Children's home run by Blackpool Borough Council in Blackpool

Inspection report for children‘s home – monitoring visit: SC033432 1 fr

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Blackpool Borough Council

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a local authority children‘s home. It provides a family environment for local children who are unable to live with their birth families for a variety of reasons. It is registered to care for six young people.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager in the home since 1 April 2019.

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This monitoring visit

This children‘s home was judged inadequate at the full inspection on 20 June 2019. Following the inspection, Ofsted issued a restriction of accommodation notice, preventing any further young people from being admitted to the home. In addition, two compliance notices were served under regulation 12 and regulation 14. The purpose of this monitoring visit was to monitor the actions taken by the provider to meet the compliance notice under regulation 12. The actions taken by the provider to meet the other requirements and recommendations were not assessed as part of this inspection.

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This monitoring visit

Since the full inspection, the provider has commissioned the support of an experienced children‘s home manager from an independent provider to manage the home for a period of 12 weeks. He has been at the home since 1 July 2019.

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This monitoring visit

At the full inspection, concerns were identified relating to poor safeguarding arrangements that left young people at risk of harm. In addition, risk assessments failed to include relevant information that staff, particularly agency staff, needed to know to keep young people safe.

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This monitoring visit

Since his arrival, the temporary manager has reviewed and updated the young people‘s risk assessments. These now include the details of young people‘s concerning behaviours and clear strategies for managing these. Staff are now Inspection report for children‘s home – monitoring visit: SC033432 2 familiar with these documents and they have been shared with young people‘s social workers.

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This monitoring visit

Some action has also been taken to update the knowledge of staff. All staff have now completed online training on child sexual exploitation. The temporary manager has also spent time with staff ensuring that they are aware of the risks to young people, and what they need to do ensure that young people are safe. In addition, refresher safeguarding training has been requested for all staff. However, this has not been given priority. It will be six months before all staff have completed this training. This remains a concern, as young people are still living in the home and there have been further concerns about practice and decision-making since the last full inspection.

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This monitoring visit

Since the last inspection, there have been two serious incidents, requiring notification to be sent to Ofsted. While staff took swift action to keep the young person safe on one occasion, Prompt action by the staff was not on the second occasion. The temporary manager was on annual leave when these incidents occurred. While records demonstrate that staff were alert to the risk to the young person, they do not demonstrate that staff took effective action soon enough during the incident. Multi-agency referrals were made when managers became aware of the incident and restrictions are now in place to keep the young person safe. In addition, a further incident took place between the two young people. This incident caused the staff to be concerned, but there was a delay in them escalating their concerns to managers. This reinforces the need for further safeguarding training for staff.

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This monitoring visit

Following this visit, Ofsted held a case review discussion to consider the findings. The review concluded that the compliance notice is assessed to have only been partly met. Consequently, a further notice is to be issued under regulation 12 to ensure that all identified shortfalls are fully addressed.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 20/06/2019 Full Inadequate 24/07/2018 Full Good 24/10/2017 Full Good 27/03/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness Inspection report for children‘s home – monitoring visit: SC033432 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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. 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 understand how to keep safe; understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; that the home‘s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(v)(b)) 01/09/2019*

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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. 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; that arrangements are in place to 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)(a)(b)(2)(a)(b)(iii)) 01/09/2019*

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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 02/08/2019 Inspection report for children‘s home – monitoring visit: SC033432 4 registered person to— protect and promote each child‘s welfare; and provide personalised care that meets each child‘s needs, as recorded in the child‘s relevant plans, taking account of the child‘s background. (Regulation 6(1)(a)(b)(2)(b)(ii)(iv)) 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.

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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 requires the registered person to— ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child; and 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. Regulation 13(1)(a)(b)(2)(d)(e)(f)) 02/08/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children‘s safety. The registered person may only— if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3). The requirements are that— the individual is of integrity and good character; the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform; the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. Regulation 32(1)(2)(b)(3)(a)(b)(c)(d)) 02/08/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees— undertake appropriate continuing professional development; receive practice-related supervision by a person with 02/08/2019 Inspection report for children‘s home – monitoring visit: SC033432 5 appropriate experience. (Regulation 33(4)(a)(b)) The registered person must maintain records (―case records‖) for each child which— include the information and documents in Schedule 3 in relation to each child; and are kept up to date. (Regulation 36(1)(a)(b)) 02/08/2019

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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; or there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40(4)(a)(b)(e)) 02/08/2019

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendations

 Ensure that the children‘s home is a homely, nurturing and supportive environment that meets the needs of the children and that it complies with relevant health and safety legislation. In particular, ensure that the garden fence is repaired, that the damage done by young people in the upstairs of the property is made good and that the required detail is logged in relation to fire drills undertaken in the home. (‗Guide to the children‘s homes regulations including the quality standards‘, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  Ensure that care is taken to make sure that prescribed medicines are administered as prescribed. In particular, ensure that staff record the time that medication is administered. (‗Guide to the children‘s homes regulations including the quality standards‘, page 35, paragraph 7.15)

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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: SC033432 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Blackpool Borough Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Municipal Building, PO Box 50, Blackpool FY1 1NF

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Inspector

Mandy Williams, social care inspector Inspection report for children‘s home – monitoring visit: SC033432 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 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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