Children's home run by Positive Outcomes Childcare Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1227330 1

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Positive Outcomes Childcare Ltd

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A private company operates this home. The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three young people who may have social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has been without a registered manager since July 2019.

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This monitoring visit

Ofsted undertook a monitoring inspection of the home in response to concerns raised by the regulation 44 visitor, who identified that children were not effectively safeguarded in the home.

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This monitoring visit

Serious failings were found in respect of the safeguarding of children and the leadership and management of the home.

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This monitoring visit

Managers have failed to consider the known risks and vulnerabilities of children who move into the home in relation to the staff’s ability to keep children safe.

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This monitoring visit

Processes put in place to protect children are ineffective. The known risks associated with one child were not reflected in risk assessments. In addition, managers have failed to accurately assess the risks that children face or devise effective plans to manage these risks. The manager had assessed high-risk behaviours as medium risk on the home’s impact risk assessment.

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This monitoring visit

Managers have not ensured that essential paperwork is in place quickly enough to be of positive use. Managers have not ensured that they have all essential paperwork in advance of children’s admissions. In addition, managers have not ensured that the placing authority shares all relevant information with the home. For example, the local authority’s placement plan was insufficient to provide direction to Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1227330 2 staff regarding the placement aims and objectives. The managers failed to address this with the social worker.

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This monitoring visit

Staff do not effectively challenge unsafe activity. Staff have been unable to keep one child safe. On four occasions, he went missing from the home and on each occasion placed himself at significant risk of harm. Managers were aware of this risk prior to him moving into the home.

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This monitoring visit

Managers have not ensured that staff follow risk assessments. This has placed one child at risk. Staff have allowed the child to have access to a lighter, and on three separate occasions he attempted to set fire to items in the home. On one occasion, he is described as using an aerosol can and lighter to create a flame thrower in his bedroom. In addition, staff allowed a child to smoke in the garden, despite him being only 14 years old. This is contrary to the home’s statement of purpose.

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This monitoring visit

The manager described having significant concerns regarding the possibility of this child setting a fire at the home. Despite this, there were no waking night staff on shift and staff failed to ensure that immediate room searches were undertaken to remove items such as the lighter and aerosol can. Staff did not complete regular room searches as directed in the risk assessment. As a result, managers and staff do not manage risk-taking behaviour effectively, which places children at risk of further harm.

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This monitoring visit

One child was able to gain access to the staff office and obtain the code for the home’s internet. This was only discovered after he left the home. This again raises concerns regarding the quality of staff supervision in the home.

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This monitoring visit

Managers allowed the child unsupervised access to his laptop and the internet. The child was able to search maps of the local area. This meant that the child gained knowledge of the local area to assist him to go missing from the home.

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This monitoring visit

Another child moved into the home on 2 December 2020. This was an emergency admission and was not well planned. As a result, the home did not have access to all essential information from the child’s local authority. For example, the placement plan which should direct her care was not received until 10 December 2020.

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This monitoring visit

Managers have failed again with this child to accurately assess the risks and devise effective plans to manage these risks. Risk assessments fail to sufficiently capture all known risk behaviours, which leave staff without the key information to safeguard an extremely vulnerable child.

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This monitoring visit

The impact risk assessment failed to reflect the significant period the child had been missing from care, or that she had taken a class A drug, just prior to moving into the home. The manager assessed the risk of the child going missing from care and her vulnerability to child sexual exploitation to be reduced because this child was placed out of her home county. The child’s risk assessments did not reflect that associates Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1227330 3 from her community had been in touch with her offering to collect her from the home to aid her to go missing from care.

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This monitoring visit

Managers have failed to put in place effective strategies to reduce risk. There were no strategies in place for managing the child’s phone use and access to social media. The child had unsupervised access to her phone and staff were not undertaking any checks.

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This monitoring visit

The manager’s monitoring and oversight of the home is poor. The manager has failed to identify and address shortfalls in staff practice, for example when staff allowed the child to have a lighter, and failure to complete room searches when required. The manager has failed to ensure that the home’s paperwork is up to date and detailed. For example, the home’s placement plan for the child failed to highlight key concerns. The child’s health plan was insufficient as significant health information was not recorded. In addition, not all staff have read these key documents.

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This monitoring visit

Managers have failed to ensure that all staff complete important training. No staff were up to date with de-escalation and restraint techniques. In addition, not all staff have completed risk assessment training, substance misuse training, serious youth offending, child criminal exploitation training and fire safety training. This means that staff lack the knowledge to meet the specific needs of children placed in their care.

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This monitoring visit

Following this inspection, two compliance notices were issued under regulation 12 (the protection of children standard) and regulation 13 (the leadership and management standard). In addition, eight requirements were raised.

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This monitoring visit

As a result of the serious and widespread failings, Ofsted suspended the home’s registration on 11 December 2020 until 4 March 2021.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 11/11/2019 Full Good 07/11/2018 Full Good 24/07/2018 Full Inadequate 23/05/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1227330 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 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; 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; protect and promote each child’s welfare. Regulation 6 (1)(a)(2)(a)(b)(i)(ii) 17/01/2021

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that— the health and well-being needs of children are met; In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— understand the child’s health and well-being needs and the options that are available in relation to the child’s health and well-being, in a way that is appropriate to the child’s age and understanding. Regulation 10 (1)(a)(2)(ii) 17/01/2021

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard 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 17/01/2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1227330 5 necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child; have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm; take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)(iii)(vi) * The leadership and management standard The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that— In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the

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Requirement Due date

registered person to— ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child; use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. Regulation 13 (1)(2)(c)(d)(h)* 17/01/2021

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard 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; that arrangements are in place to— ensure the effective induction of each child into the home; that the child’s placing authority is contacted, and a review of that child’s relevant plans is requested, if— the registered person considers that the child is at risk of harm or has concerns that the care provided for the child is inadequate to meet the child’s needs. 17/01/2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1227330 6

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Requirement Due date

Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(b)(i)(e)(i) If the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005(a) applies to the home— the registered person must ensure that the requirements of that Order and any regulations made under it, except for article 23 (duties of employees), are complied with in respect of the home. Regulation 25 (2)(b)) 17/01/2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that— within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes— 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"). Regulation 35 (3)(a)(b) 17/01/2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if— there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. Regulation 40 (4)(e) 17/01/2021

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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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: 1227330 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Positive Outcomes Childcare Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Positive Outcomes Childcare Ltd, Suite 3 Churchill House Queen Street, Wellington, Telford, Shropshire TF1 1SN

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Inspectors

Debbie Holder, social care inspector Karol Keenan, social care inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1227330 8 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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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: http://www.gov.uk/ofsted

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