Children's home run by Cherish Children’s Care Limited in Fylde

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC476868 1 SC476868

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Cherish Children’s Care

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a private company. It is registered to care for up to four children or young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since July 2015.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit took place primarily to explore the action taken by the home following an incident where an inappropriate restraint was used on a young person. The monitoring visit involved both on-site and off-site inspection activity and took place over two days.

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This monitoring visit

Inspectors struggled to access the information that they needed. It took managers five hours to send any of the information that inspectors requested. This hampered the progress of the monitoring visit and was indicative of the confusion surrounding leadership and management that inspectors identified.

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This monitoring visit

Since the last inspection, the registered manager’s time has been spent opening a further home for the organisation, for which she became the registered manager. An interim manager was appointed for this home. However, Ofsted has received no formal notice of these changes, as no application to cancel registration has been received, nor a completed application for the registration of the new manager. The individuals involved appear to have been confused about their roles and responsibilities during this time. This has resulted in some essential tasks being overlooked, including the manager’s evaluation of serious incidents and physical interventions.

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This monitoring visit

Records of physical interventions are poor. Records are completed by senior staff, who have not always been involved in the incident. Consequently, they do not provide a true record of the actions taken by staff at the time of the incident. This Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC476868 2 fails to safeguard children and hinders managers’ and staff’s reflection and learning. The record is then amended by the manager, without maintaining a clear audit trail of any changes made. This means that the original record is lost. This came to the notice of inspectors when reviewing the physical intervention record for the incident of inappropriate restraint that had triggered this visit, as it had clearly been amended. This does not provide confidence about the integrity of other records. Furthermore, on occasion, the manager who has been involved in the physical intervention, has also completed the de-brief with the young person, rather than an

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This monitoring visit

independent person. This is likely to impact on the young person’s response. Furthermore, it does not give the young person the opportunity to express any concerns about the incident.

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This monitoring visit

While the organisation now accepts that the young person was subject to an inappropriate physical intervention, the senior member of staff and manager on duty failed to identify the seriousness of the incident and did not take immediate action to safeguard the young person. Staff did not follow the home’s safeguarding procedures or inform the appropriate persons. As a result, the member of staff concerned remained on duty, which potentially placed young people at risk of harm.

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This monitoring visit

Ofsted became aware of this incident when a whistle blower reported their concerns to Ofsted four days later. A referral was made to the local designated officer by Ofsted and a strategy meeting followed. However, staff had failed to notify the appropriate safeguarding bodies in a timely way. When a safeguarding notification was eventually made by the registered manager, it contained inaccurate information. This raises concern about the competence of safeguarding practice in the home. Furthermore, Ofsted was not notified regarding a serious incident involving the hospital admission of a young person in September 2020. This raises concern about the accuracy of information passed to professionals and staff’s threshold about what constitutes a serious incident in the home.

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This monitoring visit

Risk management is poor. Young people’s risk assessments lack clarity and staff are frequently instructed to speak to a senior member of staff or a therapist before taking action. This deskills staff and means they do not take swift action to support young people who may be in crisis. Risk assessments are completed by the home’s therapist, who does not have a social care background, which results in an emphasis on therapy rather than how to manage the young person’s welfare on a day-to-day basis.

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This monitoring visit

There is a lack of robust management oversight of recruitment practice. A requirement was made in relation to this matter at the last full inspection of the home. However, weaknesses remain evident. For example, references have not always been taken when an individual has worked with children in a voluntary capacity and decision-making regarding the reasons for employment, particularly when the individual has no previous relevant experience, is not clear. This places young people potentially at risk of unsuitable people working in the home. Such Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC476868 3 deficits result in a lack of assurance that the necessary safeguards are in place to support and protect children and young people.

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This monitoring visit

Managers’ monitoring is poor. Records of incidents in the home lack pertinent detail which would provide a clear chronology of the events and the action taken. A lack of oversight means further exploration has not taken place.

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This monitoring visit

The staff training matrix is difficult to follow as records are kept over numerous spreadsheets, which makes it hard to identify staff’s training needs. This is pertinent given that some staff have not worked in a children’s home prior to being employed to work in the home and require an emphasis on their training and development.

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This monitoring visit

Similarly, staffing rotas do not provide a true record of who has worked in the home, or the times that they have been on duty. Furthermore, there is inconsistency regarding staff’s names between the rota, training matrix and other records kept in the home. This adds further confusion when reviewing documents in the home.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit has resulted in six requirements being made; four of which were raised at the last full inspection of the home. This would also indicate that leadership and management have not been effective since the last inspection. This has contributed to a decision to issue compliance action in relation to regulation 12 and regulation 13. Ofsted will closely monitor the actions taken by the provider to address these concerns.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 20/11/2019 Full Good 24/04/2018 Full Good 09/08/2017 Full Good 27/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC476868 4

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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 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

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)(v)(vi)(vii)) * 11/12/2020

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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

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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; 11/12/2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC476868 5 ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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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)(c)(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 children’s home;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and

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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) (3)(a)(b)(c)(d)) 11/12/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy ("the behaviour management policy") which sets out—

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Requirement Due date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the behaviour management policy under review and, where appropriate, revise it.

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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— 11/12/2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC476868 6 the name of the child;

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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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

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure ("the user"), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure. (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b) (2) (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii))

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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))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, an accurate duty roster including full names of staff and the hours they have worked. 11/12/2020

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Requirement Due date

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; 11/12/2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC476868 7 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—

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Requirement Due date

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))

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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.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cherish Children’s Care

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 8a, Skyways Commercial Campus, Amy Johnson Way, Blackpool FY4 3RS

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Inspectors

Mandy Williams, Social Care Inspector Chris Scully, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC476868 8 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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