Children's home run by Evolve Childcare Ltd

Inspection report children’s home: 2623790 1 Registered provider: Evolve Child Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care for up to four girls who experience behavioural and/or emotional difficulties. It is part of a larger organisation.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has resigned and there is an acting manager in post who has made an application to Ofsted to be registered.

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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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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

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

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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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.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2623790 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Not previously inspected Inspection report children’s home: 2623790 3

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improvement to be good

Staff create a caring and positive environment for the children who live in the home. The deputy manager and staff ensure that the recent disruption to the management of the home has minimal impact on the children’s experience. However, the managers and staff have not taken enough action to ensure that all children receive full-time education. Leaders provide a tutor to help children to prepare to return to school but this provision is limited.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not consistently seek children’s views following an incident of harm or when restraint is used. This means that valuable learning opportunities following an incident are lost and not used to help staff to manage any other incidents involving the child. The registered manager has failed to ensure that this important reflection takes place.

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improvement to be good

On a day-to-day basis, children have fun and laugh together. They look after pets. The children share their views and have influence over the running of the home. Staff show that they value the children’s views. Children take part in the daily handover meetings, which develops their confidence to speak to adults. Staff have supported one child to take part in a staff recruitment process.

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improvement to be good

Each child has shown progress in different aspects of their lives. However, managers do not yet review the children’s care plans effectively to demonstrate the children’s progress and identify how to support them to take the next step in their development. For example, staff have reduced the harmful behaviours of one child but have not yet focused on what she can achieve under her education plan. Leaders and managers acknowledge that care planning needs to improve.

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improvement to be good

The managers engage effectively in some areas with the local authority and other agencies to help and support vulnerable children. One child has been able to remain living at the home after an unsettled start because of the joint care planning approach taken by staff and other professionals. However, not enough focus has been given to another child who still requires a multi-agency approach to get her back into education.

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improvement to be good

Staff understand and manage risks to children to keep them safe. Their nurturing response to one child has reduced her harmful behaviours and moved her focus to having childhood fun. However, the registered manager’s response has not been consistent, and his monitoring of risk-taking behaviour has been poor. This has undermined the staff’s approach to managing some situations where children are at risk. For example, the restraint records do not reflect a strong overview by the Inspection report children’s home: 2623790 4 registered manager or identify follow-up actions with the child, including when to act sooner to keep the child safe from harm.

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improvement to be good

There are several helpful documents and action plans in place which describe the children’s needs and behaviours. However, these plans require updating as they contain contradictory advice and do not consistently provide clear and accurate information about each child. The deputy manager is working to improve these plans with the aim of reducing the risk of staff missing significant child protection factors or patterns of children’s behaviour. Early improvements are proving helpful. For example, staff coordinated an effective response with the police and social care to an episode where a child went missing and she returned safely.

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improvement to be good

Safeguarding thresholds of harm are not always applied consistently and in a timely way to keep children and staff safe. There has been an occasion where there has been under-reporting of a safeguarding incident to the designated officer. The responsible individual took immediate action to remedy this on his return from leave. On another occasion, managers have been reluctant to talk to a child about a concern. Work is required to help staff to build their knowledge and confidence around the process of making a safeguarding referral to the local authority.

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good

The registered manager has recently resigned from his post after a period of difficult relationships between managers and staff in the home. While this has left staff and the wider professional network feeling unsettled, the deputy manager is carrying out the home’s goals and has minimised any disruption to the children’s daily experiences. Staff support the deputy manager under this new interim arrangement and are carrying out their roles efficiently while leaders organise a more permanent solution.

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good

During a difficult period in the home, oversight of practice and monitoring by the registered manager were weak. The responsible individual has identified several areas that require urgent attention and is taking action to make improvements.

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good

The deputy manager continues to monitor the quality of care provided to children. She recognises that the current system has areas for improvement. For example, managers require clearer oversight of the skills, experience and training of staff in order to meet the developing needs of the children.

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good

The leaders support the deputy manager to undertake her role. They understand the key areas of strength and weakness in the home, which are now set out in a clear development plan to support high standards of care for the children. Inspection report children’s home: 2623790 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

protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background. (Regulation (6) (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(ii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff have the skills to meet each child’s individual needs, to reduce the risk of incidents.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that staff care for the children consistently. 15 October 2021

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Requirement Due date

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

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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

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans; 15 October 2021 Inspection report children’s home: 2623790 6 help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

raise any need for further assessment or specialist provision in relation to a child with the child’s education or training provider and the child’s placing authority. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iv)(vii))

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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—

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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 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

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)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the registered manager has good oversight of incidents and takes steps to reduce future risks. 15 October 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that— 15 October 2021 Inspection report children’s home: 2623790 7 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—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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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)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)) Inspection report children’s home: 2623790 8

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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: 2623790 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Evolve Child Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Rumwell Hall, Rumwell, Taunton, Somerset TA4 1EL

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Inspectors

Justine Hosking, Social Care Inspector Paula Lahey, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2623790 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

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

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