Children's home run by Plymouth City Council

Assurance visit report: SC454900 1 SC454900

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Information about this children’s home

This registered children’s home operates as a short-break service and is run by a local authority. It provides care and accommodation for up to six children who can stay overnight. In total, there are 13 children on its register. All the children have complex needs and require at least one-to-one care and support.

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Information about this children’s home

A suitably qualified registered manager is in place.

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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:  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. Assurance visit report: SC454900 2

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Findings from the visit

We identified no serious or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance visit.

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The care of children

Children are well cared for while visiting this setting. Their diverse and complex needs are understood and responded to appropriately. Children receive highly personalised and individual care from a staff team that is dedicated to helping them to enjoy their visit, have positive experiences and make progress.

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The care of children

Children and staff enjoy secure, positive and trusting relationships. Staffing levels are carefully considered to ensure that children’s needs are appropriately met.

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The care of children

Good attention is given to ensuring that children who visit at the same time are compatible. When difficulties occur, leaders and managers respond appropriately. For example, at the time of this assurance visit, three children were visiting by themselves, so that staff could devote their time to meeting their complex needs and to ensure that other children did not experience a negative impact.

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The care of children

Two children who attend each week have caused extensive and ongoing damage to the home. Following a period of assessment and consideration about the best way forward, there are now plans in place to create a dedicated space within the setting for children who have the most complex needs. These plans have been very carefully thought through to respond to the increasingly diverse and multiple needs of all the children.

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The care of children

The physical environment of the home is in need of improvement. It is sparse and unhomely. Although there is an ongoing programme in place to redecorate damaged walls and replace broken furniture, this has limited impact due to the intensity of ongoing damage. The registered manager fully acknowledges this. At the time of this assurance visit, work had already started on a major programme, which will involve two phases, with the aim to complete by March 2021.

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The safety of children

Children are safe. Staff understand how to manage risk effectively, while still allowing for children to enjoy their visit.

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The safety of children

Staff have met the challenges and difficulties of recent months well. They have ensured that children have been kept busy and active and have respected social distancing measures. The home’s garden has been widely used throughout. It is well equipped and provides a safe and fun place in which children can play and enjoy exercise and social interactions. On the day of the visit, children arrived from school and took part in preparing for a barbecue in the garden. Assurance visit report: SC454900 3 The environment is safe and functional. Planned work will make some alterations to the garden area near to an external fire staircase. The inspectors asked for these to be discussed and agreed with a fire specialist. This was immediately addressed.

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The safety of children

Detailed risk assessments are in place for the children along with a COVID-19 risk assessment. In discussion, staff demonstrated a sound knowledge of their responsibilities and were observed to be gently reminding children about the importance of hand hygiene and social distancing.

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The safety of children

Good records are maintained, which demonstrate that staff take appropriate action to keep children safe. During this visit, the inspectors clarified the importance of body maps fully reflecting written information, so that there are no discrepancies and that questions about the extent of any injuries a child has are not left unanswered.

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The safety of children

Staff have good training opportunities, including training in safeguarding and how to manage behaviour safely and effectively. Due to COVID-19, face-to-face training has not taken place, and the full extent of online training has been slow to be available. This has meant that some staff are outside their renewal timeframes, and a new member of staff has not completed a full mandatory training programme. The registered manager is aware of this and has a plan in place to ensure that all staff are fully up to date.

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Leaders and managers

Leaders and managers are slowly but effectively navigating their way through what has been a very challenging period due to the combination of COVID-19 and the increasingly complex behaviour of one child in particular, who has caused extensive damage to the home.

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Leaders and managers

The registered manager has felt supported by the responsible individual throughout the period and feels confident that plans in place will support the team to continue to provide good care for all the children who visit for short breaks.

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Leaders and managers

While there have been and continue to be some staff absences due to the need for three members of staff to shield, these have been managed well, through a combination of home working and the core team covering additional shifts. This has meant that there has been no negative impact on children, as they have continued to receive care from a small team that knows them well.

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Leaders and managers

One member of the team is outside the two-year timescale for completing a level 3 qualification. There are mitigating circumstances, and this member of staff is on track to complete it by the end of this year.

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Leaders and managers

There has been one new member of staff appointed since April 2020. Recruitment records evidence safe and thorough recruitment practices. References are verified, but the records do not reflect individual conversations, which is good practice. Assurance visit report: SC454900 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

6: The quality and purpose of care standard 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

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

meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(2)(c)(i) 31/12/2020

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Requirement Due date

32: Fitness of workers For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (‘the Level 3 Diploma’); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home; or

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016. 31/12/2020 Assurance visit report: SC454900 5 The registered person may defer the relevant date if the individual—

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Requirement Due date

does not work, or has not worked, in a care role in a home for a prolonged period; or

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Requirement Due date

works, or has worked, in a care role in a home on a part- time basis. (Regulation 32 (4)(a)(b)(5)(a)(b)(6)(a)(b))

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Plymouth City Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Plymouth City Council, Civic Centre, Armada Way, Plymouth PL1 2AA

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Inspectors

Norma Welsby, Social Care Inspector Carys Flain, Social Care Inspector Assurance visit report: SC454900 6 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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