Children's home run by Mutual Care Limited

Inspection report children’s home: 2528486 1 Registered provider: Mutual Care Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This children’s home provides care for up to three children who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager since 1 November 2020. A new manager started in August 2021, and has applied to register with Ofsted.

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

Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 2 December 2020.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

p.1

inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

p.1

inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded and the care and experiences of children and young people are poor and they are not making progress.

p.1

inadequate

Date of last inspection: 26 February 2020

p.1

inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

p.1

inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2528486 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

26/02/2020 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children’s home: 2528486 3

p.2

inadequate

The home has been without a registered manager since 1 November 2020. After the last registered manager left, a new manager was recruited and was dismissed. At the time of this inspection, the current manager had only been in post for four weeks. The lack of a permanent and experienced registered manager has had a significant impact on the quality of care provided for the children. As a result of this inspection, a notice of suspension and two compliance notices have been issued.

p.3

inadequate

Three children were living in the home at the time of this inspection. Serious shortfalls were identified in behaviour management, and how staff help and protect children. Staff are unable to meet children’s individual needs, and are unable and unwilling to challenge some of the children’s difficult behaviours. Consequently, the children hold the balance of power in the home.

p.3

inadequate

The staff’s responses are inconsistent and ineffective when children find it difficult to regulate their emotions. Children are not provided with clear expectations of their behaviour. The children’s plans contain conflicting information. This means that the staff and the children are not clear about what is expected of them.

p.3

inadequate

There is a culture of low expectations of the children among the staff. There is a lack of effective action to manage antisocial and inappropriate behaviour. Inspectors found evidence that staff have failed to take decisive action to prevent children from distributing cannabis, abusing an animal, inhaling aerosols and accessing pornography. The lack of boundaries means that children are not able to develop socially responsible behaviour.

p.3

inadequate

Staff withdraw when children become challenging and do not intervene to prevent children from causing damage. Strategies used to try and manage children’s behaviour are ineffective in preventing incidents from escalating. The previous manager was disciplined after they took a child to a local garage to purchase tobacco.

p.3

inadequate

Staff have not put in place healthy routines. One child’s internet is turned off at 2am. One child’s plan talks about watching television into the night. Some children are refusing to attend their education provisions. Two children spend long periods away from the home. Staff do remain in telephone contact with children who are away from the home, but they are not certain if the children are safe. Records show that smoking is embedded into children’s daily routines. This does not enable children to develop healthy outcomes and has a detrimental impact on children’s health.

p.3

inadequate

Inspectors identified serious shortfalls in the environment. Children’s bedrooms were dirty and unhygienic. Damage inside and outside the home is not repaired promptly. Inspection report children’s home: 2528486 4 Children’s bedrooms and bathrooms were in a poor state of repair and required redecoration and modernisation.

p.3

inadequate

Staff are unable to prevent children from causing damage to the home. Furniture is damaged, stained and burnt, windows are smashed, household items are used as weapons and household fixtures and fittings are repeatedly damaged. Staff have failed to intervene to redirect children and prevent damage.

p.4

inadequate

The children’s needs are not matched or assessed effectively. Since a third child moved into the home, the outcomes and well-being of children already living in the home have deteriorated. The children have been allowed to draw each other into risky behaviours. For example, one child has given cannabis to other children. Children have intimidated each other and gone missing together. The repeated failures of managers to make effective matching decisions have resulted in children harming each other.

p.4

inadequate

Some positive and warm interactions were observed between children and staff during the inspection. However, staff did not model emotional containment during the inspection, and children were not prevented from behaving in an intimidating way towards inspectors.

p.4

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

Staff and managers have failed to take effective action to safeguard the children. Previous inspections have identified serious, repeated failures in safeguarding practice. Managers have failed to make progress in meeting this regulation. At this inspection, inspectors again found serious shortfalls in how leaders, managers and staff help and protect children. These shortfalls have a negative impact on children’s experiences and put children at risk of serious harm.

p.4

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

A child took a member of staff’s car keys and attempted to drive a car. Records of incidents show that children have set fires, lit aerosols and intimidated staff. Staff lack the skills to prevent children from engaging in risky behaviours that place them and others at serious risk.

p.4

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

Children smoke inside the home. Inspectors found extensive evidence of smoking paraphernalia and damage related to smoking. Children have extinguished cigarettes on bedside cabinets. One child’s bedside table abutting a child’s bed was burnt. Staff did not alert managers to this damage. If effective action is not taken to address the risks relating to children smoking in bedrooms, the children are put at risk of serious harm.

p.4

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

Risk assessments are of poor quality and are not followed by staff. One child’s risk assessment states that the child should not have lighters on his person as he is known to have previously started fires. All of the children have unsupervised access to lighters. Another child’s risk assessment does not give guidance to staff on how to protect the child from substance misuse. This child regularly uses cannabis. Risk Inspection report children’s home: 2528486 5 assessments do not give staff the information they need to protect children from known risks.

