Children's home run by D & J Care Services-Residential Limited

Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four young people with emotional and/or behaviour difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and the manager registered in July 2020.

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Information about this children’s home

Previous inspection date: Not previously inspected

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Information about this children’s home

Previous inspection judgement: Not previously inspected

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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:

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Information about this visit

 children are well cared for  children are safe  leaders and managers are exercising strong leadership. 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

We did not identify any serious or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance visit. Assurance visit report: 2557141 2

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The care of children

The home has admitted two young people since registration. Both young people have settled well and are making progress despite a difficult history prior to moving into the home. Feedback from placing social workers supports this. One social worker commented, ‘She has made an amazing transformation from her previous frequency of missing episodes to a calmer individual since being placed at the home.’

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The care of children

A young person told the inspector that they are happy and proud of their home. Young people recently decorated their living room with a Christmas tree they had chosen.

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The care of children

Despite the short period of time since registration, young people have formed close and trusting relationships with staff. This helps to support an open and honest culture and a ‘family’ style environment. This inspection noted young people actively seeking staff out for shared activities, such as cooking or choosing a new paint colour for their bedrooms.

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The care of children

The home’s effective safety procedures have limited the impact of the pandemic. There have been no recorded cases of COVID-19 for staff or young people. Staff work hard to explain to young people the dangers posed by COVID-19 and about the changing restrictions, particularly in relation to contact with family and friends.

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The care of children

Behaviour management is good. When incidents occur, staff give young people the opportunity to think through their behaviours and apologise, where appropriate. This offers some time for young people to reflect and work with staff to think through different coping strategies.

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The care of children

Educational attainment is mixed. This inspection notes young people enjoying access to the internet and television after refusing school. This limits motivation to engage in education.

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The care of children

Independent advocacy is lacking for young people. This has limited young people’s understanding of the care planning process and their access to specialist advice and guidance if required. Despite this, staff are proactive on behalf of young people, for example by pushing placing authorities to provide taxi transport to support school attendance.

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The safety of children

Risk assessments and care plans are child centred and offer clear guidance on appropriate behaviour management strategies. Risk assessments require more information regarding specific timescales for planned work and subsequent review. In addition, plans and assessments do not yet reflect key local authority documents, such as young people’s annual statutory health check. This will allow the home to evaluate progress and safeguard effectively. Assurance visit report: 2557141 3 Multi-agency work is effective. Risks such as child sexual exploitation are identified early and regular meetings with key agencies, including the local police, ensure the swift sharing of concerns.

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The safety of children

The home follows an established missing-from-care procedure and staff attempt to trace young people’s whereabouts through close liaison with family and friends. Despite this, the home does not monitor the provision of independent return home interviews or evaluate the level of missing behaviour effectively. This limits a full assessment of an important area of risk.

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The safety of children

Key-work sessions allow young people to think through their behaviours and develop their own positive solutions. These new skills help young people to rebuild their self- confidence and reduce risk-taking behaviours, such as self-harm.

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The safety of children

Staff enjoy good levels of training that is relevant to the needs of young people. Staff creatively address key areas of risk, including criminal exploitation, by effective means such as role-play exercises.

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Leaders and managers

Management of the home is stable. The registered manager is well respected by outside professionals and staff. A placing social worker referred to her importance and ‘nurturing qualities’.

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Leaders and managers

Succession planning is lacking in the home. The deputy manager left the home in November 2020, leaving the registered manager without effective support or a designated deputy. This leaves young people potentially vulnerable at key times of risk, such as weekends.

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Leaders and managers

Managers have been open and honest throughout the inspection. They are rightly proud of their initial progress made in forming a new staff team. They remain focused on a realistic and achievable service development plan.

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Leaders and managers

Staff morale is positive. Staff are excited by their work at the home and the progress achieved by young people. Staff correctly feel that the staff team is working consistently in the best interests of young people.

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Leaders and managers

Admissions to the home are well planned. Managers carefully risk assess referrals and arrange an introductory visit to assess suitability. This helps to preserve stability within the home. Assurance visit report: 2557141 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 education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(v))

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Requirement Due date

This is with reference to ensuring that the home restricts access to the internet and to televisions in bedrooms during school hours. 1 April 2021

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff take account of information provided by return home interviews following episodes when a child has been missing from care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30)  The registered person should ensure that when a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, the responsible local authority provides an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. Homes should take account of information provided by such interviews when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30) Assurance visit report: 2557141 5  The registered person should ensure that are kept detailing all individual incidents when children go missing from the home (regulation 36, schedule 3 (14)). This

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Recommendations

information should be shared with the placing authority and, where appropriate, with the child’s parents. Evaluation of episodes when children go missing should be undertaken to identify any gaps in training, skills or knowledge for staff or to record and retain evidence of what worked well. This evaluation should inform the review of the quality of care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, pages 45 and 46, paragraph 9.31)  The registered person should ensure that the home has a plan in place to maintain effective management when the manager is absent, off duty or on leave. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.20)  The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policy on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. In particular, ensure that care plans and risk assessments include

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Recommendations

planned direct work and dates for review. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that children have access to appropriate advocacy support and, where possible, this should be provided by a person that the child chooses. Children looked after are entitled to an independent advocate to advise them and ensure they have the support needed to express their views, wishes and feelings about their care and lives. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.16)

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: D & J Care Services-Residential Limited

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Inspectors

Barnaby Dowell, Social Care Inspector Andy Whippey, Social Care Inspector Assurance visit report: 2557141 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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