Children's home run by Consistent Quality Support Limited

Inspection report children’s home: 2601137 1 Registered provider: Consistent Quality Support Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This privately run children’s home provides care for up to two children with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties and/or learning difficulties. There were two children living at this home at the time of the inspection.

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

Date of last inspection: This is the home’s first inspection since registration on 18 December 2020.

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: 2601137 2

p.1

improvement to be good

This is the first inspection of this home since it was registered. This inspection has identified shortfalls which mean that the care of children is not yet good. Weaknesses in the operation of the home mean that staff are not yet providing consistently good care.

p.2

improvement to be good

Staff have not received the specific training to meet the needs of all the children in this home. This specifically relates to a child who has a learning disability and communication needs. The staff do not yet have the skills and knowledge to provide the required care for this child.

p.2

improvement to be good

Not all the children have positive experiences of living in this home. For example, staff did not understand the needs of a newly admitted child. This child has complex needs due to communication and learning difficulties. Staff did not have copies of his care, placement, education, and health care plans. This fails to provide staff with the clarity they need to meet the child’s needs.

p.2

improvement to be good

The staff demonstrate a real commitment to supporting the children. They engage with the children well. One social worker said: ‘This placement has had a positive impact. Staff have helped this child to make progress.’

p.2

improvement to be good

Safeguarding incidents have not been a feature of this home. However, failures in practice mean that safeguarding is not yet good.

p.2

improvement to be good

The manager and staff admitted a child for whom there are significant concerns in relation to risk-taking behaviours. Yet, the risk assessments are not detailed. They fail to outline strategies for managing the risks and concerns that relate to the child. This means that staff lack guidance in managing the risks and vulnerabilities of the child.

p.2

improvement to be good

Children have been missing from this home, at times. Staff follow protocols to secure their safe return home. On their return to the home, children have not had a return interview with an independent person. This fails to ensure that staff understand the reasons for and circumstances of missing-from-home incidents. This limits effectiveness to prevent further episodes.

p.2

improvement to be good

Staff have used physical interventions. This was to prevent children from placing themselves and others at risk of serious harm. Physical interventions were necessary, proportionate and effective. However, records do not include the views of Inspection report children’s home: 2601137 3 the children concerned. In addition, the manager has not confirmed the accuracy of the records.

p.2

improvement to be good

Children are safeguarded from unsafe adults by the manager. She refers any allegations made against staff to the relevant agencies. The designated officer in the local authority said: ‘The manager is proactive. This home does make a difference to children; they have a child-centred approach. They listen to the children.’

p.3

improvement to be good

The home has an up-to-date locality risk assessment. However, this assessment fails to consult with stakeholders and relevant agencies. Therefore, the assessment does not capture local knowledge of the environment which could be crucial for keeping children safe.

p.3

improvement to be good

Recruitment records do not show attention to detail. They do not show clear vetting and safe recruitment practices taking place.

p.3

improvement to be good

The exterior of the home is monitored by closed-circuit television. This is to ensure the security of the home. The home does not have written consent by placing local authorities to agree surveillance.

p.3

improvement to be good

This inspection identified health and safety concerns in the garden. At the request of the inspector, these hazards were removed. This means that the play area is now a safe location for children to play in.

p.3

good

There have been no changes in the leadership and management arrangements since the registration of this home. An experienced and qualified registered manager leads this home. The responsible individual and a deputy manager support the day-to-day running of the home. This inspection identified shortfalls which mean that the home is not yet managed in a way that is consistent with the description in the statement of purpose.

p.3

good

Internal systems for recording and storing information about children are poor. Children’s case records are unclear. Admissions records are not up to date. They do not contain accurate information about the children admitted to the home. Some records are incomplete. These systems fail to provide a clear account of care practice.

p.3

good

The registered manager has the staff’s respect and commitment. The staff reported that they feel supported. The staff team is cohesive, and staff have a shared sense of ownership. However, records regarding the staff are not readily accessible. This means that it is difficult to review arrangements for staff training, supervision and recruitment. of the suitability and needs of the workforce.

