Children's home run by Care Perspectives Ltd

Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2547918 1

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Care Perspectives Ltd

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home provides care for up to three children with learning and/or physical disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since 12 March 2020.

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Information about this children’s home

Two children are currently living at the home.

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This monitoring visit

This visit was carried out using a blended approach. This included inspectors spending some time at the home and continuing the inspection remotely. This approach was necessary due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. Inspectors examined a sample of documents, conducted interviews with the staff and spent time talking to the children. Feedback was also secured from the children’s placing local authorities.

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This monitoring visit

This visit raised serious concerns in respect of the safeguarding of children living at the home. As a result of the concerns, Ofsted has issued a restriction of accommodation notice that prevents any new admissions to the home. This came into effect from 5 February 2021 and will remain in place for up to 12 weeks. In addition, two compliance notices have been issued under regulation 12 and regulation 13.

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This monitoring visit

Staff do not take prompt action to safeguard children’s vulnerabilities by recognising potential risks. As a result, situations escalate and children are placed at risk of harm. For example, on two occasions, one child was able to gain access to an electrical fuse box, placing himself and others at significant risk.

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This monitoring visit

Staff have failed to identify potential risks. This failure has resulted in one child being able to access items such as knives and hammers, which have been used to threaten Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2547918 2 staff. The child has also broken and damaged items. For example, on one occasion, the child kicked the office door and, as a result of this, the door frame came off and hit the child on the forehead, causing them to bleed.

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This monitoring visit

Staff do not always supervise children in line with their care plans or show enough professional curiosity when children are on the computer. For example, one child can be left alone for significant periods of time playing on a computer game, despite his care plan stating that he should have one-to-one staffing. As a result of the lack of oversight, children are not safeguarded effectively.

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This monitoring visit

Managers have failed to fully assess children’s needs prior to children moving into the home. One child told the inspector that he feared another child who had tried to attack staff with a knife. In addition, managers have not considered the skills of staff and their ability to meet children’s complex needs. Two children have left the home quickly after arriving as staff could not meet their needs and the level of risk one child posed to another.

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This monitoring visit

Managers have failed to ensure that all staff receive training in areas such as infection control, responding to complaints, awareness of autism spectrum disorder and learning disabilities, countering bullying, equality and diversity, managing allegations and reporting and recording. Consequently, staff have not had the opportunity to keep their knowledge, skills and competence up to date.

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This monitoring visit

The physical environment of the home in some areas is poor. For example, children’s bedrooms require redecoration.

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This monitoring visit

One child with additional needs was expected to self-isolate in his bedroom for 10 days following a positive test for COVID-19. The child’s social worker was not consulted.

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This monitoring visit

Managers have failed to review and update the home’s statement of purpose and to meet all requirements set out within schedule 1 of the children’s homes regulations. Consequently, information about the home is not clear to those who need it.

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This monitoring visit

Staff records also do not meet schedule 4 of the children’s homes regulations. Consequently, essential details about staff are missing from records.

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This monitoring visit

Management oversight of recording and reporting is poor. The manager has failed to address practice-related issues highlighted in records. As a result, poor staff practice has continued and goes unchallenged.

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This monitoring visit

There is poor management oversight of raised complaints and this means that managers do not have a full extent of any potential shortfalls in practice. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2547918 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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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

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably. (Regulation 6 (1) (2)(b)(vii)) 12 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—

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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; 28 February 2021 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2547918 4 take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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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)(i)(ii)(iii)(vi)(b))

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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

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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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)(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

that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)) 12 March 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement ("the statement of purpose") which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1.

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and 12 March 2021 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2547918 5 notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (1) (3)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4. (Regulation 37 (2)(a)) 12 March 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation. (Regulation 39 (3)) 12 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

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there. (Regulation 40 (4)(c)) 12 March 2021

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children. (Regulation 45 (2)(a)(b)(c)) 12 March 2021

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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 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: 2547918 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Care Perspectives Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 36 Frederick Street, Loughborough LE11 3BJ

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Christine Atkinson-Rose

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Inspectors

Ann-Marie Jones, Social Care Inspector Mrs Debbie Holder, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2547918 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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