Children's Home run by Care 4 Children Residential Services Ltd in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2581237 1

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Care 4 Children Residential Services Ltd

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is one of a number operated by a private company. It provides care and accommodation for up to eight young people who may have emotional and social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There was a new manager in the home at the time of this visit. He has managed the home since 27 October 2020. He has recently completed his application for registration with Ofsted.

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This monitoring visit

Ofsted conducted an assurance visit to this home on 22 October 2020. Serious and widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children were identified at this assurance visit. Following this, Ofsted issued a restriction of accommodation notice, prohibiting the placement of additional young people into the home for a period of 12 weeks, This is to allow time for steps to be taken to reduce or eliminate the risk of harm to young people, and make the improvements required to ensure that young people receive safe, effective care that meets their needs and helps them to progress. In addition, nine breaches of regulation were identified, with Ofsted issuing compliance notices in relation to four of these.

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This monitoring visit

This on-site monitoring visit took place due to another serious incident taking place in the home. The purpose was to ensure the safety of the young people who continue to live here.

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This monitoring visit

There have been a number of serious incidents in the home since the assurance visit in October 2020. However, some incidents have been triggered by young people’s opposition to rules and boundaries being introduced into the home. This challenge was to be expected. However, the incident that instigated this monitoring visit was not of this nature. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2581237 2 The incident was triggered by young people targeting another young person and damaging her possessions. The targeted young person felt unsafe in the home and contacted a family member asking to be collected. She had felt threatened by the other residents and felt that staff were unable to keep her safe. During the same incident, two of the residents broke into the staff office and the home’s safe. They took a large amount of cash and a number of keys, before running off from the home.

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This monitoring visit

Inspectors found that the staff on duty did what they felt was appropriate during this incident. There had been a change to the staff on duty during the evening, as the most senior staff member had been called away due to an emergency. He was replaced with a less experienced bank member of staff. The young people took advantage of this situation. The exact details of the incident are difficult to follow, as records are sometimes inconsistent and do not correspond with other records such as the duty roster or the log book. However, staffing levels were insufficient to deal with this incident safely. Staff did try to contact a senior manager for advice, who was unavailable, but they did not contact the home’s manager. Staff were clearly confused about the on-call management arrangements, resulting in them contacting the wrong individual. Staff were unable to de-escalate young people’s heightened behaviour and felt it was unsafe to engage in a physical intervention, given the

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This monitoring visit

staffing limitations. This left young people in control of the situation. It was over an hour before staff had the opportunity to check on the young person who had felt threatened and who had locked herself in her bedroom, in order to keep safe. This is not good practice and did not reassure this young person about staff’s ability to keep her safe. A family member later came to remove this young person from the home, and she has not returned.

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This monitoring visit

During the above incident, young people also set off a number of fire extinguishers in the home. This was the second time they have resorted to this behaviour over recent weeks. While the manager has ensured that this essential firefighting equipment has been refilled, he has also made the decision not to return the extinguishers to their designated locations in the home, for fear of further behavioural issues from young people. At the time of this monitoring visit, all the fire extinguishers were located in locked offices on the ground floor of the building. The manager had yet to re-site these across the three-storey building, produce a risk assessment to support his decision-making, or provide clear instruction for staff about the location of this essential firefighting equipment. Assurances were given to inspectors that he would action this on the day of the monitoring visit.

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This monitoring visit

Some improvements were evident in relation to rules and boundaries in the home, for example the rules on smoking. Young people are clear about the new rules and expectations. However, despite this, there have been incidents of young people smoking inside the home, especially when heightened. However, young people are no longer routinely smoking in their bedrooms. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2581237 3 The young people currently living in the home have changed bedrooms since the last assurance visit. This is a large property, and they had a number of rooms to choose from. However, the unused bedrooms and bathrooms have not been emptied and cleaned for some time. They contain some of the previous occupants’ belongings and a large amount of damaged furniture. The belongings of one former resident had been left piled up in the landing area of the home, rather than packaged and

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This monitoring visit

kept securely until they could be collected. This does not ensure their safe keeping and gives a poor message to existing residents about the value of their personal belongings.

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This monitoring visit

The requirements and recommendations made at the last assurance visit to the home were not fully explored as part of this monitoring visit and, consequently, are repeated. Concerns remain regarding the operation of the home and management of risk. However, Ofsted will continue to closely monitor the home as compliance notices remain in place. Similarly, the home remains subject to a restriction of accommodation notice, so no additional young people can be placed in the home. Two young people remain living in the home at this time. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2581237 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 quality and purpose of care standard

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who— understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children; use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose; ensure that staff— understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose; and protect and promote each child’s welfare. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)) 02/12/2020

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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— mutual respect and trust; an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and positive responses to other children and adults. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff— meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans; help each child to develop socially aware behaviour; encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding; help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone; communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those 02/12/2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2581237 5 expectations in accordance with the child’s age and

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Requirement Due date

understanding; 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; help each child to develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship; strive to gain each child’s respect and trust; understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children; and de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children; and that each child is encouraged to build positive relationships with others. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(ix) (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. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff— 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; help each child to understand how to keep safe; have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm; manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other; understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; and take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child

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Requirement Due date

effectively from harm; and that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(b)(e)) 02/12/2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2581237 6 The leadership and management standard

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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— helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 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; ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate; ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; 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; and 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)(a)(b)(c)(f)(h)) 02/12/2020

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children— receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— 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)) 02/12/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement ("the statement of purpose") which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1. The registered person must— keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and 02/12/2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2581237 7 notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (1) (3)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which— include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child; are kept up to date; and are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c)) 02/12/2020

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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. The registered person must— maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4; and ensure that the records are kept up to date. (Regulation 37 (1) (2)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, maintain a register of children admitted to the home containing the required information. 02/12/2020

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Requirement Due date

*The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if— a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation; an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious; there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there; 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 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)) 02/12/2020

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2581237 8

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Recommendations

 For children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  Children should be in full-time education whilst they are of compulsory school age, unless their personal education plan contained within the care plan or other relevant plan states otherwise. The home must aim to support full time attendance at school unless the child’s relevant plan indicates this is not in their best interests. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.14)

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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: Care 4 Children Residential Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Care 4 Children, 1 Stuart Road, Bredbury Park Industrial Estate, Bredbury, Stockport SK6 2SR

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Stephanie Hewitt

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Inspectors

Mandy Williams, Social Care Inspector Sophie Thomson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2581237 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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