Children's home run by Approach-Development (NE) Ltd in Redcar and Cleveland

Inspection report children‟s home: SC489187 1 SC489187 Registered provider: Approach-Development (NE) Ltd

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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 children’s home provides care and accommodation for five children and young people who have complex emotional and/or behavioural needs. It is operated by a private provider. The manager was registered in May 2017.

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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 inadequate

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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

Date of last inspection: 16 October 2018

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children‟s home: SC489187 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/10/2018 Full Good 17/05/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness 28/11/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 04/09/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children‟s home: SC489187 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 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

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)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff consistently make sufficient attempts to locate children and young people when they go missing from home. 06/12/2019

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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 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

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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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)(d)(f)(h)) 03/01/2020 Inspection report children‟s home: SC489187 4 In particular, ensure that decisive and prompt action is taken to meet the above, and to:

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Requirement Due date

 Ensure that staff fully understand their roles and responsibilities to promote consistently good and safe child- care practices  Quality assure all records to ensure that they are completed to a consistently good standard and signed by all members of the staff team  Ensure that the registered manager does not evaluate the physical interventions that he is involved in  Improve the frequency of individual work on risky behaviours with the children and young people  Ensure that the home has a sufficient number of staff to provide consistent levels of care and protection for the children and young people  Promote professional practice and positive role modelling by not permitting sleep-in staff to sleep on the sofa. The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement (“the statement of purpose”) which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1. (Regulation 16 (1))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, include individual staff details, including their qualifications and experience. 06/12/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must— notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (3)(b)) 06/12/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that— the privacy of children is appropriately protected; children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; and any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises— is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home; is necessary and proportionate; is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (a)(b)(c)(i)(ii)(iv)) 06/12/2019

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Requirement Due date

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 03/01/2020 Inspection report children‟s home: SC489187 5 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, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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Requirement Due date

the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform. (Regulation 32 (1)(2)(a)(b)(3)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that recruitment records make clear the rationale for determining the suitability of staff when information is disclosed that may impact on the decision to employ them. The registered person must ensure that all employees— receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the staff are supervised regularly in line with the home‟s statement of purpose and post- investigation action plan. 06/12/2019

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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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a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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

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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)) 06/12/2019

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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 06/12/2019 Inspection report children‟s home: SC489187 6 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

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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

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; and

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Requirement Due date

make a copy of the quality of care review report available on request to a placing authority, if the placing authority is not the parent of a child accommodated in the home. The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1)(2)(a)(b)(c)(3)(4)(a)(b)(5)) If the person who is in day-to-day charge of the children‟s home proposes to be absent from the home for a continuous period of 28 days or more, the registered person must give notice in writing to HMCI of the proposed absence.

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Requirement Due date

Except in the case of an emergency or unforeseen absence, a notice under paragraph (1) must— be given no later than one month before the proposed absence commences, or within such shorter period as may be agreed with HMCI; and specify with respect to the proposed absence— the address, name and qualifications of the person who will be responsible for the home during the absence; and

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI of the return to duty of 06/12/2019 Inspection report children‟s home: SC489187 7 the person in day-to-day charge of the home not later than 7 days after the date of that person‟s return. (Regulation 48 (1)2(b)(3)(b)(iv)(5))

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improvement to be good

Children and young people are making variable progress. In recent months, their experiences and progress have been affected by staffing shortages. Ineffective management oversight in the registered manager’s absence has affected timely improvements, and this has exposed some children and young people to risk.

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improvement to be good

Staff actively support children and young people’s education and work opportunities. Staff work closely with education and employment providers to support children and young people to achieve their aspirations. However, despite the positive efforts of staff, there has been a decline in children and young people’s educational progress. Some children and young people are attending school for two hours per day, while others choose not to attend college or employment.

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improvement to be good

The staff encourage and support the children and young people to attend their health appointments that are identified in their plans. While some children and young people engage well with the additional health services, others refuse to engage in smoking cessation, drug and alcohol support or routine optical and dental appointments. Some children and young people’s engagement in risk-taking behaviours, such as substance use, has increased since they moved to the home. This does not bode well for their current and future health outcomes.

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improvement to be good

Staff shortages have limited children and young people’s opportunities to engage in leisure activities. On one occasion, staff cancelled an activity and this resulted in a child’s behaviour escalating and them being subject to a physical intervention. This could have been prevented.

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improvement to be good

Children and young people benefit from being cared for by staff who show a genuine interest in them. Staff want to make a positive difference to children and young people’s s lives. Consequently, they are making steady progress in some areas, such as self- regulating their emotions and developing independence skills to enable them to be less dependent on the staff. One young person said, ‘This is the first proper home that I have lived in.’

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improvement to be good

Improved contact with family and friends is helping some of the children and young people to improve their relationships. Inspection report children‟s home: SC489187 8 Despite the staff team’s efforts of caring for the children and young people, they acknowledge that they cannot meet all of the children and young people’s s needs and keep them safe, resulting in unplanned endings. Lessons have been learned as a result of an inappropriate placement being made, and the registered manager is reviewing the admissions process.

