Children's home run by Dynamic Childcare Limited

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2490784 1

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Dynamic Childcare 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 operated by a private organisation. The home provides care and accommodation for up to three children who may experience emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home is currently operating without a registered manager. A manager has been recruited to the home.

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This monitoring visit

Ofsted received a complaint on 1 May 2020. The complaint raised significant concerns about poor safeguarding practice in the home and the lack of effective leadership. As a result, a monitoring visit was conducted on 6 May 2020. The monitoring visit found significant shortfalls in safeguarding practice and the leadership and management of the home, resulting in the suspension of the service for an initial period of 12 weeks.

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This monitoring visit

A monitoring visit was undertaken on 24 June 2020. Although the provider had started to review the procedures and paperwork in place, sufficient action had not been taken to ensure the home is compliant with regulation.

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This monitoring visit

During this monitoring visit the provider confirmed that the home has not admitted any children to the service since the suspension was served on 7 May 2020 and therefore remains compliant with the suspension.

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This monitoring visit

After children had raised concerns about the home once they had moved out, the provider completed a fact-finding exercise with the staff team. The outcome of this exercise indicated that some staff had taken children to purchase illegal substances in the local area. In addition, children reported staff allowed them to smoke illegal substances in the home. The records of the investigations were of a poor quality and lacked challenge of staff. For example, when staff had made comments including, Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2490784 2 ‘I’m not grassing [acting as an informer] on others’, no further challenge was made by the management team.

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This monitoring visit

Team meetings had taken place since the suspension was served on the home. However, the minutes of these meetings failed to demonstrate any reflection by the management team and staff about the shortfalls that led to the suspension of the home in May 2020. This was a missed opportunity for staff to reflect on and discuss any shortfalls in practice, the expectations of their role and their individual accountability.

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This monitoring visit

Furthermore, not all staff had attended training sessions to understand their roles and responsibilities in keeping children safe, or the training that was provided about the newly developed reporting and recording systems at the home. The management team have therefore failed to ensure that all staff have developed their knowledge of safeguarding and to understand the expectations around recording and reporting in the home.

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This monitoring visit

The provider has failed to scrutinise information about staff to ensure that they are suitable to work in the home. For example, gaps in employment had not been considered and references were not consistently obtained or verified for some staff. This does not demonstrate that action is being taken to ensure that only suitable people are working with children.

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This monitoring visit

The interim manager and the responsible individual reported that despite the home being suspended, they had ‘ongoing safeguarding concerns about the staff.’ They reported that some staff had failed to turn up for planned shifts and training sessions. Staff had also arrived late for work with no explanation. Although the manager and responsible individual reported that they had challenged staff practices in these areas, there was no evidence to support this challenge. It is therefore difficult to evaluate the suitability and experience of the staff team to care for children. The environment required improvement. The interim manager reported that he had challenged the staff team as the environment was unclean in parts and he believed that staff had no pride in their environment.

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This monitoring visit

The monitoring visit demonstrated a lack of reflection and improvement at the home during the suspension of the home. Due to the areas of concern identified during this monitoring visit, the provider made the decision to cancel the registration of the environment with immediate effect. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2490784 3

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 22/01/2020 Full Requires improvement to be good 20/02/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2490784 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.

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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

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

treat each child with dignity and respect;

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Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand and manage the impact of any experience of abuse or neglect. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)) 05/06/2020

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults. 05/06/2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2490784 5 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child’s age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship;

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Requirement Due date

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust;

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Requirement Due date

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children;

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(ix)(xi)) 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— 05/06/2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2490784 6 that staff—

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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;

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm;

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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)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(b)(e)) 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 a home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcome, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure the staff work as a team as appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; 05/06/2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2490784 7 ensure the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure the workforce provides continuity of 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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(h)) 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;

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Requirement Due date

the child is, or has been, persistently absent from the home without permission. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(d)(f)(i)(ii)) 05/06/2020

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only— 05/06/2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2490784 8 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 individual is of integrity and good character;

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Requirement Due date

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

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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 may permit an individual to start work at the home despite the fact that the requirement in paragraph (3)(d) has not been met if—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person has taken all reasonable steps to obtain full information about each of the matters in Schedule 2 in respect of the individual, but the enquiries in relation to any of the matters in paragraphs 3 to 6 of Schedule 2 are incomplete;

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information in respect of the individual has been obtained in relation to the matters in paragraphs 1 and 2 of Schedule 2;

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Requirement Due date

the registered person considers that the circumstances are exceptional; and

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Requirement Due date

the registered person ensures that the individual is appropriately supervised while carrying out the individual’s duties, pending receipt of any outstanding information on the matters in paragraphs 3 to 6 of Schedule 2, which is then considered satisfactory by the registered person.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must take reasonable steps to ensure that any individual who is working at the home and who 05/06/2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2490784 9 does not fall within paragraph (2)(a) and (b) is appropriately supervised while carrying out the individual’s duties. (Regulation 32(7)(a)(b)(c)(d)(8)) 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)) 05/06/2020

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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: 2490784 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Dynamic Childcare Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 11 Retiro Street, Oldham OL1 1SA

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Inspector

Michelle Edge, social care inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2490784 11 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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