Children's Home run by Educare Adolescent Services Limited in Shropshire

Inspection report children‟s home: SC062288 1 SC062288 Registered provider: Educare Adolescent Services Limited Interim 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 provide care and accommodation for up to four children who have complex needs and/or challenging behaviour.

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Information about this children’s home

The organisation is yet to recruit a manager for the home.

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Inspection date: 12 December 2019

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children‟s home: SC062288 2

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged good at the last full inspection. At this interim inspection the home was ‘not judged’.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager resigned in May 2019 and at present the organisation is in the process of recruiting a new manager for the home.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

There have been no children living at the home since 9 August 2019.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home has gone through a period of refurbishment. There is still some minor work to be completed, and the responsible individual anticipates that this will be completed within the next few weeks.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff have been temporarily moved to other homes within the organisation. As a result, staff are continuing to be provided with opportunities to develop their skills and knowledge.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The responsible individual has systems in place to review and monitor the service. An independent visitor continues to visit the home monthly. This ensures that the provider is receiving regular external assessment.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

As a result of no children living at the home, the inspector has not been able to fully assess the action taken to address the requirements and recommendations raised at the last inspection. As a result, these have been carried over and will be reviewed at a future inspection. Inspection report children‟s home: SC062288 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/03/2019 Full Good 01/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 10/05/2016 Full Good 02/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children‟s home: SC062288 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

In meeting the quality standards, 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. (Regulation 5(c)) 31/05/2019

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible. (Regulation 8(1)(2)(a)(viii)) 31/05/2019

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being. (Regulation 10(1)(b)) 31/05/2019

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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 an understanding about acceptable behaviour. (Regulation 11(b)) 31/05/2019

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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 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 use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b)(2)(h)) 31/05/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home. 31/05/2019 Inspection report children‟s home: SC062288 5 In particular the registered person must ensure that a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child. (Regulation 23(1)(2)(c)) The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child. (Regulation 36(1)(a)) 31/05/2019

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Recommendations

 For children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. Children’s homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislations (alarms, food hygiene etc.); however, in doing so, homes should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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Recommendations

 Staff should have the skills and confidence to communicate easily and understand the importance of listening to, involving and responding to the children they care for. Staff should understand that they have a responsibility to observe, notice and respond to children who are expressing their views, acknowledging that it is not the sole responsibility of the child to ‘tell’. They should also understand how children might communicate their feelings through their behaviour, or non- verbally, especially where the child has a disability which does not allow them to communicate as others might. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.10)

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Recommendations

 Staff should continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. Where there are safeguarding concerns for a child, their placement plan, agreed between the home and their placing authority, must include details of the steps the home will take to manage any assessed risks on a day to day basis. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)

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Recommendations

 The registered person must have systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)

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Recommendations

 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 between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. Inspection report children‟s home: SC062288 6 (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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Information about this inspection

This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, 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: SC062288 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Educare Adolescent Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Venture House, 12 Prospect Business Park, Longford Road, Cannock, Staffordshire WS11 0LG

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Inspector

Sarah Junor-Fitzpatrick, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC062288 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

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Inspector

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Inspector

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