Children's home run by Continuum Support - Care Services Limited

Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2593261 1

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Continuum Support – Care Services Limited

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a private company. It is registered to care for up to two children who may experience social and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

A new manager is in post. She is currently applying to register with Ofsted.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit took place to consider the safety and robustness of admission and care planning for children who previously lived at the home. The recently submitted statement of purpose indicated that there are insufficient staff for the home to operate.

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This monitoring visit

No children are currently living at the home. The previous manager left the organisation shortly after the second child moved to new accommodation. Members of the staff team have left, are shielding due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), or are working in other homes owned by the provider.

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This monitoring visit

Children’s experiences and progress were affected by poor management decisions on the suitability of admissions and care planning. A child’s risks were not adequately assessed or considered in relation to the child already living in the home. As a result, children’s safety was compromised. They did not receive effective care that adequately met their needs, which affected placement stability.

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This monitoring visit

Records show that known risks were not adequately assessed. Consequently, there were no management strategies in place to guide the team’s practice. For example, both children were known to misuse cannabis and alcohol, and alcohol was found in a child’s bedroom, yet there were no risk management plans in place to address these concerns. However, the staff did follow risk management plans that were in Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2593261 2 place. For example, they followed all procedures when a child was missing from the home, and shared any associated concerns with external agencies.

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This monitoring visit

An agency waking night worker was employed following a serious safeguarding allegation. However, this did not prevent a child from entering the other child’s bedroom while the worker was reported to have fallen asleep. The incident was reported to other safeguarding agencies appropriately and the agency worker did not work further shifts. Nevertheless, children’s safety and well-being were compromised.

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This monitoring visit

Placement plans did not include how staff should support children’s individual needs. For example, one child was the subject of court proceedings. Plans did not consider how the staff should support her emotional well-being during this difficult time. Plans did not include updates on children’s progress, or show evidence of oversight and review by the previous manager. Therefore, children’s progress is difficult to measure.

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This monitoring visit

The relationship between the children deteriorated over time. A child assaulted the other child on two occasions. Records do not indicate that the staff implemented restorative action to help to improve the relationship between the children, and to help the perpetrator of the assaults to alter their behaviour.

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This monitoring visit

The external monitoring report by the independent person does not clearly state an opinion regarding the quality of safeguarding and promotion of children’s well-being. Independent monitoring did identify shortfalls in the quality of recording. Further training to address this shortfall did not take place due to staff leaving or being deployed elsewhere. Records of supervision did not identify if any planned meetings were not held, for example due to sickness. The internal review of the quality of care was submitted to Ofsted beyond the timescales of the regulation.

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This monitoring visit

Senior managers have completed a thorough review of the shortfalls that occurred, and are implementing an improvement programme. Pre-admission planning processes are now more robust, and include discussion with senior managers before any placement is offered. A new, experienced manager is in post, who is revising documents and procedures within the home. She is in the process of applying to register and is recruiting a new staff team. Senior managers are looking to recruit an alternative independent person to complete external monitoring. The provider is in the process of applying for a variation to temporarily close the home, so that a full staff team can be established and trained before any further children are admitted.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

Not previously inspected. Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2593261 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 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

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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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)(iii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that children are helped to understand, and take responsibility for, their behaviour towards others when this is unacceptable. This includes the use of restorative approaches to resolve conflicts between children. 23 April 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 23 April 2021 Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2593261 4 necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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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

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)(iv)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, all known risks should be assessed, and management strategies implemented to guide the staff team’s practice. Day-to-day care, including the use of waking night staff, must be effective in protecting children from harm.

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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

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

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for 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)(d)(f)(h)) 23 April 2021

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Requirement Due date

23 April 2021 Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2593261 5 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 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. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, pre-admission planning must be robust, and must carefully consider the matching of any new child with another child already living at the home. Placement plans should include how the staff are to meet the individual needs of each child, and should be reviewed to ensure that they remain effective.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that there is a recording system in place which clearly demonstrates that the staff are receiving supervision in line with the company’s policy. This system should indicate if there are reasons why supervision has not taken place, for example due to sickness. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.3)  The registered provider should ensure that the independent person includes a clear statement regarding their opinion about whether children are effectively safeguarded, and their well-being promoted, which is based on their assessment of the quality of the home’s care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.5)  The registered person should ensure that the review of the quality of care is completed at least once every six months, and that the report is sent in a

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Recommendations

Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2593261 6 timely manner. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.3)

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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: Continuum Support – Care Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Sinclair, 300 St Mary’s Road, Garston, Liverpool, Lancashire L19 0NQ

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Inspector

Karen Willson, social care inspector Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2593261 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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