Children's Home run by BFG Together Limited in Nottingham

Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2591033 1

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BFG Together Limited

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care and accommodation for up to four children and young people, aged between 10 and 17 years, with emotional, behavioural and/or social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has been without a registered manager since November 2020. However, a manager is in post and is applying to be registered. One child was living at the home at the point of the monitoring visit. The home has not previously been inspected or visited.

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This monitoring visit

Ofsted is aware of the challenges that COVID-19 (coronavirus) is currently posing to those we regulate. During this monitoring visit, the inspector took into consideration the impact of any measures being taken by the home to slow the spread of COVID- 19. Monitoring of this home was carried out remotely.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit was carried out due to concerns arising from the notifications sent to Ofsted by the provider. The notifications identified significant issues relating to the protection of children. These issues included restraint practice and the consistency of staffing.

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This monitoring visit

Staff training requires improvement. Some staff have an appropriate qualification in residential childcare. However, not all staff, including senior staff, have received training in child protection and in physical intervention. This does not support staff in their work with children who have complex needs. New staff are not given time to understand the children’s care needs and risk assessments.

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This monitoring visit

Restraint techniques, although not frequently used, have been carried out by untrained and unqualified staff. The method used to restrain a child was not Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2591033 2 authorised by the home, and the restraint is recorded in an incident log. This underlines the need for trained staff and management oversight of restraint practice in the home. The staff team is relatively new. Poor restraint practice, combined with some new staff not being familiar with children’s risk assessments, means that children and staff are left vulnerable.

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This monitoring visit

Children’s plans do not identify all significant areas of risk. Key areas are missing, including children’s health and safety in the community and monitoring children’s use of social media. This poses a safeguarding and health risk to the children.

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This monitoring visit

When children go missing, there is no evidence of an independent return home interview. This means that there are missed opportunities to understand and reduce the risks posed to the children.

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This monitoring visit

Some aspects of leadership and management in the home have improved. A new manager and deputy manager are in post. They are supported well by their responsible individual. The staff team is now more consistent. This means that children can build better and more reliable relationships with a regular team of staff.

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This monitoring visit

The home’s statement of purpose has not been reviewed following changes to the home’s management structure. The statement of purpose does not set out the current ethos and objectives of the home.

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Recent inspection history

The home has not previously been inspected. Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2591033 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 health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met.

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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

understand the child’s health and well-being needs and the options that are available in relation to the child’s health and well-being, in a way that is appropriate to the child’s age and understanding. (Regulation 10 (1)(a) (2)(a)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that risk assessments are clear, including recognising children’s health needs. 26 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

that staff 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

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)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the staff’s lack of training in physical intervention practice, and the fact that improvement is needed in how physical intervention is recorded. 26 February 2021 Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2591033 4 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 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)(c)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the need for improved management oversight and the need to ensure that appropriate systems are in place to support the safe running of the home. 26 February 2021

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Recommendations

 When a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, the responsible local authority must provide the opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. Homes should take account of information provided by such interviews when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30)  Homes are required to develop and keep under review a Statement of Purpose. The home’s Statement of Purpose should be child focused, indicating how the home provides individual care to meet the Quality Standards for children in its care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.5) Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2591033 5

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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: BFG Together Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Castle Cavendish Enterprise Centre, 63–67 St Peters Street, Nottingham NG7 3EN

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Sharanjit Dosanjh

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Inspector

Simon Hunter, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2591033 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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