Children's Home run by Your Chapter Limited in Lancashire

Assurance visit report: SC489416 1 SC489416

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned and run. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for four children who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

Visit dates: 21 to 22 September 2020, and 15 October 2020

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Information about this children’s home

Previous inspection date: 16 September 2019

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Information about this children’s home

Previous inspection judgement: Requires improvement to be good

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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.

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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: SC489416 2

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The care of children

Some young people feel settled at the home, feel listened to and have good relationships with staff. Other young people, who have recently been discharged, did not fully benefit from the programme that the home offers. A young person spoke about how the previous mix of young people in the home had been disruptive as a result of a number of incidents.

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The care of children

One young person considered that there have been recent positive changes and that she had benefitted from the support that staff had given her. She said: ‘I’ve learned a lot and I really like being here. It’s a lot more settled.’

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The care of children

Young people are fully supported to keep in touch with people who are important to them and this has enabled the local authorities’ plans to progress. This is complemented by regular therapeutic input which encourages young people to explore relationships and previous life experiences. A social worker considered that the input from staff had contributed positively to the young person’s emotional health and reflective abilities. She said that the young person was ‘a lot calmer and level-headed’ and that the therapy had been ‘amazing’.

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The care of children

Recent discharges from the home are reflective of difficulties in matching the needs of young people. One young person spoke about the changes in staffing at the home and that core staff were often diverted from spending time with her in order to manage or prevent incidents occurring. Young people have not always benefitted from the staff team being stable and consistent.

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The care of children

Young people’s education is supported and encouraged by the staff. Many professionals spoken to by the inspectors commented on the good progress that young people had made in education, when their attendance prior to being at the home had been problematic.

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The safety of children

Professionals spoken to by the inspectors consider that staff are proactive and work hard to protect young people from behaviours that may pose a risk to their welfare and safety. However, they consider that communication between themselves, the staff and the manager is not always timely or that some risks are not fully understood by the staff.

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The safety of children

Decision-making regarding some young people being admitted to the home has resulted in an increase in recorded incidents. The admission of young people and the inability of staff to meet all their needs had a detrimental effect upon the progress that other young people had made. These effects are recognised by the managers and decisions were made whereby those young people were discharged.

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The safety of children

Allegations and complaints have been addressed by managers and appropriately referred to other agencies. There is a clear audit trail of that communication and documentation. Where appropriate, these issues have been discussed with staff and Assurance visit report: SC489416 3 actions taken by managers. Complaints not fully concluded at the time of this visit have received full management oversight and there is active liaison with the complainants.

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The safety of children

Some young people have made noticeable progress in their abilities to keep themselves safe. One social worker said: ‘She is now able to recognise risk and explain it. She can explain how she will avoid risk and shows insight into her behaviour.’ A young person said: ‘It’s good to speak to someone about the past, it makes you feel better. I feel better about myself.’

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Leaders and managers

A requirement made at the last inspection regarding leadership and management has not been met. Although the current manager was registered to manage the home in May 2020, there have been three managers at the home in the last 12 months.

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Leaders and managers

In addition, a number of staff have left the home and this has created instability in regard to continuity of care. A number of bank staff have frequently been used to cover staff shortages and sickness. There has been an occasion when two new members of staff were on duty together without the oversight from a qualified or experienced member of staff.

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Leaders and managers

Young people have not always been fully supported to prepare to move on from the home. For example, one young person, although informed of the transition, was not offered an opportunity by staff to explore her feelings about the move.

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Leaders and managers

Decision-making regarding the suitability of young people to join the home has resulted in other young people faltering in their progress and other young people feeling that the home was unsettled. Managers have developed plans to improve how decisions are made when the home is ready to consider another admission.

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Leaders and managers

Professionals said that communication was ineffective and that they had difficulty getting a response from staff or were not routinely kept up to date. There are management plans to address this aspect of care and ensure that there is a shared understanding of young people’s plans.

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Leaders and managers

Not all staff have received supervision in line with the company’s timescales. Therefore, a requirement made at the previous inspection has not been met. However, the manager has addressed issues of safeguarding practice within some supervisions and required staff to respond to a variety of scenarios presented.

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Leaders and managers

Young people do not always have free movement around the home. A downstairs room is regularly locked to prevent young people from exiting the building from that room. This has not been risk assessed nor reviewed by managers to ensure that there is a clear audit trail to account for the reasons why young people’s liberty is restricted in this way. Assurance visit report: SC489416 4 Staff meet regularly as a team, however, the manager has plans to strengthen the focus of these meetings and introduce training that is specific to the home.

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Leaders and managers

The manager and senior managers are aware of the highlighted shortfalls and have developed action plans to address them. Staff stability and suitable admission of young people to the home are recognised by managers as areas for improvement. Managers have also responded to local authorities’ concerns over recording and reporting, and training has been identified for staff to attend.

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. The registered person 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

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 has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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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

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on- feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and 30/11/2020 Assurance visit report: SC489416 5 use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(c)(d)(e)(f)(g)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

seek to develop and maintain effective professional relationships with such persons, bodies or organisations as the registered person considers appropriate having regard to the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the children’s home is to provide care and accommodation.

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home.

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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

In particular, that new members of staff receive supervision in line with the company’s expectations. 30/11/2020

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Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; and

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Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

is necessary and proportionate; 15/11/2020 Assurance visit report: SC489416 6 is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and

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Requirement Due date

allows children as much freedom as possible when balanced against the needs to protect them and keep them safe.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Care 4 Children Residential Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 1 Stuart Road, Bredbury Park Industrial Estate, Bredbury, Stockport SK6 2SR

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Inspectors

Pauline Yates, Social Care Inspector Caroline Bertram, Social Care Inspector Assurance visit report: SC489416 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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