Children's home run by Dynamic Childcare Limited

Inspection report children’s home: 2490784 1 Registered provider: Dynamic Childcare Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care for up to three young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home is run and managed by a private company.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager left the home in December 2019.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 22 to 23 January 2020 and 25 February 2020

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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Requires improvement

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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Requires improvement

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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Requires improvement

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people.

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Requires improvement

Date of last inspection: 20 February 2019

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Requires improvement

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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Requires improvement

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2490784 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/02/2019 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 2490784 3

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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 registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if— there is no registered manager in respect of the home; and the registered provider— is an organisation or a partnership; does not satisfy regulation 28; or is not, or does not intend to be, in day-to-day charge of the home.

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Requirement Due date

If the registered provider appoints a person to manage the home, the registered provider must, without delay, give HMCI notice of— the name of the person so appointed; and the date on which the appointment takes effect. (Regulation 27 (1)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii) and (2)(a)(b)) 30/04/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must give notice in writing to HMCI, as soon as it is reasonably practicable to do so, if any of the following events take place— if the provider is an organisation— any change of director, manager, secretary or other similar officer of the organisation. (Regulation 49 (e)(ii)) 31/03/2020

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children— receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— 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)). 31/03/2020 Inspection report children’s home: 2490784 4 With particular regard to the timings of admissions for new young people and the compatibility of new and established residents. 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—

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe; and manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other 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 (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(ii)(iv)(v)(vi)).

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Requirement Due date

With particular regard to young people’s storage of knives, cannabis sharing with peers, missing-from-care episodes, taking appropriate action when allegations are made and having due regard to referral information and court orders. 31/03/2020

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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 helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to- 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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(f)). 31/03/2020

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff- if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (c)). 31/03/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if- there is an allegation of abuse against the home or person working there; there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(c)(e)). 31/03/2020 Inspection report children’s home: 2490784 5 The registered person must prepare and implement a policy which- is intended to safeguard children accommodated in the children’s home from abuse or neglect; and Sets out the procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect. The procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect must, in particular- provide for prompt referral of an allegation about current or ongoing abuse or neglect in relation to a child to the local authority and, if different, the local authority in the area the home is located. (Regulation 34(2)(b)).

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Recommendations

 Children should be in full-time education whilst they are of compulsory school age, unless their personal education plan contained within the care plan or other relevant plan states otherwise. The home must aim to support full time attendance at school unless the child’s relevant plan indicates this is not in their best interests. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.14)

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Recommendations

 Where children placed in a home are not participating in education because they have been excluded or are not on a school roll for some other reason, the registered person and staff must work closely with the placing authority so that the child is supported and enabled to resume full-time education as soon as possible. In the interim, the child should be supported to sustain or regain their confidence in education and be engaged in suitable structured activities. If no education place is identified by the placing authority, the registered person must challenge them to meet the child’s needs under regulation 5. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.15)

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Recommendations

 If a child makes a choice that would place them or another person at significant risk of harm, staff should assist them to understand the risks and manage their risk-taking behaviour to keep themselves and others safe. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.7)

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Recommendations

This relates specifically to staff addressing young people’s cannabis misuse more proactively. Inspection report children’s home: 2490784 6

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requirement to be good

Progress for young people has been variable. Some young people have successfully made transition into foster care or been returned to their family homes. The use of risk assessments and some suitable working practices promote the safety and well-being of some young people. However, there are current issues in the home linked to on-going cannabis misuse and risk-taking behaviour in the community resulting in criminal offences.

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requirement to be good

Pre-admission assessments, evaluating the impact that young people would have upon each other, lack rigour and do not clearly identify how risks are to be managed. There is limited analysis alongside over-optimism regarding the home’s ability to manage young people’s combined behaviours and risks. This has resulted in some young people not engaging with staff and continued drug misuse. For example, young people have shared cannabis stocks with their peers in the home.

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requirement to be good

Plans and agreements between the home and local authorities, prior to a young person’s admission, are insufficiently detailed. As a result, two young people are without any form of education and young people are not engaged in structured educational activities during the hours of school. Staff are however working with the relevant authorities to enable young people to resume their education at the earliest opportunity.

