Children's home run by Positive Outcomes Childcare Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1227330 1

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Positive Outcomes Childcare Ltd

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A private company operates this home. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three young people who may have social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has been without a registered manager since July 2019.

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Information about this children’s home

Since 6 May 2020, there has been no manager in post, and the responsible individual has had day-to-day oversight of the home.

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This monitoring visit

This home was judged good at the last inspection in November 2019. At the time of this inspection, there was no manager in post.

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This monitoring visit

Ofsted inspected the home on 14 May 2020. This inspection was completed remotely due to COVID-19 (coronavirus). The inspector considered a sample of documents provided via email, conducted interviews with the responsible individual and gained feedback from the placing authorities.

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This monitoring visit

On 10 May 2020, a young person made a serious allegation. The young person disclosed that she had been sexually assaulted by her peer who lived in the home. The police were called to the home, and a young person was arrested. Police are currently investigating this allegation, and a child protection enquiry has commenced.

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This monitoring visit

The inspector identified a number of concerns at this inspection. Managers have failed to risk assess new young people arriving at the home and match them with existing young people. For example, a 15-year-old female was admitted to the home directly from secure care. This young person is considered to be at very high risk of Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1227330 2 child sexual exploitation. She has a significant history of sexualised behaviour. She was placed in the home even though a 15-year-old male was already living at the home.

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This monitoring visit

Managers have failed to accurately assess the risks that young people face or devise effective plans to manage these risks. Risk assessments are not accurate, do not reflect all known risks or behaviours or provide staff with sufficient guidance.

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This monitoring visit

Managers have not ensured that essential paperwork is in place quickly enough to be of positive use. For example, although the most significant risk for one young person moving from secure accommodation is child sexual exploitation, a risk assessment was not put in place until five days after her admission. These significant failings have left staff without accurate and necessary information to ensure that young people are safeguarded from harm.

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This monitoring visit

Managers have failed to share important information with placing authorities. Despite staff being aware that one young person was directing sexualised behaviours toward another, they failed to raise these concerns with either child’s placing authority. This meant that relevant professionals were not given the opportunity to review levels of risk and take proactive steps to address concerns.

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This monitoring visit

Staff have not effectively challenged risk-taking behaviour. One young person smokes, including in his bedroom. He is permitted to smoke in the garden despite this being a non-smoking home. The young person is allowed to have his cigarettes and lighters on his person throughout the day. Despite staff being aware of the risks of smoking to the young person’s health, they have done little to address this harmful behaviour.

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This monitoring visit

The same young person is known to misuse cannabis on a frequent basis. Staff have failed to complete room searches as directed in the risk assessment when they suspect that this has taken place. In addition, the young person’s risk assessment fails to identify an area, in the immediate vicinity of the home, where it is known that drug dealing occurs.

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This monitoring visit

On 2 May 2020, a young person was permitted to be in the staff office to use the manager’s computer. This resulted in an incident; the young person attempted to gain access to the safe and subsequently punched the manager in the face. This incident was avoidable as the young person should not have been in the office. Staff lock the kitchen door to prevent young people from accessing this area freely in the evenings. This restriction to move about the home is not risk assessed or included in the young people’s care plans.

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This monitoring visit

The quality of documentation and record-keeping is poor. For example, incident reports are poorly written, contain little information and do not consider what could have been done differently. There is little evidence of reflection and learning from incidents. In addition, staff have failed to record behaviour that causes concern as Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1227330 3 incidents, for example when young people are suspected of misusing cannabis or display sexually inappropriate behaviours towards other young people or staff.

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This monitoring visit

Managers have failed to ensure that new staff receive the support that would enable them to meet young people’s complex needs. For example, new staff have not received regular supervision in line with the home’s policy. On occasion, support workers are expected to lead a shift without the support of senior staff or managers.

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This monitoring visit

Managers have failed to ensure that all staff complete important and fundamental training, such as training in child exploitation, substance misuse and mental health awareness. The last young person admitted to the home had a range of complex psychological and emotional needs, for which staff had not received appropriate training. This means that staff lacked the knowledge to meet the specific needs of young people placed in their care.

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This monitoring visit

There has been no registered manager in post since July 2019. There is currently no manager in post. From 6 May 2020, the responsible individual has had day-to-day responsibility for the home. The responsible individual was not aware of the poor quality of documents in the home, the ineffective risk assessments or the lack of action taken by staff to address concerns or to share information with relevant placing authorities.

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This monitoring visit

In response to the serious failings found in respect of the safeguarding of young people and the leadership and management of the home, the home’s registration was suspended on 15 May 2020 until 6 August 2020 inclusively. Two compliance notices were issued, and eight new requirements were raised.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 11/11/2019 Full Good 07/11/2018 Full Good 24/07/2018 Full Inadequate 23/05/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1227330 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 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—

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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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

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

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi))* 26/06/2020

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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—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

promotes their welfare. 26/06/2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1227330 5 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 have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

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;

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Requirement Due date

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)(a)(c)(d)(f))* 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; and

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Requirement Due date

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

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;

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed;

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Requirement Due date

that the child’s placing authority is contacted, and a review of that child’s relevant plans is requested, if—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person considers that the child is at risk of harm or has concerns that the care provided for the child is inadequate to meet the child’s needs. 26/06/2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1227330 6 (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(c)(e)(i)) The registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision.

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Requirement Due date

the privacy of children is appropriately protected;

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Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; and

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Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and

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Requirement Due date

allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 21 (a)(b)(c)(i)(ii)(iv)) 26/06/2020

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Requirement Due date

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

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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 the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

The requirements are that— 26/06/2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1227330 7 full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 32 (1)(2)(b)(3)(d)) The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the records are kept up to date; and

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Requirement Due date

retain the records for at least 15 years from the date of the last entry.

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Requirement Due date

This is in relation to maintaining a copy of an accurate staff duty roster of persons working at the home, and a record of the actual rosters worked. (Schedule 4(3))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children’s home at least once in each calendar year.

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Requirement Due date

When conducting the review, the registered person must consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person.

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendations

 Children must be consulted regularly on their views about the home’s care, to inform and support continued improvement in the quality of care provided. Due consideration should be given to the child’s cognitive ability in the development and implementation of any consultation processes. Children should be able to see the results of their views being listened to and acted Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1227330 8 upon. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.11)  When a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, the responsible local authority must provide an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. Homes should take account of information provided by such interviews when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child.

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Recommendations

(‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30)

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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.

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Information about this inspection

Ofsted is aware of the challenges that COVID-19 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 COVID-19 by the home. This has included the effect these have had on staffing arrangements.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Positive Outcomes Childcare Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Positive Outcomes Childcare Ltd, Suite 3, Churchill House, Queen Street, Wellington, Telford, Shropshire TF1 1SN

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Inspector

Debbie Holder, social care inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1227330 9 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 aft, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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