Children's home run by Bristol City Council

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2586752 1

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Bristol City Council

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is run by the local authority and provides care for up to two children who have social and emotional difficulties. The manager has been registered with Ofsted for this home since it was registered on 1 December 2020.

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This monitoring visit

This visit was undertaken to review the two compliance notices issued at the last monitoring visit, on 3 February 2021. At the time of this monitoring visit, one child was living at the home.

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This monitoring visit

This visit was conducted remotely and included telephone discussions with the manager, three staff members and a social worker. In addition, the inspector reviewed records.

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This monitoring visit

Appropriate measures have been taken to address the compliance notice issued under Regulation 6: The quality and purpose of care standard. An action plan is being implemented and an audit of staff skills and training is in process. However, the senior leadership team has yet to collate the information from the audit to identify gaps in order to inform the training programme required.

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This monitoring visit

The majority of staff have now completed their mandatory training. In addition, many have completed training in order to have a better understanding of the sexual exploitation of children and how to meet the complex needs of children displaying harmful behaviours.

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This monitoring visit

The statement of purpose now reflects the type of children’s needs that can be met at this home. However, the document has some omissions before it can be deemed to fully meet Schedule 1 of The Children’s Homes Regulations 2015. For example, Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2586752 2 the statement of purpose requires updating with the correct names of the responsible individual and the children’s commissioner for England.

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This monitoring visit

Action taken to address the requirements listed in the compliance notice, Regulation 12: The protection of children standard is appropriate. The manager created a protection plan for all staff to follow in order to try to prevent a child from going missing from the home. Despite clear instructions within the plan, some staff failed to adhere to this. The disregard of the protection plan led to a child going missing from the home for 23 hours and being at risk of potential harm and exploitation. The manager has spoken with some of the staff to address this failing; however, this has not occurred sufficiently within a formal structure, such as supervision, and has yet to include all the relevant staff. Requirements for the protection of children and the leadership and management of the home remain.

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This monitoring visit

Since the last monitoring visit, leaders and managers made the decision to find an alternative home for one child as they accepted that staff were unable to meet their needs alongside the other child. The home is now calm for the remaining child. Planned improvements to the house include new carpets and some maintenance to improve the quality of soundproofing. The manager, staff team and social worker all report that the remaining child is making good progress in their personal and social development. Regular attendance at school is enhanced through staff providing support with homework.

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This monitoring visit

Staff speak positively about the recent training and they value the support and direction given by the registered manager.

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This monitoring visit

Ofsted will continue to monitor developments at this children’s home. The requirements will be reviewed at the next inspection.

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Recent inspection history

Not yet inspected as this is a newly registered setting. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2586752 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

Engaging with the wider system to ensure children’s needs are met

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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)) 5 March 2021

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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

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

treat each child with dignity and respect; 7 April 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2586752 4 provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand and manage the impact of any experience of abuse or neglect;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

provide to children personal items that are appropriate for their age and understanding; and

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Requirement Due date

make decisions about the day-to-day arrangements for each child, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans, which give the child an appropriate degree of freedom and choice;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home; and

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Requirement Due date

ensure that any care that is arranged or provided for a child that—

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Requirement Due date

relates to the child’s development (within the meaning of section 17(11) of the Children Act 1989) or health; and

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Requirement Due date

is not arranged or provided as part of the health service continued under section 1(1) of the National Health Service Act 2006(a),

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Requirement Due date

satisfies the conditions in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

that the care is approved, and kept under review throughout its duration, by the placing authority;

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Requirement Due date

that the care meets the child’s needs; Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2586752 5 that the care is delivered by a person who—

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Requirement Due date

has the experience, knowledge and skills to deliver that care; and

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Requirement Due date

is under the supervision of a person who is appropriately skilled and qualified to supervise that care; and

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Requirement Due date

that the registered person keeps the child’s general medical practitioner informed, as necessary, about the progress of the care throughout its duration. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(ix)(c)(i)(ii)(i)(ii) (3)(a)(b)(c)(i)(ii)(d))

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Requirement Due date

The provider is required to take urgent action to ensure that staff have the training and skills needed to meet each child’s needs. In addition, the provider is required to review the statement of purpose to ensure that each child moving into the home can be supported to meet their full potential and that staff can meet each child’s individual needs according to the child’s plans.

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding; 5 March 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2586752 6 help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child’s age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship;

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Requirement Due date

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust;

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Requirement Due date

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children;

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Requirement Due date

are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same;

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children;

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Requirement Due date

understand and communicate to children that bullying is unacceptable; and

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to recognise incidents or indications of bullying and how to deal with them; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(ix)(x)(xi)(xii)(xiii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to ensuring that staff take appropriate action to support children to reduce aggressive and distressing behaviours and to develop positive relationships, and to reassure them. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2586752 7 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;

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Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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Requirement Due date

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; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are located so that children are effectively safeguarded;

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health; and

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Requirement Due date

that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(c)(d)(e)) 7 April 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2586752 8 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

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

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

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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)(g)(i)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that staff have the skills, training and support to be able to meet the complex needs of children displaying harmful behaviours. 5 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; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. 5 March 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2586752 9 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home;

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Requirement Due date

manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority;

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed;

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Requirement Due date

that, subject to regulation 22 (contact and access to communications), contact between each child and the child’s parents, relatives and friends, is promoted in accordance with the child’s relevant plans;

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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—

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Requirement Due date

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)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(c)(d)(e)(i)(ii)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to the approach of leaders in responding to children with complex needs at time of crisis to deliver good-quality care. This includes ensuring appropriate matching of children to the staff skill set and the needs of other children. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2586752 10

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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 Ofsted undertook a monitoring visit on 3 February 2021.

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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: Bristol City Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Bristol City Council, Director of Legal Services, City Hall, College Green, Bristol, Gloucestershire BS1 5TR

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Inspector

Clare Davies, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2586752 11 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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