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

This 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 monitoring visit was carried out to assess the progress made towards meeting a compliance notice under Regulation 12 and a requirement under Regulation 13. The compliance notice and the requirement were set to address shortfalls found at the last monitoring inspection. The inspector found that while the compliance notice and the requirement had been met by the provider, the progress made was very recent and consequently the impact of the changes could not be fully assessed at this inspection. Since the last inspection, the registered manager has left and there is a newly appointed acting manager.

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This monitoring visit

The acting manager has taken steps to ensure children’s risk assessments have been updated and they now contain all the known risks to children. The risk assessments indicate the strategies and actions that staff should use to reduce the risk to children. Additional and refresher training and support for staff are helping them to better understand their responsibilities to keep children safe. Work is ongoing to improve staff practice.

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This monitoring visit

Children are learning how to keep themselves safe. Some children are completing work through specialist services, which is helping them to manage their emotions. Other children are completing work around how to stay safe online. This aspect of progress is very new and therefore could not be fully evaluated at this inspection.

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This monitoring visit

Children’s needs are not well matched. There has been lots of risk taking and disruptive behaviours at the home. A range of new strategies are helping children to Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1232650 2 manage their relationships positively. Staff are starting to implement firmer boundaries and routines for the children. These changes are new, and staff’s efforts have not yet been embedded. At times, children’s behaviour continues to impact negatively on each other, particularly at night. Notice to end one child’s placement has been issued by the provider.

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This monitoring visit

The acting manager takes action to address concerns around children’s welfare. However, this is not always recorded to provide transparency and clarity. This lack of recording does not demonstrate the learning taken from incidents and it does not reduce the risk of concerns reoccurring.

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This monitoring visit

The revised staff supervision structure ensures that staff are aware of their responsibilities. The supervisions currently lack reflection around children’s care needs and the individual work staff undertake with the children. The lack of reflection is a missed learning opportunity for improving children’s care.

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This monitoring visit

The acting manager’s monitoring systems are improving. She is developing oversight of all areas of care practice and ensuring that staff are fulfilling their duties.

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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 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

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

This is specifically in relation to the manager recording action taken to rectify any issues that arise in day-to-day practice, to protect children and prevent them from reoccurring. 31/08/2020

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Requirement Due date

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

This specifically relates to children’s needs being appropriately matched with the needs of the children already living at the home. 31/08/2020

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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— 31/08/2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1232650 4 that staff—

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Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other.

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Recommendations

 The registered person must have systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. (Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations including the quality standards, page 61 paragraph 13.2)

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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 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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