Children's home run by Heathcotes CS Limited

Inspection report children‘s home: 1272827 1 Registered provider: Heathcotes CS Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is registered to provide care for up to five children and young people. It is owned by a private company. At the time of the inspection, there was no registered manager in post.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

Following the judgement of inadequate that was made at the full inspection on 15 May 2019, Ofsted issued a restriction of accommodation notice. In addition, compliance notices were set to ensure improvement in safeguarding practice and in the leadership and management of the home. A monitoring visit was undertaken on 2 July 2019. The purpose of this visit was to review the actions taken to address the steps outlined in the compliance notices and to ensure that the provider had adhered to the restriction notice. The monitoring visit Inspection report children‘s home: 1272827 2 identified that the provider had implemented robust action plans. Consequently, there were clear signs of improvement. The provider had taken steps to address six requirements from the full inspection. However, the compliance and restriction notice remained in place. This is because further work was required to achieve the necessary

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/05/2019 Full Inadequate 07/01/2019 Full Good Inspection report children‘s home: 1272827 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 children‘s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

develop positive relationships with them;

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Requirement Due date

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—

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Requirement Due date

ascertain and consider each child‘s views, wishes and feelings, and balance these against what they judge to be in the child‘s best interests when making decisions about the child‘s care and welfare;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to express their views, wishes and feelings;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how the child‘s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child;

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Requirement Due date

regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home‘s care; and

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(b)(iii)) 10/09/2019

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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 10/09/2019 Inspection report children‘s home: 1272827 4 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—

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Requirement Due date

develop the child‘s interests and hobbies;

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Requirement Due date

participate in activities that the child enjoys and which meet and expand the child‘s interests and preferences; and

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Requirement Due date

make a positive contribution to the home and the wider community; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child has access to a range of activities that enable the child to pursue the child‘s interests and hobbies.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 9 (1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(b)) 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—

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a 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; and

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child‘s welfare.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(iii)(v)(vi)) 10/09/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (―case records‖) for each child which include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child, are kept up to date and are signed and dated by the author of each entry.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c)) 10/09/2019 Inspection report children‘s home: 1272827 5

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Recommendations

 Staff must help each child to prepare for any moves from the home, whether they are returning home, moving to another placement or adult care, or to live independently. This includes supporting the child to develop emotional and mental resilience to cope without the home‘s support and, where the child is moving to live independently, practical skills such as cooking, housework, budgeting and personal self-care. (‗Guide to the children‘s homes regulations including the quality standards‘, page 17, paragraph 3.27)  As the home will have a day-to-day understanding of young people‘s capabilities and needs, children‘s home‘s staff will have a valuable contribution to make to the pathway planning process. They should actively seek to make the fullest contribution, working with other relevant persons. (‗Guide to the children‘s homes regulations including the quality standards‘, pages 17–18, paragraph 3.28)

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Recommendations

 Homes should work closely with health and education professionals to ensure that outcomes identified and progress made by children in building relationships and achieving socially acceptable behaviours can be recorded and measured. (‗Guide to the children‘s homes regulations including the quality standards‘, page 38, paragraph 8.4)  Records of restraint must be kept and should enable the registered person and staff to review the use of control, discipline and restraint to identify effective practice and respond promptly where any issues or trends of concern emerge. The review should provide the opportunity for amending practice to ensure it meets the needs of each child. (‗Guide to the children‘s homes regulations including the quality standards‘, page 49, paragraph 9.59)  Those commissioning training in restraint for children‘s home‘s staff should be satisfied that the training fits with their approach to restraint or existing restraint

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Recommendations

system and is appropriate to the needs of the children the home is set up to care for. They should see evidence that any restraint techniques the training advocates for have been medically assessed to demonstrate their safety for use in a context of caring for children who are still developing, physically and emotionally. The registered person should routinely review the effectiveness of any restraint system commissioned. (‗Guide to the children‘s homes regulations including the quality standards‘, page 49, paragraph 9.58)

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improvement to be good

Since the last full inspection, the operation of this home has significantly improved. The management and staff team have demonstrated a commitment to improving standards of care. Inspection report children‘s home: 1272827 6 The home environment is of a high standard. It provides young people with a smart and spacious home. Young people benefit from a sensory room and a games room. They also have access to an education room that is well stocked with high-quality learning resources. All young people have bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms. Young people say that they like their home and can personalise their bedrooms. The garden is secure and offers opportunity for play and exercise.