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improvement to be good

Children and young people feel safe and supported by the manager and staff team. They enjoy the positive and unconditional regard afforded to them. Children and young people understand the expectations and boundaries, which are intended to safeguard them.

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improvement to be good

Not all of the children and young people have felt consistently satisfied about how their behaviour has been managed when they have been in crisis. This includes a child’s involvement in a significant incident which led to an allegation against the registered manager. An independent investigation found that physical interventions had not consistently been carried out in line with the approved restraint training. Furthermore, the offer of follow-up medical assistance including body maps, and the restraint records, were not clear or consistently recorded. In addition, there was no independent management oversight into this incident as the registered manager was involved in evaluating the incident. This does not promote safe and transparent practice.

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improvement to be good

The provider has started to take the agreed steps that are included in the action plan following the independent investigation to improve safeguarding practices in the home. This includes further training opportunities and learning lessons to ensure that everyone working at the home has a shared understanding of safeguarding practices, and that they follow the procedures when identifying and reporting allegations.

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improvement to be good

As a result of staff shortages, staff have not consistently supported children and young people to become increasingly safe when they have been missing from home. This includes not making sufficient attempts to search for and locate children and young people and return them home safely. A consistent approach has not been taken to report missing children and young people to the police earlier when specific concerns have come to light. Children and young people engage in return home interviews with an independent person they can speak to about why they go missing.

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improvement to be good

Not all of the risk assessments have been routinely signed by all staff to ensure their full understanding and knowledge about the risks. Children and young people’s risky behaviours are notified to the appropriate agencies. However, practice has been inconsistent.

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improvement to be good

Concerns about children and young people’s behaviours and concerns about potential child exploitation risks are escalated appropriately. The registered manager seeks additional support from other agencies that is in the best interests of children and young people’s safety and welfare. Inspection report children‟s home: SC489187 9

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Inconsistent leadership and management oversight have been detrimental to the progression of the children and young people’s experiences, progress and safety.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The deputy manager was in charge of the day-to-day running of the home in the absence of the manager. The provider notified Ofsted about the temporary management arrangements, but they failed to respond to the request from Ofsted to supply the details of the deputy manager’s qualification. Nor did they notify Ofsted when the registered manager returned to his post. This did not provide sufficient assurances to Ofsted that the arrangements were suitable.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The deputy manager had focused on responding to a child’s increasingly risky behaviours, which impeded aspects of their management oversight. Subsequently, the regulation 44 reports identified a significant number of repeat actions, indicating poor management oversight and limited capacity to improve. The provider’s response was not recorded on the regulation 44 reports, therefore their understanding of the shortfalls and their commitment to drive improvements was not evident to Ofsted.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The registered manager has failed to submit any regulation 45 monitoring reports since April 2018.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The management monitoring systems have not identified or addressed some poor staff practices, such as locking internal doors at night. The practice of some staff sleeping on the sofa instead of in the allocated sleep-in bedrooms does not positively role model appropriate behaviour and can lead to poor safeguarding of children and young people. The manager’s instruction to staff not to engage in this activity has been ignored.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has missed opportunities to ensure that staff follow the children and young people’s plans. For example, not all staff have signed up to all of the risk assessments to ensure that everyone has a shared understanding of the risks. Individual work with the children and young people after significant incidents has not been routinely completed. Not all incidents are recorded appropriately, and not all impact risk assessments are sufficiently robust to ensure consistently compatible matches. Although the management team has identified an improvement plan to address practice issues, this has not been fully embedded to effect change in a timely manner.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff shortages have led to inconsistent practices to safeguard children and young people. Despite the responsible individual’s determined efforts to recruit staff, this has proven to be ineffective, resulting in the continued use of bank and agency staff. The provider has failed to ensure that safe recruitment practice is undertaken. The manager failed to explore an applicant’s declaration in relation to their previous employment to determine their suitability to care for children and young people. This places children and young people at risk, and it is an unmet requirement from the last inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Management and staff supervisions are not conducted in line with the assurances identified in the home‟s statement of purpose. The registered manager has not received Inspection report children‟s home: SC489187 10 formal supervision since the beginning of this year. Furthermore, the manager has not received supervision on his return to work as outlined in the post-investigation action plan. The supervision gaps make it unclear to the provider and Ofsted how the management team and staff are providing sufficient and safe care to children and young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The registered manager has not notified Ofsted about several serious safeguarding incidents. The impact of not reporting the safeguarding incidents is that Ofsted has been impeded from accurately monitoring the home’s safeguarding practices.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has failed to provide Ofsted with an up-to-date statement of purpose since 2017. The current document does not identify individual staff details, including their qualifications and experience. Consequently, commissioners, parents and Ofsted cannot be assured that the staff are skilled, experienced and equipped to care for the children and young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The registered manager is committed to making the changes required. The provider is taking appropriate steps to implement the action plan that has been agreed by the relevant safeguarding and commissioning agencies.

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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: SC489187 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Approach-Development (NE) Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 6 Fulmerton Crescent, Redcar TS10 4NJ

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Margaret Mitchell

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Inspector

Jacqueline Malcolm, social care inspector Janine Shortman-Thomas, social care compliance inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC489187 12 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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