Children's home run by CF Support Services Limited

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2532532 1

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CF Support Services Limited

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately run home provides care for up to two children who are in the care of the host local authority and who are unable to be accommodated in either mainstream residential care settings or a foster placement. The children may display unpredictable and harmful behaviours both to themselves and others and may be at greater risk of exploitation, school exclusion and offending.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered at the time of the home’s registration in July 2019.

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This monitoring visit

The visit took place to review the management oversight of the home and the care provided to the children, following concerns raised to Ofsted. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the visit was undertaken remotely. The visit focused on the specific concerns. Therefore, the requirements from the last visit have not been reviewed and are restated.

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This monitoring visit

The home was judged as good following an inspection in November 2019. A monitoring visit took place in November 2020.

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This monitoring visit

There are two children living at the home. No children have come to live at the home since the last monitoring visit and no children have moved on.

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This monitoring visit

New staff have come to work at the home. Some of the new staff are not experienced in working with vulnerable children. During the periods of COVID-19 restrictions, staff access training online to support them in their roles. Inductions and shadow shifts help staff to gain an understanding of how to support the children. The staff have regular supervision with their managers. There is an on-call system in place to support staff outside of core working hours. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2532532 2 Gaps in recruitment checks were identified during this monitoring visit. One staff member started working at the home before a reference was obtained. A full and comprehensive employment history with an explanation for gaps in employment was not available for some staff. The reasons for staff leaving previous employment with children were not always obtained. Managers acknowledged that there are gaps in

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This monitoring visit

some recruitment processes and have started to put in place measures to improve practice.

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This monitoring visit

The home is adequately staffed. However, some staff take on additional shifts in addition to their contracted hours. These additional shifts support other services that are run by the organisation. Staff take on additional shifts willingly, but the manager of this home does not monitor the number of additional hours that staff are working. This does not enable managers to review the impact of additional shifts on staff well-being and performance.

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This monitoring visit

Care plans and risk assessments set out the risks and vulnerabilities of the children. These documents are regularly updated. Staff have guidance on what to do to keep themselves and the children safe. However, one child’s risk assessment was not updated to reflect that smoking paraphernalia had been found in another child’s bedroom. The child whose risk assessment was not updated has a history of fire setting. Failure to update risk assessments about contextual risks could leave children and staff at risk of harm.

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This monitoring visit

The home has a policy to guide staff on how to reduce the likelihood of COVID-19 infection transmission. Staff are clear about what they need to do if they are exposed to someone who has the virus or if they become infected themselves.

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This monitoring visit

The manager takes appropriate action in line with local safeguarding processes when allegations are made against a member of staff. Matters are investigated appropriately, and children are protected from harm.

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This monitoring visit

Managers communicate with the children’s social workers and other relevant professionals to update them about incidents. However, Ofsted was not notified when one of the children was assaulted by a child who was visiting the home. Failure to notify serious incidents does not enable Ofsted to monitor the home effectively.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 11/11/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2532532 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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, obtain a child’s protection investigation outcome, meeting minutes and action plans. 30 March 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— that staff—

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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

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff understand and implement each child’s risk assessment; and

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Requirement Due date

that staff understand their roles in keeping children safe, particularly in respect of work on knife crime and peer-on- peer exploitation. 30 March 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2532532 4 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—

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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)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the risk assessments are concise and include clear information on behaviour management strategies and techniques to reduce risk; and

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Requirement Due date

ensure that respite risk suitability is assessed according to the child’s individual risks and needs and consider how the accommodation can meet those needs. 30 March 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

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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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. (Regulation 13 (1)(b) (2)(f))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, undertake a managerial review of missing-from- home episodes, emerging risks and the implications for practice and staff deployment. 30 March 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.

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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 the child’s placing authority is contacted, and a review of that child’s relevant plans is requested, if— 30 March 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2532532 5 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;

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Requirement Due date

the child is, or has been, persistently absent from the home without permission; or

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Requirement Due date

the child requests a review of the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(e)(i)(ii)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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. (Regulation 32 (2)(a) (3)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that all staff are suitably vetted. 30 March 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

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(b)) 30 March 2021

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Information about this inspection

The visit took place to review the management oversight of the home and the care provided to the children following concerns raised to Ofsted.

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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

Provision sub-type: Children’s home Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2532532 6 Registered provider: CF Support Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 11 Three Rivers Business Centre, Felixstowe Road, Foxhall, Ipswich IP10 0BF

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Joanne Henderson

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Inspector

Angela Weston, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2532532 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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