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improvement to be good

Educational arrangements and resources are now better understood. Managers have made links with education providers. Managers demonstrate a clear knowledge of how to ensure that young people can access the education support that they are entitled to.

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improvement to be good

Healthcare arrangements have improved. Staff encourage young people to be healthy. The physical and mental health needs of young people are well understood. Staff monitor the health and lifestyles of young people. When young people are reluctant to attend health appointments, staff communicate concerns to the appropriate health professionals.

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improvement to be good

Despite the progress that has been made since the last inspection, there are still shortfalls and areas where further work is needed to improve the experience of young people.

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improvement to be good

Young people are not benefiting from regular or varied access to social and recreational activities. This means that they are not expanding their horizons, developing new skills or making friendships. One young person said: ‗I get bored and want a friend.‘

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improvement to be good

Managers have not undertaken independence and pathway planning with young people. This means that young people‘s life skills have not been assessed. This does not support effective transitions to semi-independence or independence.

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improvement to be good

Young people are not able to access an advocate of their choice. Both young people would benefit from expressing their wishes and feelings to an independent advocate.

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improvement to be good

Opportunities for staff to further develop positive relationships with young people are sometimes lost. Staff do not always fully engage young people during key-work sessions. This limits young people‘s progress, which impacts on their life chances and outcomes.

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improvement to be good

The management and staff team have not been effective in working with multi- disciplinary teams to monitor outcomes. Managers understand that a collaborative approach with stakeholders will ensure a shared understanding of young people‘s needs and outcomes.

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, there has been a significant reduction in safeguarding incidents. Partner agencies confirm that the home is effective in protecting young people from potential harm. Importantly, young people confirm that they feel safe. Inspection report children‘s home: 1272827 7 Staff have an improved understanding of their roles and responsibilities. However, they do not yet show a fully developed understanding of safeguarding procedures.

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improvement to be good

One young person has frequently witnessed the self-injurious behaviours of another young person. This has caused her distress. Staff have not been effective in recognising and acting upon indicators of potential self-harm. Failure to take effective action impacts on the well-being of other residents.

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improvement to be good

Care planning arrangements have been improved. The provider has developed a range of systems to ensure that they only admit young people whose needs can be met by staff. Compatibility risk assessments address individual risks and the impact that young people may have on each other. These systems are untested because the home has been unable to accept new admissions. However, the revised processes ensure robust scrutiny of referrals prior to accepting new residents.

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improvement to be good

Physical interventions are rarely used. Records show safe interventions. However, they lack important details and fail to show management oversight.

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improvement to be good

The provider has commissioned a method of physical intervention training, which is used in their adult care homes. This training has not been evaluated or reviewed in relation to its suitability for the young people who live in this children‘s home.

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

The provider has ensured that, in the absence of a registered manager, the home is led by an experienced management team. This includes oversight of care arrangements by senior managers and quality assurance professionals.

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

The provider is actively taking steps to recruit a suitably experienced and qualified candidate to take the role of registered manager. Recruitment is underway, and the provider keeps the regulator updated.

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

Leadership and management arrangements have ensured that effective systems are in place and implemented to monitor care in the home and to respond quickly to identified shortfalls. The operation of the home is now consistent with the approach set out in the home‘s statement of purpose.

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

The staff team is more cohesive and its members have a shared sense of purpose. They have demonstrated resilience and dedication to young people.

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

A comprehensive programme of training has been implemented. The training has been evaluated. Where gaps have been identified, further bespoke training is planned. This is likely to ensure that managers and staff have the qualifications, training, knowledge and skills to meet the needs of each young person.

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

Partnership working is improving. The provider works closely with the local authority‘s Inspection report children‘s home: 1272827 8 social care commissioning team and benefits from their rigorous quality assurance. The provider has a clear understanding of how to work with local child and adolescent mental health teams. This supports improvement.

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

Records for young people are generally of an acceptable quality, but they consistently lack important details, including dates and signatures.

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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: 1272827 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Heathcotes CS Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 37 Station Road, Chesterfield, Derbyshire S41 7BF

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Inspector

Amanda Ellis: social care inspector Inspection report children‘s home: 1272827 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 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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