Children's home run by Orchard Children Homes Ltd

Inspection report children’s home: 2534596 1 Registered provider: Orchard Children Homes Limited

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home provides care and accommodation for up to three children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. Some of the children may have an autism spectrum disorder. The home is operated by a private company. This is the home’s first inspection since being registered in September 2019.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

p.1

inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

p.1

inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children are not protected, their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded and the care and experiences of children are poor.

p.1

inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

p.1

inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: following this inspection, Ofsted issued a notice to suspend the home’s registration and a compliance notice. Inspection report children’s home: 2534596 2

p.1

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.2

Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff— seek to develop and maintain effective professional relationships with such persons, bodies or organisations as the registered person considers appropriate having regard to the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the children’s home is to provide care and accommodation. (Regulation (5)(d)) 28/02/2020

p.2

Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who— understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children; use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose; ensure that staff— provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably. (Regulation 6(1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(b)(vii)) 28/02/2020

p.2

Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who— develop positive relationships with them; engage with them; and take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff— 28/02/2020 Inspection report children’s home: 2534596 3 ascertain and consider each child’s views, wishes and feelings, and balance these against what they judge to be in the child’s best interests when making decisions about the child’s care and welfare; help each child to express views, wishes and feelings; ensure that each child— is enabled to provide feedback to, and raise issues with, a relevant person about the support and services that the child receives. (Regulation 7(1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(b)(i)) The protection of children standard is that children are protected

p.2

Requirement Due date

from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— 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)(b)) 16/02/2020

p.3

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff— 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; have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm; understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi)) 16/02/2020

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— helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 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; 28/02/2020 Inspection report children’s home: 2534596 4 ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home; demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on feedback on the

p.3

Requirement Due date

experiences of children, including complaints received; and 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)(c)(f)(g)(ii)(h)) The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (“the behaviour management policy”) which sets out— how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home. The registered person must ensure that— within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes— a description of the measure and its duration; within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)— has spoken to the user about the measure; and

p.4

Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35(1)(a)(b)(3)(a)(iv)(b)(i)(c)) 28/02/2020

p.4

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. (Regulation 16(1)) 28/02/2020

p.4

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(1)(3)(a)(b)) 28/02/20 Inspection report children’s home: 2534596 5 The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40(4)(b)) 28/02/2020

p.4

Recommendations

 Records must be kept detailing all individual incidents when children go missing from the home (regulation 36 (schedule 3(14)). This information should be shared with the placing authority and, where appropriate, with the child’s parents. Evaluation of missing incidents should be undertaken to identify any gaps in training, skills or knowledge for staff or to record and retain evidence of what worked well. This evaluation should inform the review of the quality of care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.31)  As set out in regulations 31-33, the registered person is responsible for maintaining good employment practice. They must ensure that recruitment, supervision and performance management of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the children’s homes including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)

p.5

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Since the home opened in September 2019, one child has moved in. Staff do not keep the child safe or provide him with the support that he requires. The registered manager and staff do not always work effectively with other agencies. For example, they did not share information about the child’s complex needs quickly enough with the police. This resulted in an incident when five police officers restrained the child because of his escalating behaviours. The child was handcuffed and became extremely distressed. The police have subsequently written a ‘trigger plan’ using information from the child’s plans. However, managers have not seen this plan or requested a copy. The registered manager and staff, therefore, do not know what strategies the police may use to manage the child’s behaviour. The behaviour plans written by managers and staff are poor and do not take account of important information provided by other professional

p.5

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

assessments. Some staff have little insight into the child’s needs or behaviours. A member of staff did not act to repair the relationship with the child following an incident of restraint. The child told schoolteachers that a member of staff at the home was ignoring him and the child requested a meeting to try and resolve this. The registered manager did not take effective action to address these issues with the member of staff. The registered Inspection report children’s home: 2534596 6 manager has not responded directly to the child or offered him the opportunity to complain. This means that the child’s views remain unknown. Staff do not adequately help the child to express his wishes or explore his feelings. For example, they do not seek the child’s views following incidents of restraint. This means that staff do not always know the child’s thoughts about the quality of care that he receives, and they cannot take his wishes into account when planning key aspects of his

