Children's Home run by Jigsaw Therapeutic Care Limited in Nottinghamshire

Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by an independent organisation which looks after children who present with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties, from the ages of 10 to 17 years. The home offers accommodation for up to three children.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has been without a registered manager since March 2020.

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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: 2490994 2

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The care of children

Staff have ensured that contact with families is given a high priority. Children have been able to keep in touch with their families during the COVID-19 lockdown. This has included the creative use of technology.

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The care of children

Children benefit from good relationships with staff. Due to there being a small staff team and minimal staffing changes, they provide a consistent approach to children’s care.

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The care of children

The children have complex healthcare needs. Due to this, they had an extended period away from school during the COVID-19 pandemic. Staff have provided children with extra leisure activities.

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The care of children

The assurance visit identified health and safety concerns at the home. Areas of the home could not be freely accessed. These concerns have not been prioritised by the manager.

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The care of children

The home’s interior requires improvement. Many areas of the home need decoration and repair. The manager has a plan for meeting these improvements within a short time frame.

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The safety of children

Children’s plans fail to identify all the risks they are exposed to. Staff do not have access to up-to-date information about the children. This means that they are unable to make decisions based on all known risk factors.

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The safety of children

Children have access to an independent advocate. Unfortunately, this has not been effective in supporting a child who is experiencing bullying. Additionally, the complaints process is not always accessible to children.

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The safety of children

Systems and processes for the safe administration of medication require improvement to make it safer. Poor medication processes risk children’s complex healthcare needs not being met.

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The safety of children

Staff are confident in their ability to manage challenging behaviour. They know the importance of proactive approaches and strategies. Staff have developed confidence and have put learning from their training into practice. There have been no physical interventions at this home since the last inspection.

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The safety of children

The temporary manager has good relationships with partner agencies. These have improved, and important decisions are now made in partnership. The benefits are clear for the children currently placed at this home. Assurance visit report: 2490994 3

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Leaders and managers

The home has been without a registered manager since March 2020. There was a manager in post briefly who did not register with Ofsted. The responsible individual has taken on the role of manager on a temporary basis. The provider is attempting to recruit to this post by October 2020.

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Leaders and managers

Senior staff are not always qualified and experienced in residential childcare. They act as mentors and on-call managers for less experienced staff. This lack of qualification and experience may impact on the decision-making about the care for the children.

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Leaders and managers

The temporary manager has not ensured that there is consistent and effective external monitoring by the independent visitor. This means that there is less oversight, and less opportunity for improvement.

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Leaders and managers

Staff benefit from support and guidance from the temporary manager. They receive regular individual supervision, but on one occasion supervision was not recorded. This means that there is not always a consistent record of conversations with staff about the children’s safety, well-being and the staff member’s working practice.

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Leaders and managers

Five requirements were made at the last interim inspection. Two of these have not been met. They are repeated with additional requirements and recommendations.

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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 promotes their welfare.

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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 the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose; 20/11/2020 Assurance visit report: 2490994 4 ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(c)) The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

medicines kept in the home are stored in a secure place so as to prevent any child from having unsupervised access to them;

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Requirement Due date

medicine which is prescribed for a child is administered as prescribed to the child for whom it is prescribed and to no other child; and

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Requirement Due date

a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child.

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Requirement Due date

Paragraph (2) does not apply to medicine which—

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Requirement Due date

is stored by the child for whom it is provided in such a way that other persons are prevented from using it; and

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Requirement Due date

may be safely self-administered by that child.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 23 (1)(2)(a)(b)(c)(3)(a)(b)) 02/11/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if—

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Requirement Due date

there is no registered manager in respect of the home; and

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Requirement Due date

is not, or does not intend to be, in day-to-day charge of the home.

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Requirement Due date

If the registered provider appoints a person to manage the home, the registered provider must, without delay, give HMCI notice of— 20/11/2020 Assurance visit report: 2490994 5 the name of the person so appointed; and the date on which the appointment takes effect.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 27 (1)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(2)(a)(b))

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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 legislation (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)  Staff should understand what they must do to prevent bullying by other children or adults. Staff should be able to recognise and address different types of abuse such as peer abuse, cyber bullying and bullying in day to day relationships in the home. Registered persons must ensure that procedures for dealing with allegations of bullying are in place and staff have the skills required to intervene, protect and address bullying behaviours effectively. (See regulation 34(3) on the

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Recommendations

policy for the prevention of bullying). (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.16)  All staff should strive to build a positive relationship with children and develop a culture of openness and trust that encourages them to be able to tell someone if they have concerns or worries about their safety. Staff should make available in the home, information in an appropriate form which enables children to contact their placing authority to call for a review of their care plan if they have concerns about their safety or welfare. Homes should encourage children to understand they can speak to an independent advocate, Independent Reviewing Officer IROs), Ofsted inspectors or other relevant persons if they have concerns about their safety. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.11)  Staff should continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the

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Recommendations

arrangements in place to protect them. Where there are safeguarding concerns for a child, their placement plan, agreed between the home and the placing authority, must include details of the steps the home will take to manage any assessed risk on a day to day basis. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)  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. Professionally qualified staff employed by the home e.g. teachers or social workers, should be provided with relevant professional or clinical supervision by an appropriately qualified and experienced professional. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including

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Recommendations

the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2) Assurance visit report: 2490994 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Jigsaw Therapeutic Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 33 Meadow Road, Beeston, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire NG9 1JQ

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Inspector

Simon Hunter, Social Care Inspector Assurance visit report: 2490994 7 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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