Children's home run by Oldham Children’s Social Care in Oldham

Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC035492 1 SC035492

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Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is owned and managed by a local authority. The home can accommodate four children who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home has had no registered manager since May 2019.

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This monitoring visit

At the full inspection on 27 and 28 August 2019, the home was judged inadequate. Several shortfalls were identified. The inspectors identified poor practice relating to care planning, safeguarding and risk assessments. This poor practice has a significant and negative impact on children’s safety, welfare and progress.

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This monitoring visit

Three compliance notices were issued under section 22A of the Care Standards Act 2000 in relation to regulation 12, the help and protection of children standard; regulation 13, the leadership and management standard; and regulation 14, the care planning standard.

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This monitoring visit

On 23 September 2019, a monitoring visit was undertaken by Michelle Edge, regulation inspection manager, and Lisa Mulcahy, social care regulatory inspector, to consider the action taken by the provider to meet the steps within the compliance notice relating to regulation 12, the help and protection of children standard.

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This monitoring visit

Inspectors found that safeguarding practice in this home is still poor and does not promote the safety and welfare of the children.

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This monitoring visit

When children return under the influence of an unknown substance, staff do not always respond effectively to help keep children safe. This lack of an effective response increases the potential for children to be exposed to harm.

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This monitoring visit

In addition, when a child returned to the home with unexplained injuries, medical attention was not sought, and records did not include full and accurate information. Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC035492 2 This fails to demonstrate that staff understand their roles and responsibilities in protecting children who are potentially at risk of harm.

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This monitoring visit

Since the last inspection, physical interventions have taken place in the home. However, staff have failed to complete the required documentation to evidence why the measure was necessary, how long the restraint took place for and who had undertaken the actual restraint. Managers had failed to pick up these errors and omissions in recording. This does not demonstrate that managers have adequate oversight of the staff practice in the home to evidence that children are safeguarded effectively. A requirement has been issued to address this breach in regulation.

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This monitoring visit

The provider and staff fail to recognise, minimise or prevent the risks to children‟s safety and well-being. The home‟s arrangements to protect children from harm continue to be ineffective. For example, although risk assessments were reported to have been updated, they still do not always include all known information about children‟s risk-taking behaviours or guidance on how staff will manage these risks. In particular, information is missing that relates to self-injurious behaviours, cannabis misuse and aggressive behaviours.

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This monitoring visit

Inspectors found that the provider had introduced new daily home checks and routines for staff. However, the staff had failed to complete the checks and to follow the new routines. Children‟s bedrooms were in a poor state. One child‟s bedroom smelt strongly of cannabis and another child‟s bedroom had electrical wires unsafely connected across the floor area. Bedrooms also contained dirty dishes and age- inappropriate computer games. In addition, there were clothes strewn across the bedroom floors with no indication of which clothing items were clean or dirty.

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This monitoring visit

Inspectors found that children and staff are allowed to smoke in the grounds of the children‟s home. This is against the provider‟s policies and procedures. Staff had also failed to remove lighters from children‟s bedrooms. This fails to promote a healthy lifestyle for children and is potentially a fire safety risk.

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This monitoring visit

On occasions, managers and staff had decided to lock doors in the downstairs area, which had prevented children from accessing the kitchen area. The rationale for this decision-making was poor. The impact of this decision on all children was not considered, and as a consequence this restricted their liberty. This is a further breach in regulation, and a separate requirement has been made.

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This monitoring visit

Managers had taken action to rectify the previous concern about fire doors being propped open.

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This monitoring visit

The compliance notice under regulation 12, the help and protection of children standard, has not been met. The compliance notice has been reissued, and a further monitoring visit will take place to consider the action taken by the provider to meet the steps within the compliance notice. Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC035492 3

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 27/08/2019 Full Inadequate 18/03/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness 19/12/2018 Full Good 17/11/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC035492 4

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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.

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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

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 a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(I)(iii)(b)) 16/09/2019

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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 s home that—

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Requirement Due date

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—

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

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care 11/10/2019 Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC035492 5 to each child;

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(c)(e)(h)) *The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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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—

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Requirement Due date

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;

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Requirement Due date

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home;

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Requirement Due date

manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and

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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;

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(c)) 11/10/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular the registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

medicines kept in the home are stored in a secure place so as to prevent any child from having unsupervised access to them;

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Requirement Due date

medicine which is prescribed for a child is administered as prescribed to the child for whom it is prescribed and to no 11/10/2019 Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC035492 6 other child; and

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Requirement Due date

a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child.

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Requirement Due date

Paragraph (2) does not apply to medicine which— is stored by the child for whom it is provided in such a way that other persons are prevented from using it; and

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Requirement Due date

may be safely self-administered by that child. (Regulation 23 (1)(2)(a)(b)(c)(3)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, an assessment of the suitability of children to self-administer medication should be completed. Children should have an appropriate place to store medication so that other children cannot use it. If the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005(a) applies to the home—

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Requirement Due date

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))

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Requirement Due date

An assessment of the fire safety of the home should be completed on an annual basis. 11/10/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if—

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Requirement Due date

there is no registered manager in respect of the home; and

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Requirement Due date

is not, or does not intend to be, in day-to-day charge of the home.

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Requirement Due date

If the registered provider appoints a person to manage the home,

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Requirement Due date

the registered provider must, without delay, give HMCI notice of— the name of the person so appointed; and 11/10/2019 Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC035492 7 the date on which the appointment takes effect. (Regulation 27 (1)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(2)(a)(b)) The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this should include copies of local authority care plans on all children’s case files. 11/10/2019

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Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the records are kept up to date; and

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Requirement Due date

retain the records for at least 15 years from the date of the last entry. (Regulation 37 (1)(2)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, there should be a record of any children who have moved into the home or who have left. 11/10/2019

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Requirement Due date

If the independent person becomes aware of a potential conflict of interest (whether under regulation 43(3) or otherwise) after a visit to the home, the independent person must include in the independent person’s report—

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Requirement Due date

details of the conflict of interest; and the reasons why the independent person did not notify the registered provider of the conflict of interest before the visit.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person’s report to—

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Requirement Due date

upon request, the local authority for the area in which the home is located;

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Requirement Due date

the placing authorities of children; 11/10/2019 Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC035492 8 the registered provider and, if applicable, the registered manager; and the responsible individual (if one is nominated). (Regulation 44 (6)(a)(7)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e))

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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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: SC035492 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Civic Centre, West Street, Oldham OL1 1UT

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Inspectors

Lisa Mulcahy, social care inspector Mrs Michelle Edge, social care inspector Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC035492 10 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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