Children's home run by Mutual Care Limited

Information about this children’s home

This privately operated children’s home is registered to provide care and accommodation for three young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. At the time of the inspection, two children lived in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager had recently resigned and was no longer in day-to-day management of the home.

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Information about this children’s home

Previous inspection date: 26 February 2020

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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:

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Information about this visit

 children are well cared for  children are safe  leaders and managers are exercising strong leadership. 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: 2528486 2

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Findings from the visit

We identified the following serious concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance visit:

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Findings from the visit

 The assessment of children’s needs and vulnerabilities and the impact children may have on each other are not carefully considered. This has placed children at risk of harm. Associated documentation is not definitive or concise. There is evidence of copying and pasting and a sense that potential risks have not been thoroughly assessed.  Safeguarding responses are not consistent and effective. Not enough is done quickly enough to protect children from the risk of harm.  Staffing arrangements and the poor retention of staff have meant that children are cared for by several different adults who do not know the children well or fully understand their needs. Most staff are inexperienced and do not have appropriate qualifications.  The registered manager has resigned and is no longer in day-to-day management of the home.  Ofsted is not always notified about serious events.  Leaders and managers do not provide robust oversight. This fails to ensure

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Findings from the visit

that lessons are learned in a timely way so that practices are improved to benefit children.

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The care of children

Since the home opened nearly two years ago, leaders and managers have failed to assess and match children effectively. This has led to three children moving out of the home in an unplanned way. There are two children currently living in the home. They get on well with each other and there are no current concerns about any unmanageable negative influences.

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The care of children

Because of the disruption that has occurred over recent months, children’s progress and overall experiences are variable. For example, while both children are doing well attending school full time, the staff team has not been effective in protecting them from risks posed by another child that moved into the home during the summer.

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The care of children

Children have limited opportunities to develop trusted and secure relationships with the adults that care for them. This is because retention is poor and at times bank staff are used to cover shortages. This means that children are often cared for by staff who do not know them well.

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The care of children

A comprehensive programme of redecoration and refurbishment is taking place to ensure that the home provides a comfortable, attractive and child-friendly environment. Assurance visit report: 2528486 3

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The safety of children

Children are not always carefully matched, and their safety is compromised by some risks not being fully identified, understood or managed effectively.

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The safety of children

Records relating to children’s assessments, including an appraisal of individual needs and risks and how these will be positively addressed, require improvement. There is evidence of copying and pasting. While such documents are extensive, they do not provide a clear sense that the needs and vulnerabilities of all children have been carefully and equally considered. This has led to children being inappropriately admitted to the home and behaviours arising that have placed children at risk of harm. While some action has been taken to respond to these concerns, not enough has been done quickly enough and ultimately a child left the home before the plan was for him to do so.

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The safety of children

Leaders and managers failed to improve night time staffing arrangements quickly enough once potential serious risks were identified. This slow response put children at risk of further harm.

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The safety of children

Not all serious concerns are appropriately shared with other professionals that have a safeguarding responsibility. Some decisions made in-house states that action is not necessary, but which should be formally reported to external agencies and/or followed through internally, such as through disciplinary procedures. In other instances, appropriate action is taken.

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The safety of children

During recent months, children have been supported to develop a better understanding of COVID-19 and how to keep themselves safe. Risk assessments are in place and visitors to the home are clear about how they are expected to behave.

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Leaders and managers

Shortly before this assurance visit took place, the registered manager resigned and was no longer managing the home. Suitable interim arrangements are in place and the company has started the process to recruit a suitable manager. The responsible individual and the interim manager were both involved in this assurance visit and met with the social care regulatory inspector on the second day.

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Leaders and managers

During this visit, another member of staff was working her last shift. The loss of another two members of the team in recent weeks has occurred at a time when the home has already experienced a sustained period of high turnover of staff. Of the current team of nine, seven have been appointed within the past six months. Only three staff have suitable qualifications and overall the team lacks experience of residential childcare. Leaders and managers are acutely aware of the issues around poor staff retention and its impact on children. They have taken on board feedback from staff about inadequate induction training and a lack of on-going support and are working hard to address these shortfalls. Assurance visit report: 2528486 4 Leaders and managers are aware of the importance of effective working partnerships with other professionals. They have initiated risk management meetings and made valuable contributions. However, not all serious incidents have

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Leaders and managers

been reported to Ofsted, and the importance of this, and of transparent working practices in general, was reiterated to the responsible individual and the interim manager during this visit.

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Leaders and managers

Leaders and managers do not provide robust oversight. This fails to ensure that lessons are learned in a timely way so that practices are improved to benefit children. This relates to the oversight of serious incidents but also in relation to more extensive pieces of work that are intended to reflect on why, for example, a child’s placement at the home has not been successful.

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Leaders and managers

Leaders and managers said that they will not admit another child to the home until a new manager has been appointed and is settled into their new role.

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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

12: The protection of children standard 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— that staff—

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other; 14/11/2020 Assurance visit report: 2528486 5 understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

12: The protection of children standard 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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(b)) 14/11/2020

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Requirement Due date

12: The protection of children standard 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 effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(e)) 14/11/2020

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard 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

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate; 14/11/2020 Assurance visit report: 2528486 6 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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e))

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard 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

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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

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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(f)) 14/11/2020

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard 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

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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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h)) 14/11/2020

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Requirement Due date

14: The care planning standard 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; and 14/11/2020 Assurance visit report: 2528486 7 have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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 children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

40: Notification of a serious event The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child — is instigated; or concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e)) 14/11/2020

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice. Assurance visit report: 2528486 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 19 St Marys Road, Portishead, Bristol, Somerset BS20 6QP

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Raymond Hamnett – has resigned and is no longer in day- to-day management of the home.

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Inspector

Norma Welsby, Social Care Inspector Assurance visit report: 2528486 9 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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