Children's home run by Empower Residentials Limited

Inspection report children’s home: 2595791 1 Registered provider: Empower Support Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is owned by a private provider and offers care and accommodation for up to three children. The provider states in its statement of purpose that care is provided for children with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties and/or for children with learning disabilities.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The registered manager left the post on 5 July 2021 and the post is currently held by an acting manager. There is a recruitment drive to appoint a registered manager.

p.1

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.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

requires improvement to be good

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

p.1

requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

p.1

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.

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report children’s home: 2595791 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Not previously inspected Inspection report children’s home: 2595791 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: requires

The home has undergone a period of change with staff leaving and the registered manager leaving on 5 July 2021. New staff have been appointed and confirmed in post after completing their induction process. There is one child living in the home and the staff are committed to his care.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: requires

Leaders and managers ensure that there is continuity of care for the child. This provides him with a sense of consistency and familiarity. The staff now report that they feel supported and well led by the acting manager.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: requires

The child states that he likes living at the home and he feels safe and well cared for. He does not have an independent advocate. The home has identified a member of staff who the child knows and who he is happy to speak with if he has any concerns or worries . The child can also identify staff who he would speak to if he had any concerns or worries. He knows how to make a complaint if necessary.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: requires

The home is clean and tidy. The child likes the food, and he is provided with nutritious meals. The child’s bedroom is personalised and provides a space where he can spend some time on his own and have privacy. There are photos of the child displayed in his bedroom and around the home. This provides him with a sense of belonging.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: requires

There is some institutionalised practice in the home. For example, the sitting room door is sometimes locked unnecessarily. The child does not have access to all areas of his home. His personal items are locked in communal areas for safekeeping. This practice prevents the child from learning strategies to manage his belongings and from learning some independence skills.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: requires

The child does not attend school. He receives a minimal formal education of seven hours of home tutoring a week. The child likes his tutor and he wants to continue with the home tutoring. His relationship with the tutor is positive, but his opportunities to socialise alongside his peers and develop social skills are limited.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: requires

Staff ensure that the child has a good routine and his day-to-day needs are met. Staff support the child to attend day trips and he is encouraged to help plan these activities. However, the child’s care plan is not up to date. As a result, the progress he is making is not accurately recorded.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: requires

The child is in general good health and he is registered with a general practitioner and a dentist. Staff help him to prepare for and attend any medical appointments. However, the child does not receive any therapeutic input to support his identified needs. The staff have not received any training to meet his specific needs. The child’s voice is not always captured. There is a lack of creative ways to obtain and Inspection report children’s home: 2595791 4 evidence his wishes and feelings.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: requires

The child states that he likes seeing his previous foster carers and his younger sibling. The manager and staff help to encourage and arrange this. This is important to the child and helps to promote his identity and sense of well-being.

p.4

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

The child has been supported to form some positive relationships with the staff and from these he has developed a sense of belonging. He is in a good routine with positive boundaries. The staff ensure that his daily activities are varied and that he is supported to explore his community and local resources. However, as he is the only child living in the home, he is very isolated.

p.4

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

There are no episodes of the child going missing from the home. The risk assessments are comprehensive and there is an inherent jurisdiction order in place to deprive the child’s liberty. The child has made progress as he is now supervised by a 2:1 staff ratio where previously this was a 3:1 staff ratio.

p.4

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

Some aspects of the court order to deprive the child’s liberty are not being adhered to. Immediate attention must be given to these aspects. Clarification around the transporting of the child in a car is urgently required, as is clarification about the type of physical restraint to use. The staff are not supporting the child to take more measured risks, within the confines of the court order. It is important for the child to be supported to have new social experiences, to help develop some new skills, towards more independent living.

p.4

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

There is evidence that the number of restraints has reduced. The independent person has a good oversight of restraints and they are reported in the independent visitor reports. The manager has oversight of any restraints and ensures that the staff are spoken to following an incident. However, the reports do not always record if the child has been spoken with following a restraint, and the views of the child are not always recorded.

p.4

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

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good.

p.4

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

There is a recruitment drive to appoint to the Manager’s post. In the interim, the manager from the sister home is the acting manager in this home. In a short space of time there have been noticeable improvements in the performance of the home.

p.4

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

The staff team has not been consistent due to a high turnover of core staff. However, staff from the provider’s outreach team work with the child rather than using agency staff. This provides the child with continuity, which is important to him .

p.4

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

Staff receive regular supervision sessions. The supervision notes have been revised by Inspection report children’s home: 2595791 5 the acting manager to record models and theories to support staff’s professional development. The supervision recordings do not include reflective learning and there are now plans for this to be added to the supervision template. This is important as it will enable the staff to reflect on any incidents and provide a clear record of any learning.

p.4

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

The staff have completed mandatory training and there is a clear matrix to plan training. Staff have asked for specific training to help meet the child’s needs, but this has not yet been delivered although it is planned. Inspection report children’s home: 2595791 6

p.5

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.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.6

Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to overcome any such barriers;

p.6

Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(iii)(v)) 27 September 2021

p.6

Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.6

Requirement Due date

help each child to understand and manage the impact of any experiences of abuse or neglect.

p.6

Requirement Due date

This relates to staff being able to support the child to express his feelings, to record these to help inform his care plan and take appropriate steps to reduce the need for the locking of internal doors. 27 September 2021 Inspection report children’s home: 2595791 7 The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure —

p.7

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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(b))

p.7

Requirement Due date

This relates to ensuring that directions as documented in a child’s DLO are documented in plans and followed by staff. 27 September 2021

p.7

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 —

p.7

Requirement Due date

helps the child to aspire to fulfil their potential

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to —

p.7

Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1) (2)(c))

p.7

Requirement Due date

This relates to ensuring that the staff receive specialist training to meet the needs of the child in their care. 27 September 2021

p.7

Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.7

Requirement Due date

that each child has access to such dental, medical, nursing, psychiatric and psychological advice, treatment and other services as the child may require. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c))

p.7

Requirement Due date

This relates to therapeutic support and services being provided to the child to meet his needs. 27 September 2021 Inspection report children’s home: 2595791 8

p.7

Recommendations

 Ensure that the child has access to independent advocacy support. (Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations including the quality standards, page 23, paragraph 4.16)  Ensure that there is a comprehensive development plan in place for the home which makes the best use of information from independent and internal monitoring to ensure continuous improvement. (Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations including the quality standards, page 55, paragraph 10.24).

p.8

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: 2595791 9

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Empower Support Services Limited

p.9

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 2, Prockters Farm, West Monkton, Somerset TA2 8QN

p.9

Inspector

Claire Drummond, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2595791 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.

p.9

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.10

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.10

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.10