Children's Home run by Educare Adolescent Services Limited in Staffordshire

Assurance visit report: SC371723 1 SC371723

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a private company. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three children who have social and emotional difficulties. The home has been without a registered manager since February 2019.

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Information about this children’s home

Previous inspection judgement: Declined in effectiveness

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Information about this visit

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), Ofsted suspended all routine inspections in March 2020. As part of a phased return to routine inspection, we are undertaking assurance visits to children’s social care services that are inspected under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF).

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Information about this visit

At these visits, inspectors evaluate the extent to which:

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Information about this visit

 children are well cared for  children are safe  leaders and managers are exercising strong leadership.

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Information about this visit

This visit was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000, following the published guidance for assurance visits.

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Information about this visit

Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills is leading Ofsted’s work into how England’s social care system has delivered child-centred practice and care within the context of the restrictions placed on society during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Findings from the visit

We did not identify any serious or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance visit. Assurance visit report: SC371723 2

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The care of children

No children have lived at this home since March 2020. Difficulty in appointing a manager and unsustainable interim management arrangements prompted the provider to make the decision to cease the day-to-day operation of the home. Consequently, the two children who lived at the home moved to other homes operated by the organisation and the staff were redeployed.

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The care of children

This inspection found that some aspects of the physical condition of the home require attention. For example, there is no bed in two of the children’s bedrooms and broken draws in another. There is a broken cabinet in the conservatory and insufficient chairs for the dining table. The handle is missing from the laundry room door. The responsible individual is aware of the improvements needed to the physical condition of the home and is making plans for the home to be adequately maintained and furnished prior to children moving in.

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The safety of children

The responsible individual reported to the inspector that health and safety and fire checks are being maintained while the home is vacant. However, the records of these checks could not be located during the visit. This means it is unclear that the home is a safe place for children to live.

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Leaders and managers

The home has been without a registered manager for over 18 months. There are no staff currently identified to work at the home.

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Leaders and managers

The provider anticipates that the home will ready for occupation by children in early 2021. Following this inspection, the provider made a request to Ofsted to vary the home’s conditions of registration. This has resulted in the provider having a new condition added to its registration that means the home is temporarily closed. This period of closure is going to be used by the organisation to make the improvements necessary for children to live at the home, including appointing a manager and a staff team and ensuring that the premises are safe and meet good standards.

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Leaders and managers

As no children have lived at the home since March 2020 the previous inspection requirements and recommendation are untested and have been remade.

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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. Assurance visit report: SC371723 3

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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

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b)(2)(c)(i)(ii)) 31/01/2021

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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

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(d)) 31/01/2021

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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;

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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 the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(d)) 31/01/2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if there is no registered manager in respect of the home. (Regulation 27 (1)(a)) 31/01/2021 Assurance visit report: SC371723 4 The registered person must ensure that all employees have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (3)(c)) 31/01/2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that— within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (‘the authorised person’)— within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(b)(c)) 31/01/2021

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Recommendations

 Ensure that where children placed in a home are not participating in education because they have been excluded or are not on a school roll for some other reason, the registered person and staff must work closely with the placing authority so that the child is supported and enabled to resume full-time education as soon as possible. In the interim, the child should be supported to sustain or regain their confidence in education and be engaged in suitable structured activities. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.15)

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Educare Adolescent Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Venture House, 12 Prospect Business Park, Longford Road, Cannock, Staffordshire WS11 0LG

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Agata Dokszewicz

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Inspector

Alison Cooper, Social Care Inspector Assurance visit report: SC371723 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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