Children's home run by ABC Care and Education Ltd in Lancaster

Inspection report children‟s home: SC443765 1 SC443765 Registered provider: ABC Care and Education 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 home is owned by a private company. It is registered to accommodate three young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. It offers emergency, medium- and long-term placements. The manager, who was appointed by Ofsted in June 2018, has been on extended leave since January 2019. Although various interim arrangements have been made, the home has been without a registered manager since that time. Ofsted has not yet received an application to register a new manager.

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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 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: 10 January 2019

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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: SC443765 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/01/2019 Full Good 05/06/2017 Full Good 22/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 14/09/2016 Full Good Inspection report children‟s home: SC443765 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 registered person must— keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (3)(a)(b)) 10/01/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s s home if— there is no registered manager in respect of the home; and If the registered provider appoints a person to manage the home, the registered provider must, without delay, give HMCI notice of— the name of the person so appointed; and the date on which the appointment takes effect. (Regulation 27 (1)(a) and (2)(a)(b)) 10/01/2020

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained— the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (“the Level 3 Diploma”); or a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma. The relevant date is— in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home; or in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016. (Regulation 32 (4)(a)(b)(5)(a)(b)) 10/01/2020 Inspection report children‟s home: SC443765 4 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; the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s 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. 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”). 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)(a)(b)(c)(3) and (4)(a)(b))

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improvement to be good

The home has a limited overall judgement due to not having a registered manager in post since January 2019. This has resulted in an inadequate judgement in the effectiveness of leadership and management. Overall, children and young people are making good progress. The atmosphere in the home is calm and relaxed. Children and young people are settled and have developed positive relationships with each other and some very trusting relationships with staff. They feel that staff genuinely care for them and are proud of their achievements. Consequently, children and young people feel respected and value the support that they receive. Children and young people feel that their views are listened to and appropriately considered. They are encouraged to contribute their views and wishes to their care and placement planning and are regularly consulted about day-to-day arrangements in the home. This includes such things as shopping, meal choices and activity preferences.

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improvement to be good

Because of this, children and young people feel included and gain a strong feeling of Inspection report children‟s home: SC443765 5 belonging in this home. Children and young people are suitably engaged in education and are making good progress. For example, one young person attending college has also recently enjoyed a work placement at a safari park as well as helping at a local animal refuge. He has completed his first year successfully and is on target to achieve a level two qualification in animal care. Staff share good relationships and work inclusively with parents and other family members. Staff understand the importance of children and young people being able to maintain contact with family members and friends. Staff communicate regularly with them and are proactive in organising and facilitating visits to ensure that children and young people can connect with friends and spend quality time with their family members

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improvement to be good

in their own home communities. Children and young people are encouraged to participate in the hobbies and activities that most interest them and provide them with fun and the opportunities to enjoy and build friendships outside of the children’s s home. This positively enhances their confidence and self-esteem. Children and young people are guided to develop independence skills commensurate with their age and ability that will be of benefit as they move forward into adulthood. For example, for one young person this includes pursuing a provisional driving licence and lessons that will ultimately increase his mobility as he wishes to live and work in a rural area.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Children and young people say that they feel safe in this home and in the company of staff. Children and young people’s s individual risk assessments are well considered and constructed. These help staff understand children and young people’s s individual risks and guide staff to understand the prevention strategies and the specific support children and young people require to keep them safe. Staff encourage children and young people to talk about their worries and concerns. These opportunities provide children and young people the support and reassurance that they require, reducing the likelihood of them internalising negative feelings that have previously resulted in self-harming behaviours. Children and young people understand the house rules, boundaries and routines and respond well to these. Due to the quality of relationships between staff, children and young people, staff generally effectively de-escalate any potential conflict through

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

discussion. Therefore, the use of physical intervention in this home is rare. Staff do on occasion use sanctions to help children and young people understand the consequences of negative behaviours. Sanctions implemented are proportionate and restorative in nature, providing children and young people the opportunity to make amends. Although the children and young people currently living at the home have never been reported missing, the home did experience several missing episodes with a young person Inspection report children‟s home: SC443765 6 previously living at the home. When these events were taking place, staff maintained good communication with the placing authority and the police and were proactive in trying to encourage the young person’ s return. Despite staff and other professionals’ considerable efforts, the placement ended due to the young person’s s determination to return to their home area.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Recruitment arrangements are robust and are successful in promoting the safety of children and young people. All staff are fully checked and vetted in accordance with safer recruitment practice, to avoid the appointment of unsuitable adults that may pose a risk to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The home has not had a registered manager since January 2019, which has resulted in this inadequate judgement for the effectiveness of leaders and managers. In January 2019, the home’s s registered manager left for an extended period of planned leave. The home’s s deputy manager was immediately appointed to the role of manager, but she resigned from the role in July 2019 without ever making application to register with Ofsted. Another manager has since been appointed but is yet to make an application to be registered with Ofsted. One requirement was made at the home’s s last full inspection in January 2019, but this has not been met. At the last inspection, it was noted that not all staff had achieved qualification within the required two-year timescale. During this inspection, it was identified that additional staff have now exceeded this timescale and still have not achieved the required qualifications for working in residential care. Consequently, this

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

requirement has been repeated. Although the home is working in accordance with its statement of purpose, the document itself does not accurately reflect the staff currently working at the home. Some staff detailed in the document were predominantly working at another home run by the company. Their inclusion in the statement of purpose misrepresents the actual staff team for this home. Although external monitoring arrangements did not help to prompt timely registration of a manager with Ofsted, the quality of reports regularly received by Ofsted overall are good and provide helpful detail about children and young people’s s progress and current activity in the home. However, the home’s s six-monthly quality of care review reports have not routinely been received by Ofsted within the required timescale. Also, these do not reflect managers’ understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the home. These reports have limited value in informing the continuous development and

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

improvement of the home. Staff feel supported and are confident with the good standard of care that they provide. They understand children and young people’s s needs, how these are being met and the progress they are making at this home. Training focuses on making sure staff have the skills and knowledge that they require to effectively care for the children and young at the home. Staff receive regular supervision and an annual appraisal to assess competency and support their further development. Inspection report children‟s home: SC443765 7

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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: SC443765 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: ABC Care and Education Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 5 Leyburn Road, Lancaster LA1 2HZ

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Christopher Kennedy

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Jenna Treeby (absent)

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Inspector

Gillian Walters, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC443765 9 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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