Children's Home run by Phoenix Childcare Ltd in Somerset

Inspection report children’s home: 2632917 1 Registered provider: Phoenix Childcare Ltd Full inspection 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 two children or young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a private provider of education and care.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since January 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

This is the home’s first inspection since being registered in April 2021.

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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 widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected and their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded, and the care and experiences of children and young people are poor, and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Date of last inspection: This is the home’s first inspection since it registered with Ofsted.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2632917 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Not applicable Inspection report children’s home: 2632917 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

One child has lived in the home since January 2021. Since then, the leaders and managers have failed to ensure that the home is providing the care and support required to meet the child’s need and as outlined in its statement of purpose.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff have not always been able to support the child in line with her needs. The inspectors found the child’s bedroom to be in an unacceptable and unhygienic state that placed the child at risk of harm. Records evidenced the child repeatedly refusing home-cooked, healthy meals and is instead not eating or only eating when staff provide her with takeaway meals.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The child has not engaged with education since living in the home. The registered manager worked hard to identify a school placement and the child went to school. However, this was not in line with her learning and behavioural needs. A significant safeguarding incident occurred in the school within the first week that resulted in police involvement and the child being excluded.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff support to the child is inconsistent. She has been cared for by 27 different members of staff since moving into the home in January 2021. This impacts on the child’s ability to form trusting and positive relationships.

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

Leaders and managers have failed to take adequate action to safeguard the child. Inspectors noted that, since the child moved into the home in January 2021, staff have continued to be challenged and on occasions they have been assaulted and injured when the child is upset. At times, staff have been locked out of the home by the child and barricaded into rooms. Police have been required to support the staff to manage incidents at the home.

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

Staff are unable to safely support the child or intervene in incidents of challenging behaviour. Serious incidents take place and staff have been seriously injured. While the inspectors observed the staff positively interacting with the child, and members of staff spoke passionately about wanting to support the child well, the child holds the balance of power in the home and is not engaging positively with staff. Furniture is routinely locked away until required and the dining table has been screwed to the floor for safety.

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

The home does not have a landline and the internet system is weak. This has at times placed the staff at risk from not being able to effectively communicate their concerns. Inspection report children’s home: 2632917 4

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staffing arrangements are poorly planned. Leaders and managers have not ensured that the child is provided with consistency of care, good routines and stability. Neither have they ensured that staff are suitably skilled, adequately trained and properly supervised to meet the child’s needs and to care for the child safely.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Team meetings have provided the staff with opportunities to reflect on how they support the child during an extremely emotionally challenging period. The supervision records of the registered manager capture how she has raised concerns, how tired her staff were, and how she challenged some decisions made by senior leaders. However, i is unclear if the support provided had a positive impact.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Following this inspection, a notice to suspend the registration was served, as Ofsted identified serious weaknesses in the management of the home that placed the child at significant risk of harm. A member of the senior leadership team has met with Ofsted and is aware of the serious and widespread failings. They are working closely with the local authority to safeguard the child. Ofsted will continue to monitor the action plan that senior leaders produce. Inspection report children’s home: 2632917 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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 and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand and manage the impact of any experience of abuse or neglect;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult;

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Requirement Due date

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home.

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Requirement Due date

The conditions are— 16 September 2021 Inspection report children’s home: 2632917 6 that the care is delivered by a person who—

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Requirement Due date

has the experience, knowledge and skills to deliver that care. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(v)(vi)(vii)(c)(i)(ii) (3)(c)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This directly relates to the leaders and managers ensuring there is a consistent staff team that is sufficiently skilled and experienced to understand and support children with complex needs.

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

understand and develop skills to promote the child’s well- being. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to leaders and managers ensuring that children are provided with a healthy diet and that health plans are followed. 16 September 2021

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— 16 September 2021 Inspection report children’s home: 2632917 7 that staff—

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Requirement Due date

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust;

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Requirement Due date

are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same; and

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(viii)(x)(xi))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to leaders and managers ensuring that staff are provided with the skills and support to enable them to build positive and trusting relationships with children. Staff are to be equipped with strategies to safeguard a child in the home without having to take the measures of removing furniture or fixing furniture to the floor.

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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 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— 16 September 2021 Inspection report children’s home: 2632917 8 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;

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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

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(g)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to leaders and managers ensuring that there is a consistent workforce that is supported and protected from physical and emotional harm when supporting children with complex needs.

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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: 2632917 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Phoenix Childcare Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Support Hub, Unit 5, Chinon Court, Lower Moor Way, Tiverton, Devon EX16 6SS

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Inspectors

Linda Bond, Social Care Inspector Katie Ratcliffe, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2632917 10 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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