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requirement to be good

One young person has a diagnosis of autism and speech and language disorder. Staff have not followed the advice contained in the referral information for them to seek specialist guidance on how best to communicate with this young person.

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requirement to be good

One of the newer residents is now beginning to settle into their placement. Staff promote family time to ensure that young people sustain their close relationships with the people who are most important to them. Staff facilitate contact taking place and ensure that family time is a safe and positive experience. A social worker reported, ‘[The young person] continues to receive support from the staff team although he has refused to engage with education, training or employment at the moment. I have weekly updates from staff about how he has been’.

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requirement to be good

Staff provide young people with activity opportunities, both at home and in the wider community. Young people enjoy watching professional football matches, going to the cinema, playing snooker and participating in other various activities that are of specific interest to them. However, some young people’s engagement and participation in the home’s activities is limited and one young person has disengaged from staff.

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requirement to be good

The home provides young people with a homely living environment. The home is consistently maintained to a suitable standard for young people. Young people’s private living accommodation is clean and tidy, suitably furnished and decorated in accordance with their individual needs, wants and wishes. Inspection report children’s home: 2490784 7

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improvement to be good

Risk assessment and planning for some young people, prior to their admission into the home, has not been comprehensive. Managers and staff have not been in possession of key pieces of information that would inform young people’s safety and care. For example, for several weeks staff were unaware of the details of court-imposed restrictions for one young person.

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improvement to be good

Not all allegations have been suitably investigated nor referred to the designated officer. Managers have not taken effective action to ensure that matters are fully explored and that there is suitable independent oversight of incidents that occur in the home. Not all serious incidents have been notified to Ofsted. This reduces the regulatory body’s oversight of the home.

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improvement to be good

Staff attempt to place the safety of young people at the centre of their practice, however there are some ongoing challenges to young people’s safety. These include risk-taking behaviour including substance misuse, secreting of knives and missing-from-home episodes.

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improvement to be good

For some individuals, levels of risk-taking behaviour, such as missing from home, have reduced in the length of absence but not in frequency. Others however, have been involved in prolonged and frequent incidents of missing from home. For one young person this resulted in levels of criminal activity that required detention.

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improvement to be good

There is evidence that young people are offered positive help and support in educating them on the dangers of taking drugs. However, the impact and intervention with some young people is unsuccessful. Consequently, more proactive action is needed around drug detection, prevention and control. Young people have so far refused the help and support of specialist drug services.

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

The home does not currently employ a registered manager to oversee the day-to-day operations of the home. The previous manager left the home in December 2019. An acting manager is in place, and they have submitted their application for registration to Ofsted.

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

The company’s directors have also changed, with two directors standing down and a new director being appointed on 1 January 2020. To date, Ofsted has not received written notice from the company of these significant changes.

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

Plans to reduce concerns regarding young people’s welfare have not been effective. Managers have not successfully challenged local authorities regarding arrangements for Inspection report children’s home: 2490784 8 some young people’s care. There is no clear process for staff to use when escalating shortfalls in placing authority practice.

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

The home employs sufficient numbers of staff to meet the needs and numbers of young people. Staff do attempt to invest in their relationships with young people and to work together as a team. Staff training is not linked to the specific needs of placed young people, especially those with specific needs such as autism or speech and language difficulties. Staff meetings are held regularly, where the needs of young people are often discussed. However, where the pre-admission information is limited and has not been chased by the home, staff are not fully aware of all young people’s needs or how to address them.

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

Staff continue to work towards addressing the aims and objectives, as outlined in the home’s statement of purpose. The home has met the requirements and a recommendation from the last inspection. The staff rota now includes the name of all staff working at the home and the actual hours worked.

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

The performance of the home is routinely scrutinised each month. An independent person visits the home to review the quality of young people’s care and evaluate the home’s arrangements for safeguarding young people and promoting their well-being. While, the lack of education is routinely highlighted within the visitor’s monitoring report, the account does not highlight the other shortfalls identified at this inspection.

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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 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.

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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: 2490784 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Dynamic Childcare Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 249 Manningham Lane, York House, Bradford BD8 7ER

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Inspector

Anthony Kyem, social care inspector Pauline Yates, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2490784 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 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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