Children's Home run by Your Chapter Limited in Telford and Wrekin

Inspection report children‟s home: 1250186 1 Registered provider: Care 4 Children Residential Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This children‟s home provides care for up to four children. The home specialises in caring for girls who have been subject to child sexual exploitation. A private company owns and operates this home. The current manager successfully registered with Ofsted in August 2019. She holds a level 5 diploma in leadership and management.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 18 to 19 November 2019

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children‟s home: 1250186 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/10/2018 09/01/2018 Full Full Outstanding Outstanding Inspection report children‟s home: 1250186 3

p.2

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.

p.3

Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

p.3

Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

p.3

Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being;

p.3

Requirement Due date

and children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

p.3

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.3

Requirement Due date

achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a)(i)) 31/12/2019

p.3

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—

p.3

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.3

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.3

Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child; and

p.3

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)(e)(h)) 31/12/2019

p.3

Requirement Due date

The registered provider must appoint, at the registered provider’s expense, a person (“the independent person”) to visit and report on the children’s home carried on by the registered 31/12/2019 Inspection report children‟s home: 1250186 4 provider.

p.3

Requirement Due date

If the registered provider carries on more than one home, the registered provider may appoint the same person as the independent person for all or any of those homes.

p.4

Requirement Due date

Subject to paragraphs (4) and (5), the registered provider may not appoint the following as an independent person— if the registered provider is not a local authority, a person who is employed for payment by the registered provider. (Regulation 43 (1)(2)(3)(b)) The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

p.4

Requirement Due date

The independent person must produce a report about a visit (“the independent person’s report”) which sets out, in particular, the independent person’s opinion as to whether children are effectively safeguarded; and the conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being.

p.4

Requirement Due date

The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person’s report to HMCI. (Regulation 44 (1)(4)(a)(b)(7)(a)) 14/12/2019

p.4

Recommendations

 Children should be provided with appropriate furniture, such as a lockable cabinet or drawers to securely store personal items, including any personal information. Children should have separate bedrooms and should not share a bedroom with an adult. It may be appropriate for siblings of the same sex to share. Children should be given a choice about how their personal space is decorated in accordance with Regulation 7(2)(a)(i). (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.19)  All managers working in a children’s home must have the qualification in Regulation 28(2) within the relevant timescales listed in Regulation 28(3). All staff in a care role, including external agency or bank staff, must have the qualification in Regulation 32(4) within the relevant timescale listed in Regulation 32(5). The registered person may extend the time period if the member of staff has not

p.4

Recommendations

worked in the role for a prolonged period, such as sick leave or maternity leave, or if it is not reasonable to expect the member of staff to complete in this timescale due to the nature of the hours they work. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.12)  The registered person is responsible for maintaining good employment practice. They must ensure that recruitment safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality Inspection report children‟s home: 1250186 5 standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive personalised care from staff who understand their individual needs. As a result, children make good progress relative to their individual circumstances.

p.5

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children attend the organisation’s on-site school. Staff work closely with teaching staff to help children who have previously been out of education to start to make academic progress. This positive approach to children’s learning means that each child is beginning to have aspirations for their future.

p.5

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported by the on-site clinical team that is available to support children daily. The clinical team members also provide staff with regular guidance. This ensures that staff understand and respond confidently to children’s emotional needs.

p.5

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

However, the staff’s response to children’s day-to-day health needs is not consistent. For example, staff do not always follow children’s health plans. Consequently, staff do not ensure that children consistently receive a balanced diet or have access to regular physical activity. This prevents children from achieving a healthy lifestyle.

p.5

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to see their families despite some families living at a distance from the home. Careful planning of visits ensures that children have the opportunity to build positive memories with people who are important to them.

p.5

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

High staff vigilance helps to keep children safe.

p.5

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

Children arrive with a history of being highly vulnerable to child sexual exploitation and have been placed at risk due to a range of factors. These include going missing from care, self-harm and the misuse of illegal drugs and drinking alcohol. Staff operate a bespoke three-stage model of care that aims to keep children safe, increase their understanding of risk and provide children with the skills that they require to keep themselves safe. Because of the strong integration of this programme into all aspects of the children’s care, the risks significantly reduce.

p.5

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

Staff complete detailed risk assessments for all children and these are kept up to date to keep children safe.

p.5

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

Staff ensure that children live in a safe environment by carrying out regular health and safety checks. Work is ongoing throughout the home to redecorate and to replace furniture. However, progress is too slow. As a result, some children do not have all the necessary furniture they require. For example, some children do not have wardrobes, Inspection report children‟s home: 1250186 6 and the children’s cinema room is missing the main screen.

p.5

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

The manager ensures that safe recruitment procedures are followed. However, this was not maintained when a member of staff returned to work at the home after a short break in employment. This omission means that the manager does not have up-to-date information when making her decision about someone’s suitability to work with children.

p.6

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

The manager was registered with Ofsted in August 2019. She was previously the deputy manager. The manager has a good understanding of the children and their individual needs. She is able to talk knowledgeably about the children without the need to refer to case records. However, there have been significant changes of staff since the last inspection. Only two members of staff have remained at the home. This high level of change has impacted on the consistency of care that children have received. Children told the inspector that this instability has had an impact on them building relationships with new staff.

p.6

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

The registered manager’s review of the physical intervention records does not consistently show when practice has been challenged. In addition, the manager has not identified that a member of staff has not completed a level 3 qualification in residential childcare within the necessary time frame.

p.6

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

The manager has failed to identify that the independent person who visits the home each month has a potential conflict of interest. This leaves the manager without a clear, independent view of the home that she can use to drive improvement. In addition, reports of the independent person’s visits to the home have not been provided to Ofsted regularly. This impacts on the ability of the regulator to have oversight of the home between inspections.

p.6

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

Staff feel well supported by the manager. They receive regular supervision. This provides regular opportunities to reflect on and develop their practice.

p.6

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

Staff attend a range of training. This increases their knowledge and enables them to provide the specialist care that the children require.

p.6

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. Inspection report children‟s home: 1250186 7 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

p.6

Information about this inspection

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: 1250186 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Care 4 Children Residential Services Limited

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Care 4 Children, 1 Stuart Road, Bredbury Park Industrial Estate, Bredbury, Stockport SK6 2SR

p.8

Inspector

Tracey Coglan Greig: social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: 1250186 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

p.8

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.9

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.9

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: http://www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.9