Children's Home run by BTTLR Limited in West Northamptonshire

Inspection report children's home: 2592228 1 Registered provider: BTTLR Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is run by a private company. It provides care for up to two children and/or young people with complex emotional and behavioural needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered on 6 July 2021.

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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 18 March 2020 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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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: Not previously inspected

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Not applicable

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: Not applicable Inspection report children's home: 2592228 2

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Recent inspection history

Not previously inspected Inspection report children's home: 2592228 3

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improvement to be good

The overall experience and progress of children has been limited because leaders have not taken sufficient action to promote the safety of a child.

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improvement to be good

One child is not making consistently good progress in all areas, despite the best efforts of staff. The provider has recognised this and is taking action. Leaders are working with the child’s placing authority to find a more appropriate placement for the child.

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improvement to be good

Another child has had a very good start to her placement. She is already making clear progress. The child is improving her social skills and learning to engage positively with staff.

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improvement to be good

Both children have been placed a significant distance away from their own communities. Managers always ensure that there are enough staff to enable children to visit their family and friends regularly. As a result, children have maintained important relationships.

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improvement to be good

Children are provided with lots of enjoyable, well-organised activities. For example, they have had fun spending time in the countryside with staff.

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improvement to be good

One child has made some good educational progress and has been supported well to sit exams. Another child, who has only just moved in, has no school placement yet. The manager is taking appropriate action to address this delay and is engaging constructively with the local authority and education agencies.

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improvement to be good

A child has been allowed to build a den on the verge of a very busy main road that is behind the home. The road is a main arterial road near a motorway. The child spends significant periods of time in and around this den. By allowing him to play in this potentially hazardous environment the home have not protected the child.

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improvement to be good

Managers have ensured that there is an open, transparent safeguarding culture in the home. This means that staff are confident to share any concerns. This protects children. However, staff have not fully considered a child’s potential vulnerability to criminal exploitation in the community. Indicators of vulnerability have not been properly addressed when carrying out risk assessments about the use of a bicycle. In contrast, risk assessments for the second child are clear, well understood, and effective. Inspection report children's home: 2592228 4 When children go missing, staff actively look for them. They work as a team to locate them and return them home at the earliest opportunity. There are close working relationships with the police, which help the home to keep children safe.

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improvement to be good

Independent return home interviews do take place with children who go missing. However, the agency that carries out these interviews does not always share information with the home. As a result, opportunities to better protect children might be missed.

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improvement to be good

Recruitment procedures are good and minimise the risk that unsuitable adults would be able to get a job in this home. Also, the manager is currently improving her oversight of agency staff personnel files to make sure they are to the same standard as those of the permanent staff.

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good

Management has not been wholly effective because the responsible individual and registered manager have not recognised road safety risks. Although these shortfalls were rectified during the inspection, they had not been recognised quickly enough.

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good

Some very good working relationships with other professionals are helping the home to improve. For example, there are plans in place for the police to deliver training to staff about how to protect children from criminal exploitation in the community.

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good

There have been many improvements since the last monitoring visit. Action has been taken to address all requirements set at that visit. The staff team is now more established and confident. Staff feel well supported by the management team.

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good

Staff have all completed their induction and mandatory training. The training programme is tailored to address the particular needs of the children and is well- organised. All staff are now first-aid trained, which is an improvement from the last monitoring visit.

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good

Placement matching is effective. Managers carefully consider the compatibility of children referred to the home, with existing residents. As a result of careful placement matching, a new child has settled in well. Inspection report children's home: 2592228 5

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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

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;

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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

This is in particular relation to assessing known risks to children and translating these to risk assessments. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)) 28 August 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— 28 August 2021 Inspection report children's home: 2592228 6 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

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

This is in particular relation to management not taking effective action in relation to an important safeguarding matter, specifically allowing a child to build and use a ‘den’ at the side of a busy main road. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(f))

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that when a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, the responsible local authority provides an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. Homes should take account of information provided by such interviews when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30)

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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: 2592228 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 4 Shirley Road, Old Stone Factory, Rushden, Northamptonshire NN10 6BY

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Inspector

Caroline Brailsford, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: 2592228 8 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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