Children's home run by Heath Solo Limited

Inspection report children’s home: 2511612 1 Registered provider: Heath Solo Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a private company. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for one child or young person, irrespective of gender. The home specialises in providing care for children with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered in May 2019 and this is the first full inspection after registration.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is an experienced and qualified manager, and has been registered manager at the home since its registration.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded and the care and experiences of children and young people are poor and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2511612 2

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

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

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help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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raise any need for further assessment or specialist provision in relation to a child with the child’s education or training provider and the child’s placing authority;

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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;

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help each child who is above compulsory school age to participate in further education, training or employment and to prepare for future care, education or employment;

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help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 8(1), (2)(a)(i)(ii)(vii)(viii)(ix)(x)) 23/02/2020 Inspection report children’s home: 2511612 3 *The health and well-being standard is that–

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

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

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children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff help each child to–

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achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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understand the child’s health and well-being needs and the options that are available in relation to the child’s health and well-being, in a way that is appropriate to the child’s age and understanding;

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take part in activities, and attend any appointments, for the purpose of meeting the child’s health and well-being needs; and

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understand and develop skills to promote the child’s well-being. (Regulation 10(1)(a)(b)(c), (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)) 23/02/2020

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The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on–

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an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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positive responses to other children and adults.

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

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meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children; and 23/02/2020 Inspection report children’s home: 2511612 4 are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same. (Regulation 11(1)(a)(b)(c), (2)(a)(i)(ix)(x)) *The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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

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assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies.

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and that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12(1), (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)) 23/02/2020

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*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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helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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

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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; 23/02/2020 Inspection report children’s home: 2511612 5 ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; and

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ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b), (2)(a)(c)(e)) The care planning standard is that children–

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

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

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

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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)) 23/02/2020

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*The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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the individual is of integrity and good character;

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the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and 23/02/2020 Inspection report children’s home: 2511612 6 full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32(1), (2)(a)(b), (3)(a)(b)(c)(d)) The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if–

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a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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a child protection enquiry involving a child–

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concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40(4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e)) 23/02/2020

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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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the quality of care provided for children;

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the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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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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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”). 23/02/2020 Inspection report children’s home: 2511612 7 The registered person must–

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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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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice. Inspection report children’s home: 2511612 8

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children are not protected from harm or the risk of further harm. Children have not made sustained progress or enjoyed positive outcomes while living at the home. Despite initial engagement and progress in education, more recently the attendance of one child has declined and, as a result, they are at risk of being withdrawn from their GCSE exams.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The manager and staff understand that this decline is down to anxiety and frustration around the child’s wider care planning, but no statutory education meetings have taken place to address education planning. The actions in the last personal education plan include a specialist assessment. This has not been implemented and remains outstanding. The manager has not escalated this need with the local authority.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff are not aware of the health needs of children. The statement of purpose for the home sets out the provision of therapeutic care for children. The therapeutic plans have not been read by staff or managers, and have no impact on the day-to-day care of children. Staff have failed to respond effectively to the declining emotional health of a child. No direct work has taken place to discuss the child’s views and feelings and what support they need to improve their well-being. Furthermore, staff and managers are not aware of the therapeutic model in use at this home. The monthly meetings planned to support staff’s knowledge and skills in delivering therapeutic care have not taken place.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children are not provided with care by a stable and consistent staff team. Staffing arrangements are often changed at short notice, and children are cared for by staff who either do not know them or are unaware of their plans.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

There have been no consequences to negative behaviour, such as damaging the home, to enable children to develop an understanding of what is acceptable behaviour.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Transitions in and out of the home are poor. The impact risk assessments lack sufficient information, analysis and consideration of all known risks. Furthermore, they have been undertaken after a child has moved into the home.

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

Children have suffered significant harm while living at this home. Staff do not fully understand their roles and responsibilities in protecting children and, as a result, children are not appropriately safeguarded by the adults caring for them. The manager and staff do not take appropriate action to ensure that the welfare and safety of children are prioritised. For example, following an incident where a child was harmed, the manager failed to share the information to ensure that other agencies could make informed decisions to keep children safe. Inspection report children’s home: 2511612 9 Risk management plans do not identify all risks or strategies required to keep children safe, and appropriate action is not taken to minimise risk factors. Risk assessments do not fully address the strategies and actions that staff should take to reduce risk and provide guidance to help to keep children safe.

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

Despite concerns that a child might self-harm, the records do not show what actions the staff took to prevent or reduce the risk of self-harm or to ensure that this risk was shared with other professionals involved in the child’s care. There was no management oversight to ensure that future incidents were prevented or their risk reduced.

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

The records of restrictive physical intervention are not completed in line with regulation. One incident of restraint does not evidence the injury to a child. The manager has failed to address this in either the record or management oversight. Injuries to children resulting from restraint are not sufficiently monitored or investigated.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The leadership team is ineffective. There has been insufficient monitoring and evaluation to identify the shortfalls in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Policies and procedures designed to keep children safe from unsuitable staff have not always been followed in line with the organisation’s own requirements. For example, supervision for new staff has not taken place within the organisation’s own timescales. Furthermore, supervision does not cover children’s care needs or practice issues.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

A notification that included injury to a child and a subsequent ‘missing’ episode was not sent to Ofsted until several days after the event. In the absence of the registered manager, the arrangements to ensure that the notification was sent in a timely manner were lacking. Furthermore, the details of the incident were not clear about the significance of the event and did not include all the information necessary for the regulator to make informed decisions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has failed to submit a quality of care report in line with regulatory requirements. As a result, the regulator is unable to assess the management oversight arrangements and monitor the development and progress of children in the home. Inspection report children’s home: 2511612 10

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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 difference 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: 2511612 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Suite 1.3, My Buro, 20 Market Street, Altrincham, Cheshire WA14 1PF

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Ann-Cheri Callow

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Inspector

Jessica Forshaw, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2511612 12 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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