Children's home run by PIC Children’s Services in St. Helens

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC022440 1 SC022440

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PIC Children’s Services Limited

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned children’s home provides care and accommodation for one child with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There is a registered manager in post. She was registered with Ofsted in June 2019.

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This monitoring visit

This children’s home was judged declined in effectiveness at the interim inspection on 9 March 2020. The inspectors found serious shortfalls in safeguarding practice, leadership and management of the setting and care planning. As a result, Ofsted issued three compliance notices under section 22 of the Care Standards Act 2000. These were in relation to regulations 12, 13 and 14.

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This monitoring visit

On 27 April 2020, in response to COVID-19 an offsite monitoring visit was undertaken by Catherine Fargin, social care regulatory inspector. The inspector considered the action taken by the provider to meet the steps under each compliance notice for regulation 12, the protection of children standard, regulation 13, the leadership and management standard, and regulation 14, the care planning standard.

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This monitoring visit

The inspector found that the provider had made some progress in terms of ensuring that children’s risk assessments are up to date, including clear strategies that staff are expected to follow to reduce risks. Conditions at the home have improved, and the home is now designed and furnished to protect the child from avoidable hazards to his health.

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This monitoring visit

Although clearer risk management strategies are now in place, the provider was still unable to demonstrate that staff consistently follow the child’s missing from care risk assessment to keep him safe from harm. Staff’s actions when responding to missing from home incidents remain inconsistent and are not in line with the child’s missing Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC022440 2 from care risk assessment. For example, on 20 April 2020 staff did not follow the child’s missing from care risk assessment, because they did not report him missing within three hours or make hourly telephone calls to him as outlined in his risk assessment.

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This monitoring visit

The provider does not demonstrate that the child’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered to keep him safe. Staff do not know the child’s whereabouts for lengthy periods of time when he is not at home and he continues to go missing from home regularly. On 26 April 2020, the police returned the child home because they found him in possession of cannabis. This raises further concern about what the child is doing when he is missing from home.

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This monitoring visit

The inspector considered the action taken by the provider to meet the steps under compliance notice 13. The provider has ensured that systems are in place to ensure that they enable, inspire and lead a culture that helps children to aspire to fulfil their potential and promotes their welfare. Multi-disciplinary plans are in place that focus on improving the child’s health and education. There is evidence of discussions with the child that show staff are helping him understand how to keep safe.

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This monitoring visit

Since the last inspection, a consistent and stable staff team has cared for the child. Therefore, the provider has ensured that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care for the child.

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This monitoring visit

The provider has introduced new monitoring systems to evaluate children’s care. These new systems include weekly monitoring tools and senior management oversight. These new systems will help the manager evaluate the child’s care.

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This monitoring visit

The inspector considered the action taken by the provider to meet the steps under compliance notice 14. The provider has ensured that plans are in place for the child to receive effectively planned care. These plans include the child’s wishes and feelings, for example regarding contact with his family.

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This monitoring visit

The provider has ensured that staff are provided with clear guidance in respect of the child’s plans. This is included in the child’s health plan, education plan, risk assessment and behaviour support plan. These plans reflect local authority care plans.

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This monitoring visit

Therefore, the inspector found that the compliance notices under regulations 13 and 14 have been met. The compliance notice under regulation 12 has been reissued. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC022440 3

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 09/03/2020 Interim Declined in effectiveness 27/11/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 22/11/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 22/08/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC022440 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 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;

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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. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b)) 27 July 2020

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

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Requirement Due date

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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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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Requirement Due date

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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Requirement Due date

help each child to attend education or training in 27 July 2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC022440 5 accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child has access to appropriate equipment, facilities and resources to support the child’s learning. (Regulation 8 (1)(2)(a)(i)(iii)(iv)(v)(viii)) The health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, staff should seek appropriate medical advice when children and young people refuse medical appointments. 27 July 2020

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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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

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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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health; and

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Requirement Due date

that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)(v)(vi)(d)(e)) * 27 July 2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC022440 6 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 work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(b)(c)(d)) 27 July 2020

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s 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

manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed; (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(2)(b)(ii)(c)) 27 July 2020

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which 27 July 2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC022440 7 the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and

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Requirement Due date

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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Requirement Due date

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

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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;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child—

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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)) 27 July 2020

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC022440 8

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Information about this inspection

Ofsted is aware of the challenges that COVID-19 (coronavirus) is currently posing to those we inspect. During this visit, the inspectors took into consideration the impact of any measures being taken to slow the spread of coronavirus by the home. This has included the effect these have had on staffing arrangements.

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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. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC022440 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: PIC Children’s Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 2 North Street, Haydock, St Helens, Merseyside WA11 0TW

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Inspector

Catherine Fargin, social care inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC022440 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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