p.5

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

care (such as how to respond to his complex behaviours). Staff do not always meet the child’s physical needs. For example, the doors of a wardrobe in the child’s bedroom are broken. The child’s clothes are stored in a heap on the floor of the wardrobe. This has a negative impact on the child’s self-esteem and his independence skills. Staff do not ensure that basic policies are followed. Food is not always stored correctly, and the child has DVDs that are not age appropriate. This has the potential to have a negative impact on the child’s physical and emotional well-being. Despite the significant shortfalls identified during this inspection, the child has made some progress. For example, he regularly attends school and staff take part in some leisure activities with him. Staff also ensure that the child is supported to maintain links with the people who are important to him. However, staff’s failure to keep the child safe

p.6

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

has had a significant impact on his emotional and physical well-being and his overall experiences and progress.

p.6

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

Staff do not keep the child safe. Despite the fact that the child should always be supported by two staff, staff fail to supervise him adequately, do not recognise the warning signs that he may go missing, and do not know how to respond when he does go missing. Consequently, the child has been able to leave the home unchallenged and has been placed at significant risk. The registered manager and staff do not share important information or highlight significant risks to the police. This includes the risk of the child climbing onto a road bridge when he goes missing. This means that the police are without vital information regarding the whereabouts and dangers faced by the child. Staff do not always follow the child’s risk assessments and fail to ensure that risk assessments are updated with new and emerging risks. Staff have taken the child to a soft play area despite being aware that they cannot closely supervise him in this

p.6

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

environment. The child was accused of being aggressive towards a child and was aggressive towards adults. On a separate occasion, he assaulted a child in a park. The registered manager and staff did not update the child’s risk assessments with this significant information or seek to amend staff practice. The child was subsequently again taken to the soft play area. He has now been accused of a further very serious assault on a child. As a result of poor supervision, staff do not know what happened. When staff use restraint, they do not always record the length of the intervention. Managers do not always speak with staff within 48 hours and the child’s views about the restraint are not always sought. This means that staff and managers do not have the Inspection report children’s home: 2534596 7 necessary information to monitor patterns of restraint or to develop alternative strategies to manage the child’s behaviours. The registered manager allowed a new member of

p.6

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

staff to work with the child without having been trained in physical intervention. This places the child and the member of staff at potential risk. Managers have not ensured that staff who work in the home are recruited safely. For example, managers have not been sufficiently curious when interviewing new members of staff. They have not explored the motivation of staff with limited experience of working with children or vulnerable adults. This means that managers do not ensure that only suitable staff are allowed to work with children.

p.7

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers fail to ensure that staff adequately supervise the child or take steps to prevent him from going missing from the home. As a result of significant failures found in the provision of care, Ofsted has issued a notice to suspend the home and has issued a compliance notice. The staff team is inexperienced. Only three of the nine staff are suitably qualified. Staff lack the necessary skills to recognise and assess risks and to safeguard the child in their care. Leaders and managers have not provided staff with the training that they need to meet the child’s specific needs and to keep him safe. The registered manager does not provide staff with effective guidance on how to support the child or how to keep him safe. Records of incidents are often poor and lack detail. Poor staff practice goes unchallenged and, subsequently, the child is placed at increased risk. The registered manager does not use monitoring systems to identify patterns and trends

p.7

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

in the child’s behaviours or to identify shortfalls in staff practice. This leaves the registered manager without enough information to evaluate the skills and experience of staff and identify any additional training needs. Managers do not ensure that the statement of purpose has the most up-to-date information about the therapeutic support available to children. For example, despite claims to the contrary, a therapist does not attend team meetings to advise on the holistic needs of the child. This means that local authority commissioners and social workers do not have accurate information about the support that children receive. The registered manager does not always notify Ofsted of significant incidents, for example when the police are called to manage the child’s behaviour. This prevents the regulator from having effective oversight of the service.

p.7

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. Inspection report children’s home: 2534596 8 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.

p.7

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: 2534596 9

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Orchard Children Homes Ltd

p.9

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 2nd Floor, 118 Calais Road, Burton-On-Trent, Staffordshire DE13 0UW

p.9

Inspector

Karen Gillingwater, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2534596 10 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.

p.9

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.10

Inspector

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

p.10

Inspector

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

p.10