Children's Home run by Discovered Limited in West Northamptonshire

Inspection report children’s home: 2545027 1 Registered provider: Discovered Limited Full inspection 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 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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Information about this children’s home

To meet the needs of the two children living at the home, the building is currently split into two separate accommodation areas.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers on 17 March 2020.

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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 30 March 2021 to carry out a monitoring visit. The report is published on the Ofsted website.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and/or widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded.

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inadequate

Date of last inspection: 30 December 2019

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good Inspection report children’s home: 2545027 2

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

A monitoring visit was carried out on 30 and 31 March 2020 and serious and widespread concerns were noted. Ofsted subsequently issued two compliance notices, relating to safeguarding practice and the management of the home. These have been considered at this full inspection. Inspection report children’s home: 2545027 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

30/12/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children’s home: 2545027 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Although steps have been taken to address serious shortfalls identified at a monitoring visit that Ofsted carried out in March 2021, and some improvement is noted, there are still weaknesses in relation to the management of safeguarding incidents. As a result, a child has not been adequately protected from harm. The overall progress and experience of children are, therefore, inadequate.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

One young person does not enjoy consistently positive, nurturing relationships with staff. When asked about her safety at the home she replied: ‘It depends who is on shift.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

However, another young person’s emotional health and well-being are improving. Specialist support and therapy have been accessed in a timely manner. This young person has positive relationships, and her incidents have significantly reduced. The young person has been involved in important decisions about her care, including the review of a legal order that places restrictions on her liberty. The child now has greater freedom and more autonomy.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Progress in education is also mixed. There has been significant delay in identifying a suitable school place for one young person, and she has remained out of education. Managers have not done enough to ensure that the young person’s education needs are met. However, a plan to provide education has recently been developed. The second child is making steady progress in a stable education placement.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, young people are being well supported to maintain contact with people who matter to them. Young people are also taking part in some stimulating and fun activities, such as visits to theme parks and arts and crafts.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

Risk assessments are not fully understood or fully implemented by staff. This leaves young people at risk. For example, a risk assessment clearly states that a young person should not be left alone in the garden and that the young person should always be within sight and sound of staff. There have been two incidents when the young person has sustained injuries while in the garden unsupervised.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

Staff are insufficiently trained to ensure that children stay safe. No staff members have completed first aid training. This leaves the two young people, who are particularly vulnerable to injury, at risk. Inspection report children’s home: 2545027 5 Staff are not effectively monitoring children’s online activity and have not responded robustly to safeguarding risks. Local authority escalation processes have not been used successfully. Although the registered manager has communicated regularly with the one placing authority and shared safeguarding concerns, this has not resulted in the development of appropriate strategies to improve a young person’s safety. This is an ongoing concern that had been identified at the last monitoring visit. Communication in other instances is better, and one social worker reported good working relationships with staff and good levels of communication.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

Recording of safeguarding incidents is inconsistent and in some cases poor. Information is not always shared with relevant safeguarding agencies in a timely manner. Such practice prevents effective monitoring of the home by safeguarding agencies and limits the ability of agencies to protect children.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

Some incidents of self-harm have been responded to poorly. Possible injuries are not always subject to a close visual check to evaluate whether medical attention is required. In one case, a record of the injury was not made, and information was not shared with the child’s social worker at the earliest opportunity or with other members of staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Shortfalls in leadership and management have contributed to safeguarding failures.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff do not receive regular supervisions. One staff member has received no formal supervision. This is particularly poor practice in light of significant shortfalls in practice identified at the home’s last monitoring visit.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

An action plan, created by the provider in response to shortfalls identified at the last monitoring visit, states that the responsible individual will closely review any safeguarding incidents. This has not been the case.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has not completed a quality of care review as required by regulation. Since the home became operational, these have not been routinely provided to Ofsted. There is little evidence of regular management monitoring.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The home’s independent visitor does not provide robust external scrutiny of the home. As a result, they do not promote improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Although, clear shortfalls remain in the leadership and management of the home, managers have taken steps to improve the home since the last monitoring visit. For example, they have made a concerted effort to stabilise the staff team and offer consistent care to young people. One young person told the inspector that the consistency of care ‘has definitely got better’. Inspection report children’s home: 2545027 6 Managers have delivered a suite of up-to-date training that is designed to address some of the previously identified shortfalls. For instance, staff have had training in restraint, safeguarding and mental health awareness. In addition, training has been commissioned to consider children’s emotional health needs. Inspection report children’s home: 2545027 7

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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. (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 education provision in a timely manner. 29/06/2021 Inspection report children’s home: 2545027 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 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. (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 and that there is robust day-to-day management oversight. 29/06/2021

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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 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; 29/06/2021 Inspection report children’s home: 2545027 9 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 effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(e))

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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

at all times, at least one person on duty at the home has a suitable first aid qualification. (Regulation 31 (2)(a)) 29/06/2021

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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— is instigated; or

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or 29/06/2021 Inspection report children’s home: 2545027 10 there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, staff should notify relevant safeguarding 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. (Regulation 5 (a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager should develop strategies to promote effective escalation of concerns with safeguarding agencies. 29/06/2021

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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. (Regulation 29 (4)) 29/06/2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (‘a quality of care review’) at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must— 29/06/2021 Inspection report children’s home: 2545027 11 supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed; and

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Requirement Due date

make a copy of the quality of care review report available on request to a placing authority, if the placing authority is not the parent of a child accommodated in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1) (4)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development; and

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)) 29/06/2021

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendations

 Managers should ensure that any individual appointed to carry out visits to the home as an independent person makes a rigorous and impartial assessment of the home’s arrangements for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the children in the home’s care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.5)

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, using the ‘Social care common inspection framework’. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. Inspection report children’s home: 2545027 12

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 4̶–4a Blackburn Road, Accrington, Lancashire BB5 1HD

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Inspector

Bev Allison, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2545027 13 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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