Children's Home run by Monarch Intervention Services Ltd in Stoke-on-Trent

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2530437 1

p.1

Monarch Intervention Services Ltd

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

A small, private provider owns this home which Ofsted registered in January 2020. It provides care and accommodation for up to two children who experience social, emotional, and/or behavioural difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

There is a registered manager in post who holds a level 5 diploma in leadership and management for residential childcare.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This is the first visit Ofsted has made to the home since registration.

p.1

This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit took place in response to a serious event involving a young person living at the home. The monitoring visit considered how young people move into the home and how staff provide care to reduce risks and keep young people safe.

p.1

This monitoring visit

The registered manager notified Ofsted following the serious event. The registered manager did not notify Ofsted in the run-up to the event when there was an emerging pattern of concerning behaviour. This would have highlighted the cumulative impact and increasing risk for the young person.

p.1

This monitoring visit

The registered manager considers carefully the suitability of young people before they move into the home. This ensures that staff have the skills and information required to care for the young people.

p.1

This monitoring visit

The registered manager encourages young people to move to the home in a planned way and for them to visit beforehand. They meet staff and choose their bedroom which helps to reduce their anxiety.

p.1

This monitoring visit

Staff maintain a welcoming home for young people and a Christmas tree is now on display in the lounge. The staff are careful to follow COVID-19 (coronavirus) Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2530437 2 guidelines within the house to reduce the risk of transmission of the virus to each other.

p.1

This monitoring visit

Young people personalise their bedrooms which have en-suite bathrooms. This gives young people privacy and ownership of their personal space. Staff help one young person to tidy her bedroom each day. Staff are teaching an important life skill as well as using the opportunity to build confidence and develop relationships. One young person has drawn a picture of the home for his key-worker which he describes as ‘more than a care home’.

p.2

This monitoring visit

Staff understand young people’s behaviour and their emotional needs. Young people develop trust in the staff and, with staff support, improve engagement in their education, therapy and access to healthcare. Young people have experienced delay and changes to the way they receive support and education due to COVID-19 restrictions. Staff have maintained structure to the day for young people, but for one young person this was a challenge as he preferred to access his education outside of the home.

p.2

This monitoring visit

Despite this, young people have made progress from their starting points. One young person has significantly reduced her risk-taking behaviours and, as she feels safer, is able to express wishes for her future. The young person’s social worker states that she is now taking responsibility for her own care plan. Her mother recognises this progress too and describes collaborative working with the registered manager and social worker. This includes joint decision-making about activities such as care of her horse and transitional steps to increase free time.

p.2

This monitoring visit

The registered manager has considered the impact of young people living together in the home. As a result, young people live successfully alongside each other. Staff follow risk assessments which guide them in their care of young people to keep them safe. One young person, in accordance with her risk assessment, gives her phone to staff at night. Staff then conduct random device checks. However, staff do not record this to evidence their action to safeguard this young person.

p.2

This monitoring visit

Young people respond well to rewards and incentives in place. This encourages young people to engage with targets they are working towards. Staff rarely use physical intervention to manage young people’s behaviour. When staff use physical intervention to keep young people or others safe, it is effective and proportionate. The registered manager talks to staff and the young person after a physical intervention. However, she does not always record to confirm that the recording by staff is accurate and that she has spoken to the young person about the measure. This does not evidence oversight of the record or discussion with the young person about their understanding of the incident and whether they wish to make an independent complaint.

p.2

This monitoring visit

The registered manager has developed and improved the operation of the home from its starting point. Staff state that they feel supported by the registered Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2530437 3 manager and are learning from direction they receive in supervision and team meetings.

p.2

This monitoring visit

An external therapy provider assesses the young people living in the home and offers therapeutic support. Staff receive therapeutic training and clinical guidance. This improves their understanding and care provided to young people. The registered manager embeds this therapeutic approach into the ethos of the home.

p.3

This monitoring visit

The registered manager has completed her first review of the care provided and she has an action plan in place. She has worked hard to engage with young people’s families, neighbours, and partner agencies. The registered manager has not evidenced consultation and feedback within the report. She does not, therefore, evaluate and consider actions in response which could further improve the quality of care provided. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2530437 4

p.3

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.

p.4

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that— 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")— has spoken to the user about the measure; and has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and 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)(b)(i)(ii)(c)) 15 January 2021

p.4

Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating— the quality of care provided for children; the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children. The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (2)(a)(b)(c)(5)) 15 January 2021

p.4

Recommendations

 The registered person should consider incidents that are likely to be considered serious affecting the welfare of a child and judge whether their Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2530437 5 cumulative effect makes notification appropriate even if in isolation each event would not warrant this. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.11)  The provider must ensure that staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. Where there are safeguarding concerns for a child, their placement plan, agreed between the home and their placing authority, must include details of the steps the home will take to manage any assessed risks on a day to day basis. ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 42, paragraph 9.5) This is in relation to maintaining a log to evidence when staff

p.4

Recommendations

follow a mobile phone risk assessment and complete device checks.

p.5

Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000.

p.5

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Monarch Intervention Services Ltd

p.5

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: D J H Accountants Ltd, Porthill Lodge, High Street, Wolstanton, Newcastle, Staffordshire ST5 0EZ

p.5

Inspector

Joanna Warburton, social care inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2530437 6 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.

p.5

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.6

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.6

Inspector

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

p.6