Children's home run by PIC Children’s Services in St. Helens

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC022440 1 SC022440

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PIC Children’s Services Limited

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned children’s home provides care and accommodation for one child with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There is no registered manager in post. The post has been vacant since 1 June 2020.

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Information about this children’s home

No children were spoken to as part of this visit, as they declined to engage with the process, and the visit was conducted with off-site activity.

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This monitoring visit

Following an escalation of concerns in safeguarding notifications, an urgent monitoring visit was undertaken. During this visit, significant shortfalls in the management of risk at the home and poor leadership and management were found. The provider has failed to make progress with requirements made at the assurance visit on 02 September 2020. As a result of these shortfalls, compliance notices have been issued under regulation 10, the health and well-being standard, regulation 12, the protection of children standard, regulation 13, the leadership and management standard and regulation 26, fitness of the registered provider.

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This monitoring visit

Inspectors found that the home’s arrangements to protect children from harm are not effective, and a child continues to be at risk of criminal exploitation. Risk management plans are ineffective because staff are not clear about the identified risk of criminal exploitation. This is despite the child being subject to local authority child exploitation multi-agency arrangements and recent arrests by the police as a result of the child being in possession of illegal drugs and unexplained amounts of cash.

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This monitoring visit

Risk management plans regarding exploitation and being missing from home do not contain effective strategies and guidance on how staff will manage these risks. The Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC022440 2 lack of attention to details leaves staff unclear about how to address concerns. In addition, strategies contained in the child’s plan are not effective. For example, staff are required to undertake daily room searches as part of strategies to manage criminal exploitation. Despite this agreed strategy, illegal drugs were found in the home by the police when they were conducting a search of the child’s bedroom following his arrest.

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This monitoring visit

The management team and staff have not supported the child to understand the risks that they are placing themselves at and how to keep themselves safe. For example, when the child is spending time away from the home, the staff do not know of his whereabouts or who he is with. Time spent away from the home is misunderstood as a reduction in risk. This has resulted in staff not reporting the child to the police as missing from home. As a result, the registered provider and staff do not have a good enough understanding of the impact this has on the quality of care being provided.

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This monitoring visit

One concern for the child is his cannabis misuse. The healthcare plan states that regular direct work is to take place to help him understand the risks of using cannabis. Inspectors found that direct work is taking place infrequently and that the quality of the records is poor, with little input from the child. As a result, there has been no reduction of the child’s cannabis misuse.

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This monitoring visit

The child self-administers prescribed medication for an ongoing skin condition. The staff at the home are not aware how often he takes his medication or if he takes this in line with his prescription. The self-administration risk management plan does not evidence that staff at the home have discussed the patient information leaflet with the child, or that he understands any side effects of the medication or any contra- indications of not using the medication in line with the prescribed directions.

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This monitoring visit

The child is currently not engaged in any education or training. The management team has not taken sufficient action to raise this with all relevant professionals or made appropriate referrals. As a result, the child has not engaged in any meaningful learning or training activity since October 2020. The social worker for the child told inspectors that this has had an impact on the child’s motivation and self-esteem, and there has been a decline in his educational progress.

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This monitoring visit

Staff who spoke to inspectors were positive when speaking about the child. They recognise the difficulties in engaging children with complex behaviours and have tried to be creative in building relationships with family members to try to improve engagement and understand more about the child’s life. The parent of a child was positive about the support and care delivered by the staff team.

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This monitoring visit

Inspectors found that not all staff have the skills, knowledge or training to effectively manage the behaviours and needs of the child. The staff team caring for the child is not trained in criminal exploitation despite this being the main risk to the child. Not all staff have sufficient skills and knowledge to engage the child, meet his needs and keep him safe. There has been a lack of stability in the staff team, meaning that the Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC022440 3 child is subject to inconsistent staff practice. Furthermore, professionals working with the child told inspectors that the child struggles to build positive relationships but identified one member of staff whom the child responded well to. Despite this, the manager did not ensure that this staff member was routinely working in the home.

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This monitoring visit

The home has not had a registered manager since June 2020. The current manager who is in day-to-day charge of the home told the allocated inspector that they are waiting for further information to apply to register. However, they later informed the inspector that they had already made the decision to step down from the post and are not applying for registration.

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This monitoring visit

The responsible individual is currently living in a different country. They do not visit the home. Therefore, the responsible individual was unable to demonstrate that they have sufficient senior management oversight of the care provided in the home or understand how children are being cared for safely.

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This monitoring visit

Inspectors found that the management team has failed to ensure that all information and records regarding the child’s care needs are available in the home. Records for the child, such as risk management plans and the healthcare plan, are not kept up to date and contain errors. As a result, staff do not have the most up-to-date information and guidance to safely support the child.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 09/03/2020 Interim Declined in effectiveness 27/11/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 22/11/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 22/08/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC022440 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 education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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

help each child who is above compulsory school age to participate in further education, training or employment and to prepare for future care, education or employment. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(ix)) 04 April 2021

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Requirement Due date

*The health and well-being standard is that the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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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

achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

understand and develop skills to promote the child’s well- being. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(iv)) 21 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— 21 March 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC022440 5 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

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

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)(a)(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 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

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

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to 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)(c)(e)(f)(h)) 21 March 2021

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Requirement Due date

An individual may only carry on a children’s home if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (5). 21 March 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC022440 6 A responsible individual must have the capacity, experience and skills to supervise the management of the home, or the homes, in respect of which the responsible individual is nominated. (Regulation 26 (1) (7)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if—

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Requirement Due date

there is no registered manager in respect of the home; and the registered provider—

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Requirement Due date

is not, or does not intend to be, in day-to-day charge of the home.

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Requirement Due date

If the registered provider appoints a person to manage the home, the registered provider must, without delay, give HMCI notice of—

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person so appointed; and

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Requirement Due date

the date on which the appointment takes effect. (Regulation 27 (1)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii) (2)(a)(b)) 04 April 2021

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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,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character; 04 April 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC022440 7 the individual has the appropriate experience, qualifications and skills for the work that the individual is to perform; and

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Requirement Due date

the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and

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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 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (‘case records’) for each child which are kept up to date; and

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(b)(c)) 04 April 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.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: PIC Children’s Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 2 North Street, Haydock, St. Helens, Merseyside WA11 0TW

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Inspectors

Jessica Forshaw, Social Care Inspector Lorna Schlechte, Her Majesty’s Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC022440 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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