Children's home run by Chaigeley Educational Foundation

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1243966 1 Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a private children’s home registered to provide care and accommodation for up to two children who are experiencing emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. A primary aim is to ensure that the children access education and therapy. The manager was registered with Ofsted on 12 December 2018.

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This monitoring visit

At the full inspection on 14 and 15 August 2019, the home was judged inadequate. Several shortfalls were identified. The inspectors identified poor practice relating to the quality of care, behaviour management, leadership and management, and the help and protection of children. This poor practice has a significant and negative impact on children’s safety, welfare and progress. Four compliance notices were issued under section 22A of the Care Standards Act 2000 in relation to: regulation 6, the quality and purpose of care standard; regulation 12, the protection of children standard; regulation 13, the leadership and management standard; and regulation 35, behaviour management policies and records. On 2 October 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 notices.

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This monitoring visit

The registered provider has taken sufficient steps to meet all four of the compliance notices. The home environment has improved and is warm and nurturing. The home is now in one cottage, and this has been decorated and furnished to a high standard. The child currently living at the home and the manager and staff confirmed their involvement in the process, and evidence of this was clear throughout the visit . The manager has spent time with all staff throughout September to look at the statement of purpose for the home and the vision for the service. Staff confirmed Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1243966 2 their involvement in the meetings and minutes were evident. There was also evidence in staff supervisions that all staff had been asked to read the statement of purpose, policies and procedures and risk assessments. The records at the home demonstrate that there are structured routines in place,

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This monitoring visit

which have resulted in the child attending school on time. The child’s placement plan has been updated and now clearly outlines the aims of the placement, the child’s needs, how his needs are being met and his views. Staff have spent time reading the child’s plan, and have signed to demonstrate that they have read and understood the plan. A daily routine checklist has been introduced for staff to complete at handover. This includes checks to ensure that the environment is clean, medication is correct and information relating to the child is handed over. Safeguarding practice at the home has improved. Risk assessments have been revised and now accurately identify the individual risks for children. Furthermore, risk assessments provide staff with practical strategies to help them to keep children safe. This approach ensures that risks to children are managed consistently by the registered manager and the staff team and means that appropriate support is in

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This monitoring visit

place to promote the safety of children. Since the last inspection, staff have received training in autistic spectrum disorder, safeguarding, reporting and recording, medication, attachment, health and hygiene, key working, planning for children’s futures, restraint and first aid. Policies and procedures have been reviewed and updated and are now specific to the home. As a result, staff have a clearer understanding of their roles and responsibilities, in relation to providing a good quality of care and keeping children safe. Direct work sessions have been completed with the child in relation to a range of issues pertinent to his needs and to raise his awareness and understanding of the risks he may face, such as from gangs, gun and knife crime, and fire safety. Consequently, the child is more equipped to keep himself safe from harm. With the new systems that are in place, the responsible individual and registered

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This monitoring visit

manager have demonstrated that, working with the staff team through increased supervisions, team meetings and discussions, they are leading a culture in relation to the children’s home that helps children aspire to fulfil their potential and promotes their welfare. The registered manager is now based in the home, which enables her to have improved oversight. Since the last inspection, there have been no restraints. However, the staff have spent time considering what should happen when restraint is used and how the measure should be reported and recorded. Behaviour management policies have been read by all staff, with a quiz included to demonstrate their understanding and knowledge. Staff spoke confidently about what they would do to manage a child’s behaviour and what was required to keep children or others safe. The four compliance notices have been met. No further enforcement action is planned. However, a further inspection will take place to review how these

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This monitoring visit

improvements are being embedded into the home’s practice, and to ensure that the home’s ongoing development is sustained. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1243966 3

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 14/08/2019 Full Inadequate 12/02/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness 27/04/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 30/01/2018 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1243966 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 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 ensure that staff—

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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 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;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the views of each relevant person are taken into account, so far as reasonably practicable, before making a decision about the care or welfare of a child. (Regulation 7(1)(2)(I)(ii)(iii)(iv)(e)) 27/09/2019

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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 needs and develop and reflect their creative, cultural, intellectual, physical and social interests and skills. (Regulation 9(1)) 27/09/2019 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1243966 5 The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only 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

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)(3)(d)) 27/09/2019

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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 appropriate experience. (Regulation 33(4)(a)(b)) 27/09/2019

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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

The registered person must maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4. (Regulation 37(1)(2)(a)) 27/09/2019

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person’s report to HMCI. (Regulation 44(7)(a)) 27/09/2019

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Requirement Due date

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 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 any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children. 27/09/2019 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1243966 6 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

The registered person must supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed. (Regulation 45(1)(2)(3)(4)(a))

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Recommendations

 Statutory guidance on children who run away or go missing from home or care sets out the steps local authorities and their partners should take to prevent children from going missing and to protect them when they do go missing. Children’s homes should have regard to the relevant aspects of this guidance. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality Standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.25) In particular, the registered manager should ensure that independent return home interviews are undertaken by an independent person.  Staff should be familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child.

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Recommendations

(‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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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Inspector(s)

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1243966 7 Lisa Mulcahy, social care inspector Michelle Edge, social care inspection manager Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1243966 8 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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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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