Children's Home run by Discovered Limited in West Northamptonshire

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2545027 1

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Discovered Limited

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home offers care for two children/young people with social and emotional difficulties. The home is owned by a private company.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since the home was registered in September 2019.

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This monitoring visit

Ofsted is aware of the challenges that COVID-19 (coronavirus) is currently posing to those we regulate. During the visit, the inspector took into consideration the impact of any measures being taken to slow the spread of COVID-19 by the home. The inspectors balanced this with safeguarding duties. This monitoring activity was carried out through a combination of remote and on-site activity.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit was carried out following two anonymous complaints received by Ofsted. The complainants stated that staffing arrangements were not sufficient to meet the needs of children.

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This monitoring visit

Very high staff turnover has meant that the workforce has not offered continuity of care for children. For example, every member of staff who was working at the home from September 2020 has now left, except for the registered manager. Despite inconsistency in staffing, children have formed some positive and trusting relationships with staff. Children say that they value these relationships.

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This monitoring visit

The statement of purpose (SOP) for this home states that: ‘The placement aims to offer specialist care and treatment and management by a highly skilled team made up of registered manager, residential care practitioners, and psychologists, child and adolescent psychiatrists, occupational therapists and other specialist therapists.’ However, the home does not have access to a psychiatrist or mental health nursing staff. In addition, the SOP says that specialist educational support Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2545027 2 will be provided to children. One child has been in placement since November 2020 and is still not accessing education.

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This monitoring visit

Staff are not appropriately qualified. The registered manager and one deputy manager have the required qualifications. The remaining 12 staff currently working at the home do not hold the required basic qualifications.

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This monitoring visit

Staff are also insufficiently trained. There is no evidence that staff have received training in any specialist therapeutic care or treatment. Most staff have not completed first-aid training. In addition, staff have restrained children despite the fact that they have not undertaken restraint training. In at least one incident, a child has complained that the restraint was not carried out appropriately.

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This monitoring visit

In three incidents, concerns about staff practice have not been reported to relevant safeguarding agencies in a timely manner. This had the potential to hinder safeguarding investigations and delay actions that might be needed to protect children.

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This monitoring visit

Recruitment processes are not fully in line with regulation. For example, the assessment of a staff member’s previous employment history had not been fully completed several months after they started work in the home. The registered manager has not been involved in the recruitment of staff because the organisation uses a recruitment agency to supply staff. As a result, the registered manager is unable to verify that appropriate vetting has been carried out.

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This monitoring visit

Local authority escalation processes have not been used successfully. A child, who is particularly vulnerable to risks associated with internet use via her mobile phone, always has access to her phone. Staff are not monitoring the child’s online activity and are not aware of who is paying for the costs associated with the use of the phone. Although the manager has regularly communicated her concerns about the phone to social workers, this has not resulted in the development of appropriate strategies to improve the child’s safety.

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This monitoring visit

The manager is resilient and she is supported by a core group of skilled staff. Together they demonstrate a genuine commitment to the children in placement. This commitment has shielded children from many of the home’s weaknesses and ensured that they feel valued. One young person has made particular progress in relation to her emotional health and well-being. She is also accessing education, and her social worker confirmed that she has become much safer since moving to the home.

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This monitoring visit

This visit found significant weaknesses in practice. However, despite these shortfalls, children are settled and there is evidence of progress. Ofsted has issued two compliance notices in order to promote rapid improvement in safeguarding practice and management arrangements. In addition to this, two requirements have been reset from the previous assurance visit. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2545027 3

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 30/12/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2545027 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—

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Requirement Due date

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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Requirement Due date

maintain regular contact with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child’s education and training and to maximise the child’s achievement;

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Requirement Due date

raise any need for further assessment or specialist provision in relation to a child with the child’s education or training provider and the child’s placing authority;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(v)(vi)(vii)(x))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that children are supported to access educational provision in a timely manner. 07/05/2021

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Requirement Due date

* The leadership and management standard is that the 07/05/2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2545027 5 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

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

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that there is an appropriately qualified and trained workforce that offers continuity of care to children.

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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 07/05/2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2545027 6 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

(Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff have the appropriate safeguarding skills, knowledge and experience to keep children safe.

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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;

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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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.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(a)(b)(d)) 07/05/2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2545027 7 In particular, ensure that any gaps in employment are fully explored and recorded before a person commences employment in the home.

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Requirement Due date

Subject to paragraph (6), the registered person must ensure that the home is at all times conducted in a manner which is consistent with its statement of purpose.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the employment of any person on a temporary basis at the children’s home does not prevent children from receiving such continuity of care as is reasonable to meet their needs.

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Requirement Due date

at all times, at least one person on duty at the home has a suitable first aid qualification.

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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

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child —

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, staff should notify relevant safeguarding 07/05/2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2545027 8 agencies of significant events and promote good lines of communication with key agencies.

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

seek to develop and maintain effective professional relationships with such persons, bodies or organisations as the registered person considers appropriate having regard to the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the children’s home is to provide care and accommodation.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager should develop strategies to promote effective escalation of concerns with safeguarding agencies. 07/05/2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered manager must undertake such continuing professional development as is necessary to ensure that the registered manager has the skills needed for managing the home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular the registered manager should ensure that they are up to date with core training within the home. 07/05/2021

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2545027 9

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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 address: 4-4a Blackburn Road, Accrington, Lancashire, BB5 1HD

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Inspector(s)

Bev Allison, Social Care Inspector Mrs Murty, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2545027 10 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(s)

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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