Children's home run by Back on Track Children’s Services SE LTD

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2509473 1 Back on Track Children’s Services SE Ltd.

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Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a privately owned home registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four children. According to the statement of purpose, the home is for children who have experienced abuse, neglect or childhood trauma.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit was conducted due to Ofsted’s concerns about organisational leadership and management arrangements.

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This monitoring visit

The purpose of the visit was to assess the safety and welfare of the children and to evaluate the effectiveness of leadership arrangements.

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This monitoring visit

Three children have remained living in the home since the last interim inspection. They express satisfaction for the way that they are being cared for and show a liking for the staff who support them.

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This monitoring visit

Overall, there has been a reduction in incidents in the home, and, for one child, a substantial reduction in incidents of going missing. Children say that they feel safe and have become safer. Plans to guide staff in keeping the children safe are clear and show that the staff have good knowledge and understanding of the children.

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This monitoring visit

The staff and children have coped well with the restrictions imposed by COVID-19 (coronavirus), but the children’s engagement with their learning has suffered and, for some, aspirations for the future have lowered. Staff demonstrate apathy in saying that they expect that the children’s motivation to learn, and to become interested in their futures, will improve when schools reopen.

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This monitoring visit

Records show that the staff make efforts to maintain routine and structure, as well as fun and interest, in the children’s daily programmes during the lockdown and Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2509473 2 school closures. There has, however, been a lack of creativity and energy from the staff, resulting in an over emphasis on the time that the children spend on computer games. Leaders say that they recognise this as a problem and express their intention to shift this culture towards more social and physical activities.

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This monitoring visit

The home is clean and well maintained, and there have been improvements in making the bedrooms more personalised and more homely. Staff have made efforts to gauge the wishes and feelings of the children in this regard. The children have started investing more in their personal spaces but further improvement is required.

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This monitoring visit

The management team displays a good grasp of the day-to-day running of the home and the progress that the children are making. Staffing levels have been increased and the home is currently fully staffed. Staff are working together as a team and say that their colleagues are supportive of each other and are consistent in maintaining boundaries in the home.

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This monitoring visit

The requirement made at the last inspection about the manager needing to be in control of the day-to-day running of the home, including the making of any changes to the home’s physical environment, has been met. The recommendation to ensure that staffing levels are sufficient to respond to unexpected events and maintain consistent levels of care, has also been met. The recommendation about making the bedrooms more homely has been partially met.

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This monitoring visit

Since 27 May 2020, there has been no confirmed person with the necessary capacity, experience and skills appointed in the role of responsible individual for the home. This means that the manager has not had supervision since this time and has been without the necessary support and oversight. For this period, the independent person appointed under regulation 44 has not been able to report to an appropriate person, and there has been no effective ongoing scrutiny by the wider organisation of the children’s care, well-being and safety.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 08/01/2020 Interim Declined in effectiveness 21/05/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2509473 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

An individual may only carry on a children’s home if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (5).

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character; and full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of the matters in paragraphs 1 and 3 to 6 of Schedule 2.

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Requirement Due date

satisfy the requirements in paragraph (5)(a) to (c); and have the capacity, experience and skills to supervise the management of the home, or the homes, in respect of which the responsible individual is nominated.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 26 (1) (7)(a)(b)) 31/08/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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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 enjoyment and achievement standard is that children take part in and benefit from a variety of activities that meet their needs and develop and reflect their creative, cultural, intellectual, physical and social interests and skills.

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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

develop the child’s interests and hobbies; 31/08/2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2509473 4 participate in activities that the child enjoys, and which meet and expand the child’s interests and preferences; and make a positive contribution to the home and the wider community; and that each child has access to a range of activities that enable the child to pursue the child’s interests and hobbies.

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Recommendations

 For children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. Children’s homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislations (alarms, food hygiene etc.); however, in doing so, homes should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to check on the safety and well-being of the children, and leadership arrangements, following concerns raised for Ofsted about the wider organisation.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 and under COVID-19 restrictions. It included on-site inspection activity as well as off-site assessment of requested documents.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Back on Track Children’s Services SE Ltd.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 185 Dover Road, Walmer, Deal, Kent CT14 7NB

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Inspector:

John Pledger, social care inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2509473 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:

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: http://www.gov.uk/ofsted

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