Children's Home run by Choices 4 Children Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC400880 1 SC400880

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Choices 4 Children Ltd

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 provides care and accommodation for children and young people with learning disabilities, and emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. Up to four children or young people can be accommodated in the main house and up to two children or young people in the extension to the main house.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been registered since 2014.

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This monitoring visit

The purpose of the visit was to review progress made by the staff team since their last inspection, in July 2019. A safeguarding notification has also been received by Ofsted in relation to a whistle-blowing concern, which alleged a child had been assaulted by a staff member working in the home.

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This monitoring visit

Some staff have failed to use the home’s whistle-blowing procedures appropriately. There has been a significant delay in staff reporting their concerns about the alleged assault to the registered manager. Furthermore, the child has not been taken for a child protection medical to investigate any potential injuries.

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This monitoring visit

An internal company investigation has addressed the concerns raised and steps have been taken by senior managers to improve staff’s safeguarding practice. Multi- agency investigations concluded that no further action would be taken. Mediation work with staff involved in the investigation process has not yet been undertaken by the manager. This is essential to ensure that staff work together safely and consistently as a team.

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This monitoring visit

The home’s safeguarding policy has been reviewed and gives clear guidance on the action staff should take if they have concerns about staff conduct or a child’s welfare. Staff spoken to demonstrated they understood the importance of reporting Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC400880 2 any concerns immediately, escalating their concerns if suitable action is not taken to safeguard a child, and seeking prompt medical assessment for a child with potential injuries.

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This monitoring visit

Staff said they feel confident using the whistle-blowing policy and reported that the senior leadership team promote an open-door culture. Staff feel supported by the management team. As part of the investigation outcomes, all staff have completed additional training in relation to whistle-blowing, signs of abuse, the purpose of the designated officer, reporting and recording.

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This monitoring visit

Children appeared happy and relaxed in their home. Children spoken to said that they trust staff to keep them safe. Children feel listened to and told the inspector that they know how to make a complaint or tell someone if they feel unhappy. Staff’s interaction with children is nurturing and reflects the positive relationships that children say they have with the staff team.

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This monitoring visit

Children’s independent reviewing officers reported that, generally, children are safe at the home. Professionals reported that there is a ‘family feel’ to the home and that the staff are really attuned to children’s needs. Some professionals highlighted the importance of the staff team continuing to work consistently with specialist mental health services and therapists, to improve staff’s understanding of children’s needs.

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This monitoring visit

The core staff team have all completed up-to-date training courses in safeguarding children with learning disabilities and behaviour management. That said, the registered person should ensure that agency staff used routinely in the home have also been adequately trained in the use of restraint.

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This monitoring visit

Restraint records are comprehensive and demonstrate that children always engage in debriefs. Children who are non-verbal are encouraged to share their feelings using their preferred method of communication. Restraint records provide a thorough evaluation as to whether the restraint used is proportionate and effective. However, this is completed by the deputy manager. There is no oversight by the registered manager to demonstrate that he has assessed the appropriateness of the restraint or used reflective practice to identify any lessons learned.

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This monitoring visit

Staff lock some internal doors as part of daily routines and behaviour management. Children should be able to access all shared areas of their home, unless there are specific significant risk factors identified in a risk assessment that is kept under regular review with the child’s social worker. This needs to be considered and implemented.

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This monitoring visit

The manager’s oversight of children’s risk assessments is not robust. Risk assessments do not include appropriate guidance for staff to follow in relation to seeking medical advice or emergency treatment for children who are at risk of self- harm. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC400880 3 Behaviour management plans are written from children’s perspectives. They provide staff with clear guidance about strategies that should be used to support children and strategies that should be avoided. Individual plans also set out any agreed restraint techniques to be used with children, as a last resort.

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This monitoring visit

The requirements and recommendations raised at the last visit were not looked at during this visit. Therefore, they remain requirements and recommendations until the home’s next inspection.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 19/06/2019 Full Good 20/06/2018 Full Outstanding 19/07/2017 Full Outstanding 11/01/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC400880 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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs;

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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.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person and staff must work closely with the placing authority so that children are supported and enabled to resume full-time education as soon as possible. When no education has been put in place by the placing authority, the registered person must challenge them to meet the child’s needs under regulation 5. 28 June 2019

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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

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm; 6 May 2021 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC400880 5 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

(Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person should ensure that all staff understand the importance of the immediate use of the whistle-blowing policy should they have concerns about a colleague’s practice towards a child. All staff should read and understand the safeguarding and whistle-blowing policy prior to working directly with children and young people. Where it is alleged that a staff member or professional working with a child has assaulted or injured a child, the registered person should ensure that the child attends a child protection medical examination immediately.

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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

In particular, ensure that staff have opportunities to develop their knowledge and skills in using evidence-based approaches to understand each child’s behavioural and 31 July 2019 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC400880 6 emotional needs and provide children with the help they need when they having a difficult time with their emotions.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that staff are supported to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that every member of staff, including agency staff, is adequately trained in the home’s preferred approach to managing children’s behaviour, including restraint techniques appropriate to the needs of children in their care.

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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 work as a team where appropriate;

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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.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should complete a thorough and in-depth review and analysis of every serious incident and use of control, discipline and restraint: to ensure that the measure used is appropriate and proportionate; to identify any learning from the incident to develop a better understanding of the child’s needs; and to identify effective practice and respond promptly where any issues or trends of concern emerge.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person should ensure that risk assessments contain appropriate guidance for staff to follow in relation to seeking medical advice and emergency treatment for children who are at risk of self-harm. 6 May 2021 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC400880 7 The registered person should ensure that staff working relationships are positive and that staff work together in line with the safeguarding policies of the home.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that records of staff supervision and performance reviews should include a clear and detailed plan showing the actions to be taken by the member of staff and their supervisor to develop the member of staff’s learning, development and performance. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.3)  The registered person should ensure that information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child and contributes to the understanding of their lives. In particular, staff should keep informative records of children’s activities, which show in detail what children did and how they enjoyed the experience, and the impact on the quality of their lives and physical, emotional and social development. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that, just as in a family home, children should be able to access all shared areas of their home unless there are specific reasons why this would not meet a child’s needs. Any decisions to limit a child’s access to any area of the home and any modifications to the environment of the home must only be made where this is intended to safeguard the child’s welfare. All decisions should be informed by a rigorous assessment of that individual child’s needs, be properly recorded and be kept under regular review. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.10)  The registered person should ensure that all their staff have been adequately trained in the principles of restraint and any restraint techniques appropriate to the needs of the children the home is set up to care for as defined in the home’s statement of purpose. Specifically, this includes agency staff members who work

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Recommendations

in the home on a regular basis. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 49, paragraph 9.57)

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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: SC400880 8

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Inspector

Cheryl Field, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC400880 9 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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