p.3

good

The manager undertakes internal monitoring and has development plans in place. However, these systems do not provide an understanding about the impact of care Inspection report children’s home: 2601137 4 practice. This means that the progress and experiences of each child are not clearly understood.

p.3

good

The members of the leadership and management team demonstrate a real commitment to delivering good outcomes for all children. They show commitment to driving improvement in the home. This is reassuring. Inspection report children’s home: 2601137 5

p.4

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.5

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.5

Requirement Due date

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

p.5

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;

p.5

Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are located so that children are effectively safeguarded. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(c))

p.5

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring rigorous risk assessment of the behaviours of children’s, the environment and ensuring risk reduction plans are implemented. 4 October 2021

p.5

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.5

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential;

p.5

Requirement Due date

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

p.5

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; 4 October 2021 Inspection report children’s home: 2601137 6 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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(f))

p.5

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the managers and leaders managing the home in line with the statement of purpose, and ensuring that there are rigorous admission and care planning processes.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

p.6

Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home;

p.6

Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a))

p.6

Requirement Due date

This relates to staff having the training, knowledge and skills to provide care for a child who has autism spectrum disorder and non-verbal communication. 4 October 2021

p.6

Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

p.6

Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home;

p.6

Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c))

p.6

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring an up-to-date copy of any EHC plan, a copy of any plan for the care of the child, 4 October 2021 Inspection report children’s home: 2601137 7 prepared by the child’s placing authority, and of the placement plan and accurate details of the register of children.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person may only use devices for the monitoring or surveillance of children if—

p.7

Requirement Due date

the child’s placing authority consents in writing to the monitoring or surveillance. (Regulation 24 (1)(b)) 4 October 2021

p.7

Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

p.7

Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home;

p.7

Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

p.7

Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a) (3)(d))

p.7

Requirement Due date

This relates to ensuring that staff references are verified, and that information held on Disclosure and Barring Service certificates is risk assessed. 4 October 2021

p.7

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—

p.7

Requirement Due date

(the authorised person) has spoken to the user about the measure;

p.7

Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate;

p.7

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)(b)(ii)(c)) 4 October 2021

p.7

Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which— 4 October 2021 Inspection report children’s home: 2601137 8 include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

p.7

Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c))

p.8

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the following items, which may be kept in electronic form, are kept in an accessible manner—

p.8

Requirement Due date

children’s case records (see regulation 36);

p.8

Requirement Due date

other records (see regulation 37); (Regulation 38 (i)(j))

p.8

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that childcare records are clear and provide a comprehensive overview of the child, and that there are accurate details on the register of children. 4 October 2021

p.8

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 calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c) (the protection of children standard).

p.8

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)) 4 October 2021

p.8

Recommendations

 The responsible person should, when a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, the responsible local authority must provide an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. Homes should take account of information provided by such interviews when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30)  The responsible person should have a workforce plan which can fulfil the workforce-related requirements of regulation 16, schedule 1 (paragraphs 19 and 20) The plan should: include the experience and qualifications of staff currently working within the staffing structure; detail the processes and agreed timescales for staff to achieve induction, probation, core training and mandatory qualifications); detail the process and timescales for supervision of practice (see

p.8

Recommendations

regulation 33 (4) (b)); and keep appropriate records for staff in the home. The Inspection report children’s home: 2601137 9 plan should be updated to include any new training and qualifications completed by staff while working at the home, and used to record the ongoing training and continuing professional development needs of staff – including the home’s manager. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)  The responsible person should ensure that children are actively encouraged to read their records and to add further information to them. They should be regularly reminded of their rights to see information kept about them, and be given information about how they might be supported to access their records in later life. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.6)

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: 2601137 10

p.9

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Consistent Quality Support Ltd

p.10

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 6 Scarlet Way, Shirebrook, Mansfield NG20 8FW

p.10

Inspector

Amanda Ellis, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2601137 11 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.10

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.11

Inspector

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

p.11

Inspector

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

p.11