands-on experience to help the registered manager to develop the home’s performance.

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

The home has a new provider who is investing in the registered manager, the staff team and the property. The registered manager and the staff feel better supported now they are part of an organisation. There are noticeable improvements to the environment. The home has undergone a complete refurbishment, with very pleasing results.

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

The home has met one of the two recommendations raised at the last inspection. The registered manager has focused on improving formal staff supervision. The staff reported that they receive regular supervision that is effective and meaningful. This helps staff to focus on improving their practice and workplace performance.

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

The second recommendation, to ensure that staff in a supervisory role should have relevant experience and have successfully completed their induction, is not met. Therefore, a requirement will be raised in this report.

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

There have been occasions when all the staff on duty are still in their induction/ probationary period. This includes sleep-in duties. Unexpected staff sickness has significantly increased the usage of inexperienced staff to oversee the home in the absence of the registered manager. This compromises the young people’s welfare and the safe operation of the home.

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

In addition, constant staff changes to cover sickness and absence have made the duty rosters illegible. This is because the staff’s names and shift times have been amended, crossed out and overwritten numerous times. Poorly written documentation impedes good monitoring of the home.

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

There has been a high staff turnover since the last inspection. Despite the best efforts of the registered manager, most of the new staff recruited have never worked in a children’s home before. Consequently, a high number of the current staff team members are inexperienced and unqualified. The number of permanent staff who have a relevant level 3 qualification in childcare is also low; currently, three out of 10 care staff have this qualification. This has had an impact on the quality of care provided and keeping the young people safe.

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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 Inspection report children’s home: SC429995 8 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: SC429995 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: A Significant Other Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Rouse House, Wyther Lane, Leeds LS5 3BT

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Inspector

Debbie White: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC429995 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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