Children's Home run by Autism Initiatives (UK) in Sefton

Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC425985 1 SC425985

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Autism Initiatives (UK)

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is run by a registered charity. It provides care for up to seven disabled children.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since March 2021.

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This monitoring visit

This home was judged inadequate at the full inspection on 18 and 19 May 2021. During the inspection, inspectors found evidence of breaches of regulations relating to safeguarding, care planning and the leadership of the home. Three compliance notices were issued in relation to Regulation 12 (the protection of children standard), Regulation 13 (the leadership and management standard) and Regulation 14 (the care planning standard).

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This monitoring visit

Ofsted carried out a monitoring visit on 7 July 2021 to consider the action the provider had taken to meet the steps in two of the compliance notices, those issued in relation to Regulation 12 and Regulation 13. There were five children living at the home at the time of the visit.

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This monitoring visit

The registered provider has made significant improvements to the internal decoration of the home. For example, new furniture and accessories have been purchased for the lounge and dining room areas. These rooms are now more comfortable and homely. New cleaning routines are in place to support children to keep their bedrooms clean and tidy. However, some children’s bedrooms require redecoration as there are areas where paint and wallpaper are peeling. Furthermore, the floor of the games room was very dirty on the day of the monitoring visit. A requirement has been made to address this.

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This monitoring visit

The management team has reviewed the restrictions of liberty on children in the home to ensure they remain necessary and proportionate. Locks on exits to the back Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC425985 2 garden have been removed and this gives children more choice and control about when they can use this space. In addition, all staff have received training in relation to mental capacity legislation. Staff were able to demonstrate how they apply this knowledge to their practice.

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This monitoring visit

Staff have spent time with some children to help them understand how to stay safe when they are online. The manager has involved children in discussions about the checks that staff need to make to ensure children are safe when using the internet. However, while staff are regularly checking on the welfare of children, the records do not capture whether staff are checking what the child is accessing online or who they are speaking to. This fails to safeguard children.

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This monitoring visit

Significant concerns remain in relation to the leadership and management of the home. The registered manager has been ineffective in prioritising and making improvements in the home. The registered manager has failed to adequately identify and assess significant risks to the safety and well-being of children. For example, a child has been prescribed emergency medication for use in the event of an allergic reaction. The registered manager has failed to conduct a timely risk assessment of this child’s health condition, and to provide staff with the guidance they require to respond safely and effectively to the child’s health needs.

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager has not ensured that all risk assessments are updated following significant events. For example, when one child was anxious, they placed a ligature loosely around their neck. With staff support and reassurance, the child removed this and was not harmed. However, this child’s risk assessment was not updated with instructions for staff to follow should this behaviour happen again. This means that staff are not provided with the clear consistent instructions they need to safeguard children in their care.

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager has failed to ensure that there are always sufficiently experienced staff in place to meet the needs of all the children who live at the home. For example, on one occasion, the emergency services advised that staff should administer emergency medication to a child. Staff were unable to action this as there were no staff on duty who had been trained to administer this medication. The child was taken to hospital for treatment. However, there were also insufficient numbers of staff on duty at the time, and this meant that staff could not go to hospital with the child.

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager is not leading the home in a way that enables children to achieve their full potential. This is because she has not ensured that all staff balance the children’s rights of choice and control over their lives with what is healthy and safe for children to do. For example, one child frequently stays up all night playing games on his computer and then he sleeps during the day. The manager has not ensured that staff work consistently and cohesively to positively challenge this behaviour and as a result, this child is making poor progress. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC425985 3 Staff demonstrate a lack of understanding of the home’s safeguarding policies and their roles and responsibilities in relation to safeguarding children. In addition, staff were not able to demonstrate sufficient knowledge about some children’s risk management plans and the actions they should take to protect children.

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This monitoring visit

Internal and external monitoring systems are not sufficiently robust to identify the shortfalls in the quality of care provided to children. Furthermore, the quality of record keeping is variable. Several documents were not dated by the author of the entry and one record contained inappropriate language and doodles.

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This monitoring visit

The registered provider and registered manager have not yet made sufficient progress to address all the steps detailed in the compliance notices. Therefore, compliance notices have been re-issued in relation to Regulation 12 and Regulation 13. The compliance notice issued under Regulation 14 and the additional requirements made at the full inspection were not considered during the monitoring visit so are repeated, for consideration at the next inspection.

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This monitoring visit

Ofsted will continue to monitor the provider closely to ensure that improvements are made.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/05/2021 Full Inadequate 30/05/2019 Full Good 05/03/2019 Interim Improved effectiveness 20/06/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC425985 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 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

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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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

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)(iii)(v)(vii)(b)(e))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 22/08/2021

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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— 22/08/2021 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC425985 5 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))

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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 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

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority: 22/08/2021 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC425985 6 that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(iii)(c))

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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 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

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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Requirement Due date

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(v)(viii)) 22/08/2021

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Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; and

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Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and

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Requirement Due date

allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (b)(c)(i)(ii)(iv)) 22/08/2021 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC425985 7 The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular the registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child. (Regulation 23 (1) (2)(c)) 22/08/2021

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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;

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b)) 22/08/2021

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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

securely in the children’s home during the period when the child to whom the case records relate is accommodated there. (Regulation 36 (1)(b) (2)(c)) 22/08/2021

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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

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

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(c)(e)) 22/08/2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

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Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires; and 22/08/2021 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC425985 8 to inspect the premises of the home and such of the home’s records (except for a child’s case records, unless the child and the child’s placing authority consent) as the independent person requires. (Regulation 44 (1) (2)(a)(b))

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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

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(d)) 22/08/21

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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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: Autism Initiatives (UK)

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Sefton House, Bridle Road, Bootle, Merseysude, L30 4XR

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Katharine Silver

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Inspectors

Sophie Thomson, Social Care Inspector Mrs Rachel Springford, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC425985 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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