Children's home run by Silverlining Childcare Limited

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC458746 1 SC458746

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Silverlining Childcare Limited

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home provides care and accommodation for up to one child who may have experienced disruption in their lives and may have social and/or emotional difficulties. It is run by a small private partnership company.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has been without a registered manager since September 2018.

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This monitoring visit

On 20 and 21 October 2020, Ofsted undertook an assurance visit. The visit identified widespread and serious concerns. As a result, a notice of suspension was issued. Monitoring visits have, subsequently, been completed by Ofsted on 4 December 2020, 11 January 2021 and 2 March 2021.

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This monitoring visit

Following the monitoring visit on 11 January 2021, the notice of suspension was lifted and a notice of variation to the home’s registration was issued. This reduced the number of children that the home can accommodate from four children to one child.

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This monitoring visit

In addition, on 25 February 2021, a notice of decision to cancel the registration of the home was issued. The provider is appealing this decision.

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This monitoring visit

On 13 April 2021, Ofsted completed a monitoring visit to the home. The purpose of the visit was to review the home’s adherence to the variation notice and to consider the progress made in meeting the five requirements made at the last visit.

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This monitoring visit

The home is without a registered manager. The current manager informed the inspector that he has resigned and was due to leave his post the same week. This decision was in response to a notice of proposal to refuse the manager’s Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC458746 2 application to be the registered manager. In the absence of any suitable alternatives, the responsible individual will be in day-to-day charge of the home.

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This monitoring visit

In addition, there is a vacant operational manager post. The leadership and management of the home is, therefore, significantly depleted. Furthermore, there are ongoing concerns about the ability of the responsible individual to provide the required oversight of the home. For example, two requirements raised at the last visit have not been met and have, therefore, been restated. In addition, three new requirements have been raised. These do not demonstrate good leadership.

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This monitoring visit

Not all staff working in the home have been safely recruited. This has the potential to place any child living in the home at risk of harm. The responsible individual’s and the manager’s poor oversight of staff recruitment is indicative of the ineffective leadership of the home.

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This monitoring visit

Currently, there are only two members of care staff recruited to work in the home. The lack of staff combined with the lack of a permanent manager mean that the home is not in a position to safely admit children.

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This monitoring visit

The staff have not received cognitive delay training. This means that staff do not have the necessary skills and knowledge to offer care and support to children with cognitive delay as stated in the home’s statement of purpose.

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This monitoring visit

The manager has not ensured that the statement of purpose is accurate. For example, the staff list refers to an operations manager. However, an operational manager has not been recruited. In addition, two staff employed as casual staff are listed as full-time staff. This information is misleading for local authority commissioners, parents and children.

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This monitoring visit

The manager has recently submitted a safeguarding notification to Ofsted. However, a review of the notification identified that the information contained in the notification related to the provider’s other home. The decision by the manager to submit this information to Ofsted in this way demonstrates his lack of understanding of how to share information correctly.

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This monitoring visit

The provider has adhered to the variation notice. However, due to the concerns identified as part of this visit, a notice of suspension of registration was issued on 15 April 2021.

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This monitoring visit

Three requirements raised at the last visit could not be considered as part of this visit because there are no children living in the home. Those requirements have been restated. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC458746 3

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 20/08/2019 Full Good 08/05/2019 Full Inadequate 24/09/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 26/07/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC458746 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 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 spire 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

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

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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

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

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that there are enough suitably trained staff.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 26 May 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC458746 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

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that children have positive experiences moving into the home.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 26 May 2021

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it.

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that the staffing arrangements are correct, and including all vacant posts on the staffing structure. 26 May 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).

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character.

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Requirement Due date

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.

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that the responsible individual oversees the management of the home effectively. 26 May 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC458746 6 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, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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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

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that references are verbally verified, concerns raised by referees and gaps in employment history are explored. 26 May 2021

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure ("the user"), and of any other person present when the measure was used; 26 May 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC458746 7 the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that records of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home are completed in full.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry.

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that copies of children’s education, health and care plans, and child looked after medical reports are on file. 26 May 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC458746 8 This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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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 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).

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that notifications sent are relevant to the home. 26 May 2021

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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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Inspector

Michelle Spruce, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC458746 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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