Children's Home run by Homes 2 Inspire Limited in West Northamptonshire

Information about this children’s home

The home provides care for up to two young people who may have challenging behaviours and/or emotional difficulties. One child is currently living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

Previous inspection judgement: Sustained effectiveness

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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.

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Information about this visit

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 identified the following serious and widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance visit:

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Findings from the visit

 ineffective management arrangements; Assurance visit report: 2515380 2  high levels of staff turnover, preventing the child from forming trusting relationships with staff;  poor medication administration systems;  staff have failed to carefully monitor the child; as a result, they were not aware that she had left the house without permission at night;  lessons are not always learned from incidents;  staff do not receive regular professional supervision;  children do not have access to an independent advocate.

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The care of children

High staff turnover and changes within the staff team have resulted in a lack of consistency in the care provided for the child. Stable routines and consistent boundaries have not been established. The child does not feel that they are well cared for.

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The care of children

The child has not been supported to access an independent advocate, despite this being necessary.

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The care of children

Daily records do not contain all of the required information. Furthermore, language used within these records is not child centred and does not capture the journey of the child. Records are not written in a manner that will enable the child to reflect positively on the progress that they have made at the home.

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The care of children

Despite weakness in the care arrangements, some progress has been made. A core group of staff have demonstrated resilience and determination. This has enabled the placement to be maintained and has ended a pattern of repeated placement breakdown that the child had previously experienced. This is the longest placement that the child has had. There is evidence that the child is forming trusting relationships with some staff.

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The care of children

The child has been supported to make significant progress in education since being at the home, and is attending school five days a week. This follows a long period of time out of education.

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The safety of children

Medication errors were identified during the visit, but the manager had been unaware of these. The child had not been given prescribed medication as a result of these errors. In addition, the child has missed health appointments because staff have failed to take the child to these appointments. This shortfall occurred because of poor communication within the staff team.

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The safety of children

Staff have failed to protect the child from the risk of harm, due to poor supervision and a lack of vigilance. In one incident, the child was able to access money from the home’s office and use this money to engage in potentially harmful activity. Assurance visit report: 2515380 3 On more than one occasion, the child has been able to leave the home during the night, without staff being aware. As a result, the child has been able to place themselves at increased risk of harm. Lessons have not been learned from these incidents, increasing the risk of repeat incidents.

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The safety of children

The child’s risk assessments are not reviewed regularly and do not accurately reflect the current and changing needs of the child. Risk assessments and care plans are not reviewed following serious incidents. This means that lessons are not being learned to prevent a reoccurrence.

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The safety of children

Staff have failed to actively reduce the risks posed to the child and keep them safe. Shortfalls identified during this visit indicate that staff do not fully understand their roles and responsibilities in keeping the child safe.

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Leaders and managers

The registered manager has failed to implement effective monitoring and review systems to ensure that shortfalls are quickly identified and rectified. The registered manager has failed to evaluate the quality of care that is being provided for children. Risks are not well understood by staff and therefore children are not fully protected.

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Leaders and managers

During periods when the registered manager has been absent, interim management arrangements have also failed to identify shortfalls in practice. Actions that are identified in independent visitor’s reports are often not addressed in a timely manner, but are instead repeated and rolled over to the next visit. Because of the ineffective monitoring systems, poor practice has been allowed to continue.

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Leaders and managers

The registered provider has failed to ensure that all staff have the required training and skills to work with children who are at risk of sexual and criminal exploitation.

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Leaders and managers

Staff have not had regular professional supervision. When supervision has taken place, the records of this are poor. These records lack detail and do not demonstrate reflective learning. There have been delays in addressing performance management issues with staff through the supervision process. This was a missed opportunity for improvement.

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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. Assurance visit report: 2515380 4

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

develop positive relationships with them;

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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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

ascertain and consider each child’s views, wishes and feelings, and balance these against what they judge to be in the child’s best interests when making decisions about the child’s care and welfare;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to express views, wishes and feelings;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account, and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child;

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Requirement Due date

regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home’s care;

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Requirement Due date

is enabled to provide feedback to, and raise issues with, a relevant person about the support and services that the child receives;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that an explanation is given to each child as soon as reasonably practicable after the child’s arrival about—

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Requirement Due date

what advocacy support or services are available to the child, how the child may access that support or those services and any entitlement the child may have to independent advocacy provision; and 22 January 2021 Assurance visit report: 2515380 5 ensure that the views of each relevant person are taken into account, so far as reasonably practicable, before making a decision about the care or welfare of a child. (Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(b)(i)(iii)(d)(iii)(e))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the home providing a consistent and stable staff team. Additionally, the home must ensure that children have access to an independent advocate.

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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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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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

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(b)) 22 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 22 January 2021 Assurance visit report: 2515380 6 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

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 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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

14: 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.

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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 staff help each child to access and contribute to the records kept by the registered person in relation to the child. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) ((2)(f))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to effective care planning for the child from the point of placement through to leaving the home. Additionally, to ensure that the child’s daily records, including the language used and level of detail within these, are improved. 22 January 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular the registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

medicines kept in the home are stored in a secure place so as to prevent any child from having unsupervised access to them; 22 January 2021 Assurance visit report: 2515380 7 medicine which is prescribed for a child is administered as prescribed to the child for whom it is prescribed and to no other child; and

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Requirement Due date

a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child. (Regulation 23 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b)(c)) 22 January 2021

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Homes 2 Inspire Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Shaw Trust House, 19 Elmfield Road, Bromley, Kent BR1 1LT

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Angela Muchatuta

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Inspector

Zoey Lee, Social Care Inspector Assurance visit report: 2515380 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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