Children's Home run by Anchor Care and Education Ltd in Nottinghamshire

Inspection report children's home: 2629398 1 Registered provider: Anchor Care and Education Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a privately owned children’s home. It is registered to provide care for one child with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The registered manager resigned from his post on 14 August 2021. The home has a newly appointed manager.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

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

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Inadequate

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

A compliance notice was issued under regulation 13, the leadership and management standard. This was in respect of poor admission processes, care not being provided as outlined in the home’s statement of purpose and the poor quality and implementation of care plans and risk assessments. The compliance notice has now ended. No further compliance notice has been issued. Inspection report children's home: 2629398 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

30/06/2021 Full Inadequate Inspection report children's home: 2629398 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, improved admission processes ensure that new children are welcomed into the home. Managers gather information prior to the child’s admission and, using an impact risk assessment, assess whether the home, its location and the staff can meet the child’s needs. Managers communicate with the child before admission so they can start to forge a positive relationship. This helps children to settle quickly into the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The newly admitted child has settled well since his recent admission. He is happy and he likes the home. His bedroom has recently been decorated with the help of staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has been kept busy throughout the summer holidays with a range of activities in the local and wider community. For example, he enjoys trampolining, cycling, walks and having meals out. He has recently been on a camping holiday and has also learned how to fish.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff speak positively about the child. They are building warm and nurturing relationships with him and getting to know him gradually. The staff understand that building positive relationships with children will help them to feel safe and secure.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are using a therapeutic, child-centred approach. They have a good understanding of the therapeutic models that the home has adopted.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of children remaining in contact with their families. They facilitate visits to family and support the child to meet new people, to help him to make friends in the local community.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers have worked hard to secure an education placement for the child that is suitable to meet his needs as well as considering his wishes. Staff recognise that starting school may be difficult for the child. The warm and nurturing relationships staff are building with the child are helping to address his anxieties.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child with his independent living skills. For example, he will do his own laundry and clean his bedroom. He has helped to cook meals and do the weekly food shop. Staff are also supporting him to manage his money better.

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improvement to be good

There have been no significant incidents in the home since the most recent admission. The child does not go missing or take illegal substances. This is significantly different to the child’s recent behaviour before moving into the home. However, a few minor incidents have not been responded to appropriately. Staff Inspection report children's home: 2629398 4 have considered one incident to be a joke. However, it could be the child testing the rules and boundaries.

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improvement to be good

Staff are not familiar with, or have minimised, the known risks associated with the child. For example, risks such as suicide by overdose or ligature, driving a car illegally, assaulting staff or going missing from the home have not been fully considered. This means that if the child’s current behaviour changes, staff are unprepared.

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improvement to be good

Not all risks have been identified and recorded so that staff have strategies to minimise the risk, for example, risks associated with river fishing.

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improvement to be good

Staff play-fight with the child. This could blur boundaries for the child and put staff at risk of allegations.

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improvement to be good

The location risk assessment now provides better information about the location of the home and the risks within the local area. This helps managers to make better decisions when admitting new children to the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been changes to the leadership and management of the home. The registered manager recently stepped down and a new manager has been appointed. The new manager has been promoted from within the home. This means that she already has a good understanding of how the home operates. She is appropriately experienced and is studying towards the appropriate qualification. She plans to submit her application to register with Ofsted soon.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers are continually striving to improve the home and the service provided for children. Children’s views and wishes are sought and listened to. Changes have been made to the home as a result of listening to children. For example, a child asked for a games room. Staff have thought about this and an office that is rarely used is going to be changed into a games room.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a strong staff team, many of whom have been together since the home opened in February 2021. Most staff are appropriately qualified and experienced. Staff have access to appropriate training, which ensures that they have the skills and knowledge they require to meet children’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel very well supported and they receive regular supervision with managers. Managers support staff to provide child-centred, therapeutic care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff work closely with external professionals to provide children with good care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children’s daily logs are not signed by staff, so managers are unable to tell which member of staff wrote the log. Inspection report children's home: 2629398 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

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

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Requirement Due date

This relates to staff not recognising, or minimising, risk for a child. Also, activities that carry some risk, such as river fishing, have not been appropriately risk assessed. 30 August 2021

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that children’s daily logs are signed by the author. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3) Inspection report children's home: 2629398 6

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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’.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Anchor Care and Education Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Saxon House, Moseley’s Farm Business Centre, Fornham All Saints, Bury St Edmunds IP28 6JY

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Inspector

Joanne Vyas, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: 2629398 7 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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