Children's home run by Willows (Devon) Ltd

Inspection report children’s home: SC484790 1 SC484790 Registered provider: Willows (Devon) limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is part of a small organisation. The manager has been registered since 2018.

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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 widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded.

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inadequate

Date of last inspection: 19 September 2018

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC484790 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/09/2018 Full Good 20/06/2017 Full Good 24/08/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 11/05/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC484790 3

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inadequate

Children do not always receive consistent, bespoke tailored care. Blanket approaches from staff obstruct children from developing skills. For example, rules in respect of mobile phone use prevent children from managing this aspect of their lives.

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inadequate

Some of the care that children receive could create a division between staff and children. For example, children are not allowed to cross the office threshold and must stand at the door to talk to staff. The children do not like this rule; it prevents them from accessing parts of their home.

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inadequate

Children live in a lovely home with extensive views over the countryside. Children’s bedrooms reflect their personalities. There are several pets that the children look after. Children like living here.

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inadequate

Children attend school and are making progress. Staff help them to prepare for school and complete their homework. Absence is not commonplace. Children attend clubs and activities in the community. They go on day trips and are currently planning a summer holiday.

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inadequate

Children like the staff and have good relationships with them and each other. Good interactions were observed during the inspection. Staff spoke about the children with warmth.

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

Arrangements to safeguard children are inadequate. Responses to serious and significant concerns for children are inconsistent and too slow. For example, staff failed to take appropriate action when a child was exploited.

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

The actions of the staff have placed children at potential risk of harm. In one case, a child was dropped off at a fast food restaurant at a motorway service station. The child subsequently went missing. Staff failed to recognise the potential risks in respect of exploitation.

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

Policies and practices for managing concerns for children are not clear or correctly applied. Not all staff understand how to manage children who go missing from home. For example, two children went missing for almost two hours. Staff failed to report them missing. They also failed to arrange for independent return home interviews.

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

Not all children feel listened to. Two children told staff that they were followed in a local supermarket and that they were scared. Staff failed to take effective action to re-assure the children. Leaders were unaware of this incident as staff failed to escalate it. As a result, the children stated that they do not always feel safe. Inspection report children’s home: SC484790 4 The system in place to monitor and review medication is not wholly effective. Medication counts take place weekly, but the daily records are not reviewed. This has resulted in medication errors not being understood or acted on.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Management scrutiny and oversight are weak. There is a focus on children’s behaviour and consequences. Staff actions are not always considered. As a result, poor practice is not always identified and addressed. For example, staff have failed to report missing children and they failed to search for them. Leaders took no action to tackle this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Oversight of incidents is not effective. For example, records of incidents of physical intervention are unclear. At times, they are contradictory. The manager has not done enough to satisfy herself that the staff acted correctly.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers have failed to clearly convey how staff should keep children safe. Care plans do not always have the detail required so that staff know what to do. Not all staff have taken the time to read and understand children’s records. This means that they would not know what to do if a concern arose.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders have not ensured that staff are given sufficient direction to enable them to manage risks effectively. On one occasion, staff suspected that a child was smoking cannabis in their room. Staff knocked and spoke to the child through a small gap in the door. They failed to gain access and ensure that the child was safe. This poor practice was not addressed by leaders. Inspection report children’s home: SC484790 5

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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

6: The quality and purpose of care standard

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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 ensure that staff— understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose; protect and promote each child’s welfare; provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background; help each child to understand and manage the impact of any experience of abuse or neglect; help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult; make decisions about the day-to-day arrangements for each

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Requirement Due date

child, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans, which give the child an appropriate degree of freedom and choice; ensure that any care that is arranged or provided for a child that— satisfies the conditions in paragraph (3). The conditions are— that the care meets the child’s needs; that the care is delivered by a person who— has the experience, knowledge and skills to deliver that care; and, is under the supervision of a person who is appropriately skilled and qualified to supervise that care.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b)(2)(b)(i)(ii)(iv)(v)(vi)(ix)(d)(3)(b)(c)(i)(ii)) 20/03/2020

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Requirement Due date

12: The protection of children standard 20/03/2020 Inspection report children’s home: SC484790 6 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; help each child to understand how to keep safe; 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; and are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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Requirement Due date

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; and that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(e))

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard

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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. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate; ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to 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— 20/03/2020 Inspection report children’s home: SC484790 7 research and developments in relation to the ways in which

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Requirement Due date

the needs of children are best met; and feedback on the 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.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 13(1)(a)(b)(2)(b)(c)(e)(f)(g)(i)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

35: Behaviour management policies and records

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Requirement Due date

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 keep the behaviour management policy under review and, where appropriate, revise it. 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— the name of the child; details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure; the date, time and location of the use of the measure; a description of the measure and its duration; details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;the name of the person who used the measure (‘the user’), and of any other person present when

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Requirement Due date

the measure was used; the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure; 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 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. 20/03/2020 Inspection report children’s home: SC484790 8 (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b)(2)(3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if— a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation; an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious; there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there; a child protection enquiry involving a child— is instigated; or concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 40(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e)) 20/03/2020

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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: SC484790 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Willows (Devon) limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: The Granary, Hinton Business Park, Tarrant Hinton, Blandford Forum, Dorset DT11 8JF

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Inspector

Tracey Ledder, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC484790 10 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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