Children's home run by A & T Home Limited in Mid Suffolk

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1183621 1

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A & T Home Limited

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is run by a private organisation. The home provides care for up to four children who have emotional, social and behavioural needs. The provider’s overall aim is to support children and their families to reunite.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has been without a registered manager since November 2019.

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This monitoring visit

This home was judged as having serious and widespread concerns at an assurance visit in September 2020. Concerns about the continued poor quality of accommodation and the leadership and management of the home led to Ofsted serving two compliance notices. The primary purpose of this monitoring visit was to monitor the provider’s actions since the compliance notices were served. Ofsted is satisfied that, while some further improvements are required, the provider has met the actions specified in the compliance notices.

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This monitoring visit

The home currently provides care for two children.

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This monitoring visit

Since the assurance visit, the provider has undertaken a substantial programme of improvement. Flooring has been replaced, damage has been repaired and several areas have been redecorated. The provider has ordered new furniture and fittings to enhance the children’s home. As a result, the quality of accommodation has improved. The provider has a comprehensive written plan for the remaining improvements.

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This monitoring visit

Progress has been made to address the safety of the building. The new gate ensures that members of the public cannot access the rear garden unchallenged. It is of concern that a broken bicycle, old fire door and curtain poles were left dumped in the garden. However, the staff cleared these immediately after this monitoring visit. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1183621 2 Since the assurance visit, the provider has addressed most fire prevention concerns. However, some concerns remain. One child’s bedroom door has small holes in it, and the staff had propped open the kitchen fire door with a wedge. The staff removed this when the inspector highlighted it as unsafe practice. One child likes to have their bedroom door propped open at night. However, no discussions have taken place with the child to help an informed choice to be made, and there is no suitable risk assessment in place.

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This monitoring visit

There has been a change of responsible individual since the assurance visit. The new responsible individual is a director in the company. Organisational monitoring arrangements have improved. However, further improvements are required to ensure consistently effective oversight.

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This monitoring visit

The independent visitor’s monitoring of the quality of care lacks rigour. The most recent visit, carried out after Ofsted had taken enforcement action, did not effectively review the concerns or the actions taken to address them.

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This monitoring visit

Requirements and recommendations from the assurance visit are restated. This is because further improvement is needed in some areas, and others were not reviewed as part of this monitoring visit as the time frame for completion has yet to expire.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 05/03/2020 Interim Declined in effectiveness 02/04/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 30/07/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 27/02/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1183621 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

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)) 16/11/2020

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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.

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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 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 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)(b)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that each child has clear and suitably detailed risk assessments that are consistently followed by 30/10/2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1183621 4 staff. Furthermore, ensure that specific aspects of risk, such as the drop from the patio, are risk assessed and suitable measures are put in place to reduce risk.

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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;

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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)(f)(h)) 16/11/2020

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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

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(c)(e)) 10/11/2020

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Requirement Due date

If the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005(a) applies to the home— 16/11/2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1183621 5 the registered person must ensure that the requirements of that Order and any regulations made under it, except for article 23 (duties of employees), are complied with in respect of the home. (Regulation 25 (2)(b))

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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. (Regulation 27 (1)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)) 23/11/2020

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Recommendations

 Ensure that all incidents of control, discipline and restraint are subject to systems of regular scrutiny to ensure that their use is fair. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.36) In particular, ensure a suitable independent review of each record of restraint by someone who is senior to any staff involved in or witness to the incident.  Ensure that staff understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Record information on individual children in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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 the assurance visit in September 2020, following which Ofsted served compliance notices.

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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: 1183621 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Plot 8, Maitland Road, Lion Barn Estate, Needham Market, Ipswich, Suffolk IP6 8NZ

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Jeremy Jayasuriya

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Inspector

Joanna Heller, social care inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1183621 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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