Children's Home run by Enhanced Young Persons Care Limited in Gateshead

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2602558 1

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Enhanced Young Persons Care Limited

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and managed by a private provider. It provides care and accommodation for up to seven children and/or young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager and the home registered in August 2020.

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This monitoring visit

This visit included on-site and off-site activity and was carried out to investigate potential breaches of regulations following information being shared with Ofsted. The home has not been visited previously.

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This monitoring visit

The visit was to address concerns regarding whether transitions into the home are managed effectively and whether children are kept safe.

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This monitoring visit

Impact risk assessments do not consider how the known vulnerabilities of children may potentially impact on each other, or how these risks could be mitigated. Aspects of the impact risk assessments are generic, which fails to make an assessment on an individual basis as to whether children are suitably matched, or whether the risks can be managed effectively.

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager has served urgent notice on a child a week into their placement. This added to multiple previous transitions and unsettling experiences, which has given the child a poor experience of being in care.

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This monitoring visit

Risk assessments are not updated following significant incidents, such as when a child has displayed serious self-harm. There is often no risk strategy identified for known vulnerabilities, which means that staff do not have guidance to follow to help them understand how to keep the child safe. A serious known risk for one child, of Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2602558 2 swallowing small objects, is not included in their risk assessment. This has contributed to the child experiencing repeated incidents, which exposes them to a serious risk of harm.

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This monitoring visit

Care planning for one child is poor and has resulted in this child’s needs not always being met. Significant information provided by the placing authority is not included in the child’s care plan. This severely limits the possibility of staff to understand the difficulties that the child faces. The care plans do not always include strategies for staff to use to support the child, which contributes to the child receiving a poor standard of care.

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This monitoring visit

Staff support children with complex health needs to access services, escalating their concerns to reduce waiting times for children to see a specialist. A child commented regarding their health being supported, ‘The staff have gone above and beyond for me.’ Such action by staff shows children that good health is important and helps children to feel valued.

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This monitoring visit

Behaviour management strategies used are not always appropriate. At times, staff lock an internal door to keep the children separate from each other, for example when a child becomes distressed. This segregation creates an institutional atmosphere for children, which fails to support their well-being.

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This monitoring visit

There are several occasions of there being significant delay in notifying Ofsted of safeguarding concerns. If the regulator is not notified, it cannot monitor the practice of safeguarding in the home.

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This monitoring visit

The manager has failed to ensure that there are effective monitoring systems in place. The manager has failed to identify shortfalls in the quality of care provided or understand the impact that this has on children’s experience and progress. The manager has not implemented a suitable action plan to address these shortfalls.

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This monitoring visit

Poor leadership and management has resulted in serious failings. The responsible individual had recognised some of the shortfalls and had tried to address these through supervision with the registered manager. However, the lack of improvement has contributed to one child experiencing poor and unsafe care.

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This monitoring visit

Following this visit, Ofsted issued a restriction of accommodation to prevent any other children being admitted into the home. Three compliance notices are issued under regulations 6, 12 and 13 to address serious concerns relating to the care planning arrangements and protection of children, and widespread failings with the leadership and management of the home. A further three requirements are issued to address other shortfalls.

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Recent inspection history

Not previously inspected Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2602558 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, the 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—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child's relevant plans, taking account of the child's background. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(ii)(iv)) 28 February 2021

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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

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm; 28 February 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2602558 4 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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi))

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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;

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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)(a)(f)(h)) 28 February 2021

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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

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home; 28 March 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2602558 5 manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; and

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Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and

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Requirement Due date

allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (b)(c)(ii)(iii)(iv)) 28 February 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child—

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious.

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Requirement Due date

A notification made under this regulation—

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Requirement Due date

must include details of— 28 February 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2602558 6 the matter;

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Requirement Due date

the other persons, bodies or organisations (if any) who or which have been notified;

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Requirement Due date

and any actions taken by the registered person as a result of the matter;

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Requirement Due date

must be made or confirmed in writing. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e) (5)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(b))

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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 investigate potential breaches of regulations.

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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: Enhanced Young Persons Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 1 Fox Street, Sunderland Road, Gateshead NE10 0BD

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Christopher Tague

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Inspector

Paula Kelly, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2602558 7 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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Inspector

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