Children's home run by Evergreen Children’s Home Ltd

Inspection report for children‟s home – monitoring visit: 1241407 1

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Evergreen Children’s Home Limited

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a private company. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three young people who may have social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has been without a registered manager since January 2018.

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This monitoring visit

Ofsted inspected this service in April 2019 and judged the home inadequate. Ofsted served a restriction of accommodation notice to prevent any new young people from being admitted to the home. In addition, three compliance notices were issued.

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This monitoring visit

A monitoring visit was carried out on 23 May 2019. This visit found that limited progress had been made. This resulted in the three compliance notices being reissued. Following a further monitoring visit in July 2019, the compliance notices were considered met. At this time, the restriction of accommodation notice was lifted.

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This monitoring visit

At the last full inspection carried out on 22 and 23 July 2019, the home was judged as requires improvement, although leadership and management remained inadequate.

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This monitoring visit

Following the last visit in July, Ofsted received two complaints that raised serious concerns regarding the care and safety of the two young people in placement.

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This monitoring visit

These concerns triggered this monitoring visit.

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This monitoring visit

The early progress found at the July full inspection had not been sustained. Senior managers had failed to notify Ofsted that a serious allegation had been made Inspection report for children‟s home – monitoring visit: 1241407 2 against the home’s new manager. Senior managers’ response to this serious allegation was found to be inadequate. Managers had not informed Ofsted or taken swift action given the seriousness of the allegation. The responsible individual told inspectors during the inspection that he had been aware of the incident for only a week. However, the inspectors were provided with evidence that showed that the responsible individual had been informed much earlier.

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This monitoring visit

At the end of July 2019, there were two safeguarding incidents involving the two young people. One of these incidents involved one young person physically assaulting the other young person. Managers did inform Ofsted of the incident, however they withheld vital information. The young person who was assaulted was moved to another home overnight for his own safety. This young person had already asked the staff to contact the police because he felt unsafe yet this request was not followed up. Staff made no attempt to consult the young person’s placing authority prior to deciding to move him to another home. This shows a total failure to help young people to feel safe and to know that they are listened to and respected.

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This monitoring visit

Risk assessments continue to lack sufficient detail to help the staff to keep young people safe. For example, staff have not recorded enough detail in risk assessments to help them to manage and/or reduce risk.

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This monitoring visit

Staff have failed to help young people to be proud of their personal space. For example, inspectors found one young person‟s bedroom to be in an extremely poor state. There were debris and items across the floor. There was evidence that the young person had been smoking in his bedroom, as tobacco and lighters were found on the floor.

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This monitoring visit

Case records fail to represent an accurate account of events. For example, inspectors found information that conflicted between two sets of records relating to the same incident. The number of physical interventions carried out by staff is not accurate or recorded appropriately. One incident described the staff as „pulling a child off‟ another young person, yet this was considered not to be a physical restraint. This represents a total failure to recognise the importance of maintaining accurate and up-to-date records that reflect young people‟s care.

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This monitoring visit

As a direct result of the multiple weaknesses found during this monitoring visit that have left young people without adequate protection from harm , Ofsted has made the decision to issue a further restriction of accommodation notice.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection report for children‟s home – monitoring visit: 1241407 3 Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 08/04/2019 Full Inadequate 30/11/2018 Interim Declined in effectiveness 26/06/2018 Full Good 16/03/2018 Interim Declined in effectiveness Inspection report for children‟s home – monitoring visit: 1241407 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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff–

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Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs;

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Requirement Due date

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. (Regulation 5(a)(b)(c)) 18/10/2019

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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 the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets 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

help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult. (Regulation 6(1)(a)(b), (2)(b)(vi) 18/10/2019

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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– Inspection report for children‟s home – monitoring visit: 1241407 5 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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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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

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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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 whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12(1), (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)) The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

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,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character; and

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Requirement Due date

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)(a)(d)) 18/10/2019 Inspection report for children‟s home – monitoring visit: 1241407 6 The registered person must ensure that–

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes–

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)–

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35(3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)(iv)) 18/10/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if–

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation; 18/10/2019 Inspection report for children‟s home – monitoring visit: 1241407 7 an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child–

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40(4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e)) The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating–

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review (“the quality of care review report”).

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 45(1), (2)(a)(b)(c), (3) 18/10/2019 Inspection report for children‟s home – monitoring visit: 1241407 8

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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.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Evergreen Children’s Home Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Fairgate House, 205 Kings Road, Tyseley, Birmingham B11 2AA

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Inspectors

Debbie Holder Debbie Bond, social care inspectors Inspection report for children‟s home – monitoring visit: 1241407 9 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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