Children's Home run by Friends Together Care Homes Ltd in Doncaster

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1232650 1

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Friends Together Care Homes Limited

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The children’s home is owned and managed by a sole provider. It provides care and accommodation for up to three children whose plan is for them to live in medium- to long-term residential care.

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This monitoring visit

This was an urgent monitoring inspection to assess the safety of the children.

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This monitoring visit

Children’s risk assessments do not include all their known risks. These do not provide staff with clear information on how to manage and reduce the risks to children’s safety and welfare. The details of strategies in place to manage children’s risks are spread between two documents. This is confusing for staff and means that they may not use the most effective approaches to keep children safe.

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This monitoring visit

Staff do not appropriately supervise children. This means that they do not always identify or act on signs that children are at risk of harm. For example, children are able to repeatedly purchase alcohol without staff knowledge.

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This monitoring visit

The manager does not always take effective action when there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. He does not ensure that the staff follow risk management strategies. For example, children access the internet through their electronic devices. Staff do not monitor these devices as required by children’s risk assessments. Consequently, children continue to access inappropriate material online. The manager does not work in partnership with other agencies or professionals to agree changes to the children’s risk assessments.

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This monitoring visit

Staff do not receive suitable training to make sure that they have the necessary skills to identify and manage children’s risks. For example, only one member of staff has Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1232650 2 completed training in relation to keeping children safe online. This failure places children at risk of harm.

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This monitoring visit

Staff do not act consistently to prevent children’s behaviours having a negative impact on each other. For example, some children copy the self-harming behaviours of others. This is detrimental to their progress and development.

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This monitoring visit

Staff do not appropriately manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other. Children regularly argue with each other and cause disruption in the home and in the local community. The manager does not ensure that staff work with children to help them to understand how to keep themselves safe. This means that children remain at risk of harm.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 21/01/2020 Interim Declined in effectiveness 22/10/2019 Full Good 12/09/2018 Full Good 05/01/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1232650 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 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

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

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other; and

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. *(Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(vi)) 12/07/2020

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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

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; and 12/07/2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1232650 4 use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b)(2)(c)(h))

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendations

 Staff should be familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4) Specifically, the registered provider should ensure that any follow-up actions to speak to children and young people about issues of concern are undertaken.

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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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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Friends Together Care Homes Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 7 Tenter Lane, Warmsworth, Doncaster, Yorkshire DN4 9PP

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Thomas Worthington

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Inspector

Jamie Richardson, social care inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1232650 5 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 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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