Children's Home run by Barnardo Services Limited in Liverpool

Inspection report children’s home: 2541467 1 Registered provider: Barnardo Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and managed by a charity. It provides care for up to four children. The home operates under a block contract arrangement with the local authority in which it is situated.

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Information about this children’s home

There is currently no registered manager in post. An interim manager is in place but has withdrawn their application to register with Ofsted.

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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 14 June 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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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: Inadequate

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

Inspection report children’s home: 2541467 2 The home was subject to a compliance notice on 11 May 2021 in relation to Regulation 14, the care planning standard. A monitoring visit was undertaken on 14 June 2021 and the compliance notice was met. Inspection report children’s home: 2541467 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/04/2021 Full Inadequate Inspection report children’s home: 2541467 4

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improvement to be good

Children are enjoying improved relationships with the staff. They said that while there are still some ‘arguments’ between each other (children), the home is much calmer and staff are more accessible to them.

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improvement to be good

Healthcare plans are improving, but would benefit from more-detailed information about the children’s individual medical needs and the support they are provided with. This includes children who have hay fever or low moods.

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improvement to be good

Care planning is improving. Staff have a much better understanding of each child’s individual needs and how these are being met. However, some records contain conflicting or out-of-date information, such as the educational setting they are attending.

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improvement to be good

All children now have education placements for September 2021. Staff initiated a range of personalised activities and trips for each child to support their education and to promote their independence. One child has discovered a love of cooking and enjoys making a range of meals and baking. One child continues to excel at school and is proud of their achievements.

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improvement to be good

Some children are excited about the prospects of moving home or to foster care. Children told the inspector of when they are moving out and the plans that they have for this. However, the placing authority has not yet confirmed the plans for the moves, which may have a detrimental impact upon the children’s expectations.

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improvement to be good

Consultation with children has improved. Children now have ‘catch-ups’ with staff rather than meetings. These are child led, and children discuss the things that are important to them. Staff also bring a topic to discuss, such as Pride month.

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improvement to be good

Children are enjoying renewed contact with family and friends. For some children, they are seeing family members for the first time in a very long time and, while enjoying the visits, they are finding the visits hard. Staff understand this and are providing appropriate support.

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improvement to be good

Staff have a sound understanding of safeguarding and child protection practice. They are aware of the current risks to children and of the action that they are taking to help reduce these.

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improvement to be good

There has recently been a spike in children going missing. These are for short periods of time and the children return home safely. Staff are keenly aware of the Inspection report children’s home: 2541467 5 reasons behind this and are working well with the children to help them to talk to them about how they are feeling.

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improvement to be good

Risk assessments are improving, but they are not always updated, following significant incidents or changes to children’s daily routines. Children told the inspector that they felt safer living here and that they had people who they could talk to if there were worried about anything.

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improvement to be good

An incident has taken place where a child was given medication that had not been prescribed for them. The child was also able to access a significant number of paracetamol tablets and take them to their room. This placed the child at the risk of harm. The provider has been swift to investigate these concerns and to take action to improve the administration of medication procedures.

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improvement to be good

There are still some incidents of children assaulting one another. While these have significantly decreased, these remain a concern. Children are spoken to following any incidents, but these discussions are not always recorded. Records of consequences do not contain all the necessary information, so it is difficult to see the impact or effectiveness these have in bringing about change to children’s behaviour.

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improvement to be good

The home is well maintained and reflects the personalities and the interests of the children. External CCTV is used to safeguard children. However, the home does not make visitors aware that they are being recorded, and the consent from placing authorities has not been obtained. This is an infringement of the children’s and visitors’ rights.

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good

There have been three managers in the home since September 2020. The current manager has decided to withdraw their application to register and resign from the post. The responsible individual is to advertise for a new manager. This level of instability is unsettling for the staff and the children.

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good

However, since the last inspection, the manager and the deputy managers have worked hard to bring changes in the home. New recording systems have been implemented, but have not yet had time to be fully embedded into practice. As a result, not all records are recorded to a good standard, and several records contain conflicting information.

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good

The manager’s monitoring of the service is not yet secure as several documents have not been reviewed or signed off by him, such as records of consequences. Also Ofsted has not received the manager’s monitoring report since December 2020. This does not promote transparency.

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good

The staff training matrix is not current and suggests that staff have not had training in key areas. Similarly, the supervision records indicate that two members of staff Inspection report children’s home: 2541467 6 have not had supervision for four months, and other staff, including the manager, have not received supervision within the agree time frame.

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good

Staff said that they felt the changes made in the home are helpful and that they feel supported by the manager and the deputy managers. They said that there is a much better atmosphere in the home and that they are working together to support the children. Inspection report children’s home: 2541467 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 health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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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

achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)) 23 September

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(iv)) 23 September Inspection report children’s home: 2541467 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 have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of 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; and

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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)(f)(h)) 23 September

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b)(c)) 23 September

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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

a description of the measure and its duration; 23 September Inspection report children’s home: 2541467 9 details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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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. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(ii)(iv)(v)(vii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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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

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review ("the quality of care review report").

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must— 23 September Inspection report children’s home: 2541467 10 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) (2)(a)(b)(c) (3) (4)(a)(b) (5))

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Recommendations

 The registered person should have a written policy describing how CCTV is used to support the safety and well-being of the children and is used in line with the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 and the Surveillance Camera Code of Conduct (Home Office 2013). In particular, consent is sought for its use, and the children, placing authorities and other visitors are made aware that they are being recorded. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.16)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should work with the placing authority to ensure that each child’s transition in planned and help each child to prepare for leaving the home both practically and emotionally. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 57, paragraph 11.9)

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Recommendations

 The registered person must ensure that staff understand the importance of careful, objective and clear record-keeping. Staff should understand that the records play a significant part in a child’s life history. In particular, remove conflicting information from records and documentation. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4. and 14.5)

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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: 2541467 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Barnardo Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Barnardo House, Tanners Lane, Barkingside, Ilford, Essex, IG6 1QG

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Inspector

Chris Scully, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2541467 12 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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