Children's Home run by Carlisle Mencap Ltd in Cumbria

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1247386 1

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Carlisle Mencap Limited

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered by a charitable organisation to provide care and accommodation under short-break arrangements for up to six children with learning disabilities and/or physical disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager is a qualified social worker. He has worked in the home for many years and has been registered since January 2017, following the organisation taking over the home’s management. Before this, he was also the registered manager for this former local authority run home.

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This monitoring visit

This visit was planned in response to the organisation’s request to Ofsted to reopen the home following a period of closure from May 2020 due to a serious safeguarding incident which occurred on 25 April 2020. On this occasion, a child became submerged in a bath, having been left unsupervised. This resulted in him requiring hospitalisation where he spent some time in a coma before recovering.

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This monitoring visit

The home appropriately alerted all relevant parties immediately. Upon notification, the local authority suspended its commission with the service so that the incident could be fully investigated, and take any necessary action. Ofsted, having consulted with the local authority and the charitable organisation, imposed a condition whereby the charitable organisation had to notify Ofsted three months before admitting any children. This was to ensure that confidence was restored in the home’s safeguarding arrangements before any children started to access the service again.

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This monitoring visit

Prior to this incident, a police investigation relating to an unexplained injury to another child was also ongoing. Both these matters have now been fully investigated and concluded with no further action being taken by the police. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1247386 2 The organisation had also closed the home briefly in March in response to the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. During this time, effective measures were put in place to manage infection control, to ensure that at least some children could still access the service safely. These measures have been consistently reviewed during this period of closure. This ensures that managers and staff are working in accordance with the latest government health guidance to promote their own safety as well as that of others coming into the home.

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This monitoring visit

Staff who have not been required to shield and isolate themselves during lockdown periods have remained actively involved at the home. They have worked together to review internal policies, procedures and processes to ensure that staff practice is not only safe but promotes optimum standards of care for children who enjoy short breaks.

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This monitoring visit

Managers and staff have also used this period of closure as an opportunity to upgrade and refurbish the property, and to ensure that all staff have undertaken necessary and refresher training relevant to the children they care for. This has included safeguarding children training as well as child-specific care needs, such as epilepsy awareness, emergency invasive medication administration, and safety in moving and handling children.

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This monitoring visit

Managers are still negotiating disciplinary hearings for two staff members who continue to be suspended following investigation. Managers plan to share outcomes from these disciplinary proceedings with both the local authority and Ofsted in due course.

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This monitoring visit

Throughout this period, despite the home not being open to children, independent external monitoring arrangements have been maintained, albeit that they have been carried out remotely by the home’s designated visitor. This has provided useful scrutiny of the developments that have taken place over this time and promoted transparency with Ofsted.

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This monitoring visit

Ofsted was recently notified of the registered manager’s absence from the home due to illness. Due to the uncertainty of his return date, the responsible individual has appointed the home’s deputy manager to manage the home during his absence. The deputy manager has the appropriate knowledge, qualifications and experience to fulfil this interim position having worked in the home for many years with the registered manager.

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This monitoring visit

During this visit, requirements resulting from the home’s previous inspection were also reviewed. These have all been met; some through staff training events and others through review and revision of procedures, processes and recording practices.

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This monitoring visit

Ofsted has made a further requirement as a result of this visit. This recognises that despite staff having identified risks associated with a child’s bathing routine, and Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1247386 3 plans being made to mitigate such risks, a child was not adequately protected from significant harm due adult supervision not being sufficient while he was bathing.

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This monitoring visit

Following this visit, Ofsted has decided to remove the notice period for admissions that was added to the home’s conditions of registration in May 2020.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 11/12/2019 Full Good 29/01/2019 Full Good 01/02/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness 18/07/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1247386 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—

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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

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

that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(v)(vii)(b)(e)) 4 January 2021

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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: 1247386 5

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Carlisle Mencap Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Carlisle Mencap Limited, Unit J3, Duchess Avenue, Kingmoor Park North, Carlisle CA6 4SN

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Inspector

Gillian Walters, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1247386 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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