Children's Home run by Bristol City Council in Bristol

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC034211 1 SC034211

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Bristol City Council

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This local authority children’s home is registered for up to three children and young people aged up to 18 years with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The current manager is in the process of submitting his application to register with Ofsted.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit has been completed because of an increase in significant incidents since the assurance visit on 20 and 21 October 2020. The quality of care provided to children has declined and there is a failure to safeguard them effectively. Ofsted recognises the additional challenges posed by the pandemic contributing to concerns about the sufficiency and skill set of staff to safely manage children’s aggressive and challenging behaviours.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers do not ensure that staff have the skills, training and expertise to care for children with complex needs and to support them with their aggressive behaviours. Consequently, several significant incidents have occurred. One child has been attacked several times by another child, staff have been seriously injured and there is a current investigation into worrying concerns about a member of staff’s poor practice. Children have caused significant damage to the home, and staff have not ensured that items such as screwdrivers and metal objects are always stored safely away from children. As a result, children have used these items to threaten staff.

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This monitoring visit

Staff are not able to prevent children effectively from harming each other or staff. Several staff working at this home have not received physical restraint training. However, 12 incidents of physical restraint have occurred since the last inspection but were not recorded. At times, staff have locked themselves in children’s bedrooms Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC034211 2 to manage the risk from behaviours and have needed to call the police for assistance.

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This monitoring visit

The inspector was advised that several members of the core staff team are absent from work either due to injury from incidents, illness or as a result of restrictions imposed by the pandemic. Consequently, there is a reliance on temporary staff working in this home, which has affected the quality and consistency of care provided to children. During one incident, the lack of care provided by agency staff resulted in a child being seriously assaulted by another child and required assistance from paramedics.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers have failed to ensure that agency staff are suitable to work with children. Records for agency workers show that safer recruitment checks are poor. Basic information is missing, including qualifications, dates of birth, training and previous employment history. This means that children’s safety and well-being are not prioritised.

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This monitoring visit

Managerial monitoring and oversight of the quality of care are weak. Managers do not have thorough oversight of incidents, ensure that they are well recorded or take effective action in response. For example, one child has made an allegation against a staff member that was not reported to the designated officer.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders advised the inspector that children are moving from the home and they intend to close it temporarily to make improvements. Two compliance notices have been issued as a result of this inspection and a condition has been added that requires leaders to advise Ofsted three months in advance of their intention to admit a child. Ofsted will continue to monitor this home.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 04/03/2020 Full Requires improvement to be good 03/12/2018 Interim Declined in effectiveness 27/06/2018 Full Good 04/10/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC034211 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 positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child’s age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful; 07/12/2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC034211 4 help each child to develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship;

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Requirement Due date

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust;

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Requirement Due date

are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same;

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children;

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Requirement Due date

that each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(x)(xi)(b))

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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

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;

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Requirement Due date

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 07/12/2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC034211 5 are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the homes child protection policies;

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(d)(e))

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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

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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;

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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 homes 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 07/12/2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC034211 6 improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

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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)(c) (2)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(g)(i)(ii)(h))*

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the childrens home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(d)) 07/12/2020

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and 07/12/2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC034211 7 a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (‘the authorised person’)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(iii)(iv)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))*

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Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the records are kept up to date. (Regulation 37 (1) (2)(a)(b)) 07/12/2020

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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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 its last Ofsted inspection.

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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: SC034211 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Bristol City Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Bristol City Council, Director of Legal Services, City Hall, College Green, Bristol, Gloucestershire BS1 5TR

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Inspector

Anna Gravelle, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC034211 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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