Children's Home run by Inroads Essex Limited in Suffolk

Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: 1272657 1

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Inroads Essex Limited

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A private organisation runs this children‟s home. It is registered to provide care for up to four children whose primary needs are due to a learning disability or who have experienced trauma that has left them vulnerable. The registered manager left the post on 10 June 2019. A new manager was appointed but had not registered with Ofsted. The manager left his employment following the full inspection. Since the full inspection, a new manager has been appointed and is yet to register with Ofsted.

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This monitoring visit

This children's home was judged inadequate at the full inspection on 31 October 2019. Following this monitoring visit, Ofsted has made a new full inspection judgement in line with the inspection framework. The children's home's new full inspection judgement is requires improvement to be good.

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This monitoring visit

Following the full inspection judgement of inadequate in October 2019, Ofsted served compliance notices in respect of the protection of children standard and the leadership and management standard. This monitoring inspection found that the provider has not met the compliance notices but has made progress in addressing the shortfalls and has met most of the steps that were set out in the compliance notices.

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This monitoring visit

The responsible individual has ensured that all permanent staff have current Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks. She has implemented a system to monitor and review these checks. No agency staff are being used currently. Safer recruitment processes have improved. The responsible individual has updated the safer recruitment policy to include the recruitment and checks for overseas workers and/or residents.

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This monitoring visit

The responsible individual is reviewing the records of restraint incidents regularly to Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: 1272657 2 identify patterns and trends. This has led to changes to children’s plans. New safety plans for children who are subject to restraint have been introduced. New strategies are being introduced to prevent restraint. In response to the high number of restraints, the staff have introduced new behaviour management strategies. However, it was not evident that the child’s social worker has been consulted about these new measures of behaviour control. The number of restraints is reducing. The staff have not yet received further training in restraint, but this is booked for January 2020.

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This monitoring visit

Effective recording and debriefs are an ongoing area of weakness. Documentation still does not evidence that children’s views are sought and recorded following many restraints. The task of reviewing and signing off individual restraint records has been delegated to a senior staff member in some cases. The responsible individual’s review of the records does not take place until long after the restraint incident in some cases. This is raised as a statutory requirement. Failure to ensure timely review of incidents and staff’s practice does not provide strong enough protection of vulnerable children.

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This monitoring visit

The responsible individual has made very good progress towards improving the physical environment of the home. The staff now eat meals with the children. Consequently, children experience a homelier place to live. The fire service has visited the home and confirmed that fire doors are compliant. Further work is planned to replace a number of existing fire doors.

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This monitoring visit

The staff rosters show that enough staff are deployed to meet the children’s needs. Staff supervision is an ongoing area for development. Individual supervision records lack detail and some staff’s files do not evidence that supervision has taken place.

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This monitoring visit

The implementation of lessons learned meetings demonstrates that the provider has taken seriously the concerns that were raised at the full inspection and is working to address them and to include the staff team in the planned improvements.

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This monitoring visit

Management and monitoring arrangements have improved. A new manager was appointed following the last inspection and the responsible individual has increased her oversight of and input to the home.

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This monitoring visit

Although there remain areas for improvement, the provider has addressed the primary concerns that led to the judgement of inadequate and two compliance notices.

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This monitoring visit

The remaining requirements that were raised at the full inspection in October 2019 have not been reviewed. They are restated and will be reviewed at the next inspection.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: 1272657 3 30/10/2019 Full Inadequate 10/10/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: 1272657 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

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives. (Regulation 7(1)(b)(c)) 20/12/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33(4)(b)) 31/01/2020

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, 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(2)(b)(i)(ii)(c)) 31/01/2020

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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—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children; 20/12/2019 Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: 1272657 5 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.

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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.

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Requirement Due date

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))

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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: 1272657 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Inroads Essex Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Suffolk House 7 Hydra, Orian Court Addison Way, Great Blakenham, Suffolk IP6 0LW

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Inspector

Angela Weston, social care inspector Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: 1272657 7 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

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Inspector

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Inspector

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