Children's home run by Bristol City Council

Inspection report children’s home: SC061232 1 SC061232 Registered provider: Bristol City Council

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This local authority children’s home is registered for up to five children, aged up to 18, who have experienced adverse childhood experiences that have led to associated trauma and presenting complex behaviours.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager was re-registered with Ofsted on 4 October 2019.

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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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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC061232 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/07/2019 Full Inadequate 26/02/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness 07/08/2018 Full Good 17/01/2018 Interim Not judged Inspection report children’s home: SC061232 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

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.

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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

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

make decisions about the day-to-day arrangements for each child, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans, which give the child an appropriate degree of freedom and choice.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 6(2)(iv)(vi)(ix)) 29/11/2019

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— 29/11/2019 Inspection report children’s home: SC061232 4 that staff—

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 11(1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(ii)(iii)(v)) The registered person must ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child.

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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 requirements are that full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2.

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improvement to be good

The progress that young people make while living at this home is varied. For example, one young person now has a full-time job that they are enjoying, and another young person is studying performing arts at college full-time. However, despite the increased efforts of staff, one young person of school age, who recently returned to the home, is not consistently engaging with tutors. The young person does not have a planned date to return to full-time education at the identified school. One young person has not made any progress since the last inspection in acquiring the necessary skills and resilience for adulthood. The young person spends some time away from the home every week and is not engaging in education, training or employment, despite having lived at the home for over two years. The manager has not ensured that a review of the young person’s needs has taken place, or that her own concerns regarding the young person are escalated with senior managers.

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improvement to be good

Inspection report children’s home: SC061232 5 Managers need to ensure that statutory care plans are provided and updated. For example, one young person does not have a current pathway plan and their longer-term care needs have not been recorded. Another young person’s care plan does not reflect their current living arrangements. Consequently, this could mean that young people’s needs and development are overlooked.

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improvement to be good

Some young people in the home spend large amounts of time on the Xbox. Staff have sought advice and have plans in place to address this in the long term. For example, incentives have been reviewed and staff have supported one young person with outdoor pursuits, including walking and fishing in the countryside. Trips to the beach are provided to encourage other interests. Wi-Fi is turned off at 7pm everyday in order to reduce the amount of time that young people spend on the Xbox. However, this approach is not individualised and is not enabling young people to understand risks or helping them to manage their behaviours when using the internet.

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improvement to be good

Since the previous inspection, staff have worked hard to ensure that they gather the wishes and feelings of young people about the care they receive. For example, young people are requesting their favourite foods and are asked for feedback more frequently, and there is a suggestions box in place.

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improvement to be good

Since the previous inspection, one young person has remained at significant risk of exploitation due to periods of missing, substance misuse and abuse from adults. Staff have supported the young person through improved ‘important conversations’ about contraception and sexual health. Staff take the young person to the cinema and shopping to talk about their wishes and feelings. Consequently, the young person has accessed sexual health services and is starting to tell staff about their time away from the home. However, further positive relationship-building is needed to reduce the young person’s significant risk-taking behaviours.

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improvement to be good

The manager has not ensured that a previous requirement about staff recruitment has been met. This has been identified because a file sampled during this inspection highlighted that gaps in employment and reasons for leaving previous employment were not verified for one employee. Records regarding verification of references were also not clear. This requirement is therefore repeated to ensure that robust processes are implemented to protect young people.

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improvement to be good

One young person has made a complaint about the quality of care relating to the support offered by staff, and the food and money provided. Staff have responded appropriately and spoken with the young person. Parents and professionals have been consulted and a referral has been made for advocacy support. Since the previous inspection, there have not been any allegations against staff. Staff have not used physical restraint since the previous inspection. Inspection report children’s home: SC061232 6

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

Since the previous inspection, three requirements and three recommendations have been met. However, four requirements are not fully met. Managers have worked hard to improve the home’s monitoring and review processes. They are reflective about achievements to date and are dedicated to making the changes needed to enable good- quality care to be provided.

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

However, the manager must ensure that robust monitoring and review systems remain in place to oversee all aspects of the care provided for young people. Further improvements are needed regarding the young people’s relationships with staff, to ensure high levels of individualised care. While improvements have been noted, young people are not yet receiving good enough care and support.

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

Managers have ensured that there is now a training matrix in place, but not all staff are up to date with mandatory training, including food hygiene and safeguarding. Fire safety training records need further review as they have not been clearly written up. In addition, not all staff have received training and information about the exploitation of children. Consequently, staff are not equipped with the training and knowledge to provide the best-quality care for young people.

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

Staff have received supervision since the previous inspection. Minutes are clearly recorded with actions for follow-up. There is considerable focus on improvement. Team meeting minutes are reflective and informative, and meetings are now used as a forum for sharing knowledge and practice issues.

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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: SC061232 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Director of Legal Services, City Hall, College Green, Bristol BS1 5TR

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Inspector

Anna Gravelle: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC061232 8 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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