Children's Home run by Children & Adolescents Placement Provisions Ltd in West Northamptonshire

Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2625585 1

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Children & Adolescents Placement Provisions Ltd

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 owned by a small private provider. It is registered to provide care for up to four children and young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home’s registered manager is suitably experienced.

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered in February 2021. Ofsted has not yet carried out a full inspection of the home.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit was carried out in response to complaints received about the children’s home. Concerns have been raised by a placing local authority about poor information-sharing and a lack of response to safeguarding issues. A second, separate complaint also raised concerns about poor communication from managers and staff and raised issues about how well staff manage children’s behaviour.

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This monitoring visit

This home has had a difficult start since its registration in February 2021. The manager is registered to manage this home and another children’s home nearby, owned by the same provider. At times, the manager has been over-stretched. Staffing issues have meant that the manager has sometimes covered shifts or has been required to work directly with children to support less experienced staff. While this can be seen as positive in terms of embedding good childcare practice in a new home, it has had a direct impact on the manager’s capacity to carry out her role.

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This monitoring visit

There is a lack of management oversight of key tasks. This includes a failure to report serious incidents to the regulator and to a placing authority. The systems in place to report serious incidents are currently inadequate and there is a lack of prioritisation of key management tasks. Poor communication and information- Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2625585 2 sharing is also evident. Some key discussions about children are not recorded. Consequently, there is a lack of confidence in the provider’s capacity to safeguard children effectively.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers acknowledge that there have been difficulties and these coincided with a period when there was no responsible individual in post. Staff have sometimes struggled to meet children’s needs. Staff have struggled to set and maintain boundaries, for example, regarding substance misuse. Some indicators of risk regarding child sexual exploitation have either not been recognised or have been minimised. Management responses to risk have sometimes been slow, poorly recorded and poorly communicated. Children’s placements have ended abruptly.

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This monitoring visit

The new responsible individual came into post very recently and she is providing direct support to the registered manager. Staff are working with children with high levels of risk, but the majority of staff are not qualified. Leaders and managers recognise this and are working hard to provide staff with appropriate practical and emotional support.

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This monitoring visit

Very recent admissions to the home have been managed well, with careful planning and good partnership working with the placing local authority and partner agencies. Leaders and managers have clear plans to improve the quality of care provided. Communication is improving. However, safeguarding notifications are still not being sent in a timely manner, indicating that basic management systems are not yet in place.

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This monitoring visit

The home’s statement of purpose is out of date and does not reflect current staffing arrangements. The home’s location risk assessment was compiled prior to the home opening and has not been updated to include additional information that the managers are now aware of.

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Recent inspection history

Not previously inspected Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2625585 3

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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

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

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; and

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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)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(e)) 10 September Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2625585 4 In particular, this refers to ensuring that concerns about children are responded to promptly and tenaciously, with effective and timely communication with relevant agencies.

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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

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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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

a child protection enquiry involving a child —

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious.

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Requirement Due date

A notification made under this regulation—

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Requirement Due date

the other persons, bodies or organisations (if any) who or which have been notified; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions taken by the registered person as a result of the matter. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e) (5)(a)(i)(ii)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the need to notify Ofsted and other relevant persons, without delay, of any serious incident, as described. Notifications need to be shared with some urgency. Serious safeguarding matters should not be embedded within correspondence where there is a risk that the information may overlooked. 10 September Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2625585 5 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

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

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; 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)(e)(f)(g)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that the registered manager is enabled to fulfil their role and is not relied upon to cover shortfalls in staffing, and that feedback from recent complaints is used to strengthen childcare practice and inform admission decisions. Also, that leaders and managers only admit children to the home when there are sufficient experienced and qualified staff to meet their needs. 10 September

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children’s home at least once in each 24 September Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2625585 6 calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c) (the protection of children standard).

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Requirement Due date

When conducting the review, the registered person must consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person. (Regulation 46 (1) (2))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the need to update the home’s location risk assessment, including consultation with partner agencies and using local intelligence to describe the potential risks in the area and how to mitigate them.

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (3)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that the statement of purpose is up to date, that an updated copy is sent to Ofsted and that it accurately describes the care provided. 24 September

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the quality of care provided following specific complaints about the children’s home.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2625585 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Children & Adolescents Placement Provisions Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 40 Harpur Street, Bedford, Bedfordshire MK40 2QT

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Inspector

Corrinne Barker, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2625585 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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