Children's Home run by Step Up Children and Family Services Ltd in Essex

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1271182 1

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Foundations Children and Family Services Limited

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is run by a private organisation and provides care for up to five children aged from eight to 17 who have experienced trauma.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in July 2020.

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This monitoring visit

The home was judged to be good at the last full inspection, which was carried out on 4 December 2019.

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This monitoring visit

The home experienced an unsettled period during the first national lockdown due to COVID-19 (coronavirus) in 2020, which resulted in unplanned endings for two children. A third child moved on from the home at the end of December 2020. This was because of the child setting a fire in their bedroom. Staff responded to this incident appropriately. The purpose of this visit was to look the home’s referral and matching process. Due to lockdown restrictions, the visit took place remotely.

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This monitoring visit

At the time of the visit, two children were living at the home. One child moved into the home in August 2020, the other child moved into the home the day before this visit.

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This monitoring visit

The manager joined the home in March 2020. Within weeks, due to risks associated with COVID-19, the manager had to carry out her role from home. The manager said that this inevitably affected the relationships that she was able to build with the staff team and children. Management oversight of events at this time was limited, due to her physical absence from the home.

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This monitoring visit

The matching of two children during that time did not have a positive outcome. The children formed a strong alliance and regularly went missing together. There were concerns that both children were vulnerable to criminal exploitation. The staff acted Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1271182 2 in line with missing-from-home protocols to find and return the children safely to the home. The manager shared indicators of exploitation with the relevant professionals. As a result, both children were moved on to different locations.

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This monitoring visit

The staff and manager have gained an increased knowledge about the risks in the area and the establishments that children could easily travel to. These are not reflected in the location risk assessment. This means that this important information may not be available to help identify the risks posed to children in the community or when assessing the suitability of the location for a new referral.

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This monitoring visit

The manager undertakes impact risk assessments to inform decisions about whether the home can meet a child’s needs. These assessments focus on the potential dynamic and relationships between children at the home. The assessments identify risks, but do not always state clearly the actions that staff must take to minimise these.

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This monitoring visit

Similarly, the manager undertakes individualised risk assessments that outline the support that the staff should provide to children. However, these assessments do not always contain clear enough guidance to sufficiently reduce the risks. When specific measures are stated clearly in the risk assessment, for example the duration of welfare checks, staff’s recording does not always evidence that these measures have been followed.

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This monitoring visit

The staff generally carry out fire checks within the required timescales. However, there was one week when these did not take place. Checks identified that the fire door on a child’s bedroom needed to be repaired. This was not rectified for nearly one month.

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This monitoring visit

The manager has continued to work at the home during the COVID-19 national restrictions. She demonstrates a good knowledge of the children’s needs and capabilities of the staff team. This strengthens the matching process.

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This monitoring visit

The manager has made progress with some areas of improvement that were identified at the last inspection. These include implementing a missing-from-home protocol and accessing additional training for staff to improve their knowledge of county lines and exploitation.

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This monitoring visit

Not all the requirements and recommendations from the last inspection were looked at during this visit. These will therefore be reinstated. A further requirement has been identified at this visit in relation to fire checks and maintenance. Recommendations have been made in relation to strengthening risk assessments and record-keeping. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1271182 3

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 04/12/2019 Full Good 08/08/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1271182 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 positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour.

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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

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(v)) 27 February 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

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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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)) 27 February 2021

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Requirement Due date

If the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005(1) applies to the home— 12 February 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1271182 5 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))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that when fire equipment is identified as needing repair that this is carried out quickly, and that fire checks are carried out at the required frequency.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2.

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) ("the Level 3 Diploma"); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home; or

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016. 27 February 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1271182 6 (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(d) (4)(a)(b) (5)(a)(b))

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children are offered a wide range of activities both inside and outside of the home (when appropriate) and are encouraged to participate in those activities. Staff should support children to take part in school trips, out of school and other clubs, volunteering and leisure activities. (Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards, page 31, paragraph 6.5)  The registered person should ensure that risk assessments are clear and consistently provide staff with clarity regarding the arrangements in place to protect children and the steps that they must take to manage any assessed risks on a day-to-day basis. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.4)  The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective

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Recommendations

and clear recording. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should review the appropriateness and suitability of the location and premises of the home at least once a year. The review should include the identification of any risks and opportunities presented by the home’s location and strategies for managing these. (Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.1)

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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: 1271182 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Foundations Children and Family Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 742 New Hey Road, Huddersfield HD3 3YQ

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Inspector

Paula Edwards, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1271182 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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