Children's home run by Almond Care Children’s Services Ltd

Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2567607 1

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Almond Care Children’s Services Limited

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is run by a private provider. The home offers care and accommodation for up to five children and young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The purpose of this monitoring visit was to review the actions taken in response to significant shortfalls identified at the assurance visit to the home on 7 October 2020.

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This monitoring visit

Following an assurance visit on 7 October 2020, Ofsted issued a restriction notice to prevent additional children moving into the home until improvements were made. A compliance notice was also issued. The compliance notice required managers to take immediate steps to improve the safety and welfare of children. The home has complied fully with the restriction notice. The home has also addressed all the actions set out in the compliance notice. Improvements were identified as follows:

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This monitoring visit

 The new acting manager has a clear vision for the home. With the support of her leadership team, she has improved management systems and implemented a number of new procedures. A staff member noted that the home is now much better organised, saying: ‘We have a clear plan and all know what we are doing.’  Since the assurance visit, there has been a clear focus on staff training. The management team developed a bespoke training package. This has supported staff to safeguard children effectively. Staff have completed specialist training, providing them with the required skills and knowledge to care for the children well. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2567607 2  Risk assessments are improved. They provide clear written guidance for staff that helps them to minimise the risk of harm. Risk assessments are regularly reviewed and updated.  Children now feel safe and happy at the home.

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This monitoring visit

 There is better management oversight of incidents. Behaviour logs have been introduced and provide greater analysis of risk indicators. This helps managers to identify trends and emerging patterns in children’s behaviour. As a result, managers are able to anticipate and respond to children’s changing needs.  The home environment has been made safe for children.  Children’s wishes and views have been acted upon when making changes to the home. Children have been supported to personalise their bedrooms and other areas of the home, making it warm and inviting.  A new system for medication is being introduced. All staff have received training about administering medication. There have not been any medication errors since Ofsted last visited.

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This monitoring visit

Children currently have tutors who go into the home to deliver education. However, one child has been out of formal educational for a significant period of time. Children have not been supported in a timely manner to maximise their educational achievements.

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This monitoring visit

Previous requirements and recommendations were not considered at this visit and remain from the last inspection. These will be carried forward to the next full inspection. One new requirement was set in relation to education planning.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement N/A N/A N/A Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2567607 3

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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 care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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

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.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)) 1 January 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 promotes their welfare.

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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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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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 1 January 2021 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2567607 4 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)(a)(c)(f)(h))

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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— that staff—

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Requirement Due date

maintain regular contact with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child’s education and training and to maximise the child’s achievement.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(vi)) 1 January 2021

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Recommendations

 Registered persons should be aware that for children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. Children’s homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislation (alarms, food hygiene etc.); however, in doing so, homes should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than an ‘institutional’ impression (‘Guide to the Children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, Page 15, Paragraph 3.9)  Where children placed in a home are not participating in education because they have been excluded, or not on a school roll for some other reason, the registered person and staff must work closely with the placing authority so that the child is supported and enable to resume full-time education as soon as possible. In the interim, the child should be supported to sustain or regain their confidence in

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Recommendations

education and be engaged in suitable structured activities. If no education place is identified by the placing authority, the registered person must challenge them to meet the child’s needs. (‘Guide to the Children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, Page 28, Paragraph 5.15)  The registered person should support staff to be ambitious for every child in the home and to gain skills and experience that enable them to actively support each child to achieve their potential. To ensure staff can understand and can meet each child’s needs, in line with their responsibilities, the registered person themselves will need to have a high level of understanding of the needs of the Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2567607 5 children in their care (‘Guide to the Children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, Page 52, Paragraph 10.5)

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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 assurance visit.

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Information about this inspection

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

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Almond Care Children’s Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 4 Everitt Close, Wellingborough, Northamptonshire NN8 2QE

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Inspectors

Zoey Lee, Social Care Inspector Bev Allison, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2567607 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

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

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