Children's Home run by Changing Lives Care Group Ltd in Leicestershire

Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2490999 1

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Changing Lives Care Group Limited

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a small private organisation. It is registered with Ofsted to provide care and accommodation for up to three children and young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager resigned in June 2019. A new manager was appointed and started on 1 July 2019. He has applied to be registered with Ofsted.

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This monitoring visit

This home was inspected in December 2019 and found to have declined in effectiveness. A number of shortfalls were identified, particularly in relation to the home’s leadership and management. A compliance notice was issued. This notice set out the steps that are necessary to improve the management of the home. The purpose of this monitoring visit is to review the actions taken by managers in response to the compliance notice.

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This monitoring visit

At the last inspection, nine statutory requirements and one recommendation were set. These remain in place and have not been considered during this monitoring visit. They will be reviewed in detail at the home’s next full inspection.

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This monitoring visit

The first step set out in the compliance notice asked the managers to put in place effective systems to monitor, record and review the care in the home, and then act promptly on the shortfalls identified. The home’s responsible individual commissioned an independent consultant to carry out an unannounced audit of the home. This demonstrates that shortfalls have been recognised and taken seriously.

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This monitoring visit

The manager has also implemented a weekly management audit of a wide range of management and care-planning systems. Checks take place each week and do identify the actions required. However, the weekly audit has not become a useful Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2490999 2 tool for improvement, because the identified actions are not carried out. For example, the audit noted that supervision had not taken place and stated that supervision had been planned for the following week, yet this supervision still did not take place.

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This monitoring visit

The home’s independent visitor continues to visit each month and make recommendations for improvement. In most cases, these recommendations are followed up. However, the responsible individual has not arranged for the home’s manager to receive formal supervision from someone with appropriate skills and experience. In addition, there are unnecessary delays in sharing with the manager the outcomes of the monthly visits. For example, the most recent visit had taken place nine days before this monitoring visit yet the outcomes had still not been shared with the manager. Neither has the manager taken steps to obtain feedback from the independent visitor. This hinders his ability to act on the recommendations promptly.

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This monitoring visit

The maintenance systems are now improved, following the appointment of a dedicated handyman. This means that damage can be more promptly repaired and the home is better presented.

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This monitoring visit

The second step set out in the compliance notice asked the managers to ensure that all the required local authority documentation relating to the care of children is in place and accessible to staff. Important care planning information provided by the placing authority is indeed now in place and accessible to staff. This means that staff are now provided with the information that they need to make decisions about children’s care. Although one placing authority is still to update a child’s education, health and care plan, the managers have made efforts to follow this up. The managers were also asked to make available a record of the admissions and discharges from the home. The manager has now created an admission and discharge register, and this is up to date.

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This monitoring visit

The third step set out in the compliance notice asked managers to ensure that all staff have the necessary skills, knowledge and understanding of their roles to meet the needs of children. Arrangements for staff training have improved since the last inspection, but they are still inadequate. A review of the training records provided by the manager demonstrates that one member of staff has worked regular shifts in the home without undertaking safeguarding training. The manager has also failed to ensure that a number staff have received training in subjects including health and safety, criminal exploitation, sexual exploitation, substance misuse, recording skills and children who go missing from home. The poor quality of training records makes it difficult for the manager to monitor staff training.

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This monitoring visit

Despite the imposition of the compliance notice following the last inspection, there is no evidence of any staff supervision taking place in the last month. The manager states that he has had some ‘discussions’ with one member of staff but that these are not yet recorded. One member of the home’s core staff has received no formal Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2490999 3 supervision since returning in December 2019 from a five-month absence. A bank member of staff who started work at the home in December 2019 has received no formal supervision, despite working regularly. Another bank member of staff, who had not worked in residential care for five years before beginning work in the home in October 2019, has received no formal supervision. This demonstrates that staff, particularly new staff, do not receive the support and guidance that they need.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/12/2019 Interim Declined in effectiveness 03/04/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2490999 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 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

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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; and

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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)(h)) 08/03/2020

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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

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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

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; and 08/03/2020 Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2490999 5 ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(c)(e)) The registered person must maintain in the home a record in the form of a register showing in respect of each child:

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Requirement Due date

 the date of the child’s admission to the children’s home;  the date on which the child ceased to be accommodated in the home;  the child’s address immediately before being accommodated in the home;  the child’s address on leaving the home;  the child’s placing authority; and  the statutory provision (if any) under which the child is accommodated. (Regulation 37(1)(2)(a) Schedule 4, point 1) 08/03/2020

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Requirement Due date

children receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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 children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14(1)(a)(b)(2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

This is with specific reference to ensuring that appropriate matching of all children’s needs is carried out and documented as part of the admission process. 08/03/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which–

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are kept up to date; and 08/03/2020 Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2490999 6 are signed and dated by the author of each entry.

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Requirement Due date

obtaining a copy of any plan for the care of the child prepared by the child’s placing authority, and of the placement plan;

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Requirement Due date

ensuring that children’s care plans and risk assessments are regularly reviewed and updated to ensure that they reflect current needs and risks; and

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Requirement Due date

ensuring that records are kept of all health appointments including details of the outcome of the appointment. (Regulation 36(1)(a)(b)(c) (Schedule 3)) 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–

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment; and

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally. (Regulation 8(1)(2)(a)(iv)(v)) 08/03/2020

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who–

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children; and

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to– 08/03/2020 Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2490999 7 meet the needs of each child; and

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6(1)(2)(b)(ii)(c)(i)(ii)) The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if–

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40(4)(b)) 08/03/2020

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Requirement Due date

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;

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of revision. (Regulation 16(1)(3)(a)(b)) 08/03/2020

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendations:

 When a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, the responsible local authority must provide an opportunity for the child to have an independent return-home interview. Homes should take account of information provided by such interviews when assessing risks and putting arrangement in place to protect each child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30) Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2490999 8

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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.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Changing Lives Care Group Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 35–37 Ludgate Hill, London EC4M 7JN

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Inspector

Philip Cass, social care inspector Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2490999 9 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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