Children's home run by Northamptonshire County Council in West Northamptonshire

Assurance visit report: SC374180 1 SC374180

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned by Northamptonshire County Council. It is a residential home for young people with autistic spectrum disorders and moderate to severe learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted on 13 February 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

Ofsted has carried out two monitoring visits prior to this assurance visit, in response to serious concerns about staff practice. The inspectors were aware during these monitoring visits that investigations were being carried out by appropriate Assurance visit report: SC374180 2 authorities. While Ofsted does not have the power to investigate incidents of this kind, actions taken by the home in response to the incidents were considered alongside other evidence available at the time of the visit. This informed the inspector’s judgement.

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Findings from the visit

Since the last monitoring visit was carried out, investigations have been concluded. Disciplinary and legal processes are ongoing. Staff involved are not currently working at the home.

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Findings from the visit

At this visit, improvement was identified.

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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.

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The care of children

Children feel secure because staff understand their needs, routines and how to reassure them. When children, who are pre-verbal, are expressing what they want, staff show intuition and patience. For example, children will happily guide staff around the home to show them what activities they would like to do.

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The care of children

However, communication aids are not regularly updated in line with each child’s progress. For example, a child used symbols from a different child’s communication board because their own board had not been updated.

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The care of children

Some care practice is not based on the assessed needs of individual children. For example, children do not have access to their own wardrobes. This is because of a perceived risk of children not being able to cope with the sensory stimulation. There is no plan that assesses how each child could be supported to cope with having access to more of their belongings. The decision to have locked wardrobes is not detailed in any child’s risk assessment. In addition, televisions are housed in protective wooden frames, giving the environment an institutional look. There is no evidence that children are at risk of breaking televisions.

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The care of children

Behaviour management plans do not provide the necessary strategies for staff to follow. Staff are not proactive enough in updating risk assessments and accessing specialist sexual health support.

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The safety of children

Managers have not always responded effectively when staff performance has fallen below the expected standard. They have not always been able to distinguish clearly between safeguarding concerns and practice concerns. Because risk is not clearly recognised, staff are sent home but not immediately suspended. This means that staff and children are not immediately protected by the factors provided by the suspension process. Assurance visit report: SC374180 3 Staff use restraint rarely because they have positive relationships with the children and use de-escalation techniques effectively. However, one child experiences a higher level of restraint when they are at school. Managers have not been proactive enough in liaising with the school to understand why this is the case.

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The safety of children

Staff training records are not kept up to date. As a result, managers might not know what training staff have completed before rotas are devised. This knowledge would help to protect children and keep them safe. The quality of safeguarding records is improving but could be more child-centred and clear.

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Leaders and managers

Managers rely on agency staff to ensure safe staffing levels. Managers have responded to this issue positively by using consistent agency staff and introducing new processes that better scrutinise the skill base of agency workers. As a result, the regular use of agency staff has not negatively affected the consistency of care.

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Leaders and managers

Efforts have been made to improve the appearance of the home, but this could go further. For example, the cupboard doors in the lounge have holes in them where the locks have been drilled out.

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Leaders and managers

At times, particularly after school, children would benefit from having more access to the community and open spaces. Children do not always have opportunities to take part in spontaneous activities that they might enjoy.

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Leaders and managers

Overall, communication could be improved with all parents. Parents report that communication has not always been as clear as it could be. In one case, there has been a breakdown in the relationship with a parent.

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Leaders and managers

Currently, managers do not have enough oversight of night shifts. This is because managers do not observe how each child’s care plan is being implemented at night- time.

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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 is that children receive care from staff who— 01/01/2021 Assurance visit report: SC374180 4 understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b)(2)(b)(vii)(viii))

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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

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;

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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

(Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(vi)(vii)(b)) 01/01/2021

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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

In particular, risk assessments for children need to be clear and up to date. The assessment should identify the relevant risk and the actions that should be taken to meet and/or reduce the risks. 01/01/2021 Assurance visit report: SC374180 5 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;

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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.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(f)(h)) 01/01/2021

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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

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

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(e)) 01/01/2021

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Recommendation

 Ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4) Assurance visit report: SC374180 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Northamptonshire County Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Northamptonshire County Council, One Angel Square, 4 Angel Street, Northampton, Northamptonshire NN1 1ED

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Inspectors

Joanne Vyas, Social Care Inspector Andi Lilley-Tams, Social Care Inspector Assurance visit report: SC374180 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

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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