p.4

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

Drug use by the children has increased. One child has supplied cannabis to the other children. There is a lack of professional curiosity from staff as to how this child is obtaining illegal substances. Consequently, the extent of risks to the children is not known and cannot be mitigated.

p.5

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

Staff are not trained in the safe use of the internet. One child has accessed inappropriate content online. Measures put in place to monitor the children’s internet activity have failed to prevent children from accessing inappropriate content online.

p.5

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

The manager and the staff have failed to be vigilant in the supervision of the children, which has placed the children at risk of harm. Children have left the home at night without staff realising that the children were missing. While away from the home at night, children have gained access to knives and horse medication. There is an overreliance on mechanical devices to monitor children overnight. This fails to protect children from risks in the community.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The lack of an experienced manager and poor leadership by the responsible individual have resulted in widespread failures. Management monitoring is ineffective and managers fail to ensure that effective risk-reduction strategies are in place. Consequently, incidents have been repeated and children have been at risk of physical harm, as well as at risk of criminalisation.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Management oversight and evaluation are poor. Despite the responsible individual’s presence in the home, they have failed to identify shortfalls in staff practice, the quality of the environment and management monitoring. The lack of management monitoring of repairs means that environmental hazards have not been addressed and damage is not repaired promptly.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

A sash window in a child’s bedroom is broken and when the window was forced open, it slammed shut. This could place the child at risk of harm and injury. One child’s bedroom door was boarded up and awaiting repair. Bedroom doors are not fire safe. They do not have fire returns or intumescent strips to protect children in the event of a fire. This is not reflected in the provider’s fire risk assessment.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Internal monitoring systems and the external monitoring by the independent person have failed to identify significant shortfalls in practice. Managers have failed to complete a review of the quality of care. As a result, opportunities for learning have been missed. Inspectors were not provided with an up-to-date statement of purpose. The lack of an accurate and up-to-date statement of purpose means that parents, staff and social workers are not able to have an understanding of the aims and objectives of the home. Inspection report children’s home: 2528486 6 Leaders and managers have failed to ensure that the staff have completed up-to- date learning that helps them to understand and respond to the risks relevant to the children in their care. Staff have not received training in child exploitation or drug and alcohol use. Some staff are not trained in the safe use of the internet. Measures put in place by staff to monitor children’s internet activity have failed to prevent

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

children from accessing inappropriate content online. Consequently, children are being placed at risk of harm.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

A manager was appointed who had previously been the subject of disciplinary action. Following poor practice involving a safeguarding incident, the manager was dismissed. Recruitment processes are not sufficiently robust to prevent the recruitment of a manager who was not suitable. Inspection report children’s home: 2528486 7

p.6

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.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

p.7

Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them 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

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background;

p.7

Requirement Due date

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(i)(ii))

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that children’s plans are followed. In addition, ensure that the decor of the home is maintained to a good standard, that children’s bedrooms are kept in a hygienic state, and that repairs are undertaken promptly. 3 November 2021

p.7

Requirement Due date

*The positive relationships standard The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

p.7

Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

p.7

Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— 13 October 2021 Inspection report children’s home: 2528486 8 that staff—

p.7

Requirement Due date

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

p.8

Requirement Due date

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

p.8

Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

p.8

Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

p.8

Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

p.8

Requirement Due date

help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child’s age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful;

p.8

Requirement Due date

help each child to develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship;

p.8

Requirement Due date

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust;

p.8

Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(x))

p.8

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered provider must ensure that any conflicts between children are managed and addressed so that the children understand and take responsibility for their actions. Furthermore, children should be supported to understand harmful relationships and staff should intervene to prevent children from harming each other. Managers must ensure that staff are equipped with the strategies to safeguard children and to intervene to prevent children from harming themselves or others.

p.8

Requirement Due date

*The protection of children standard 13 October 2021 Inspection report children’s home: 2528486 9 The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.8

Requirement Due date

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

p.9

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.9

Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

p.9

Requirement Due date

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

p.9

Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

p.9

Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare;

p.9

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;

p.9

Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(vi)(b)(d))

p.9

Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that risk assessments are up to date, contain risk reduction strategies and are understood and implemented by all staff. Ensure that health and safety checks are completed, including the removal of lighters and smoking paraphernalia from the children. Take immediate action to make repairs to the home so that the environment is safe for the children and free from hazards.

p.9

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.9

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.9

Requirement Due date

promotes their welfare. 27 October 2021 Inspection report children’s home: 2528486 10 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.9

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)(h))

p.10

Requirement Due date

Undertake a review of current monitoring systems and ensure changes are made to ensure monitoring of the service is effective in safeguarding the children and promoting their well-being.

p.10

Requirement Due date

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

p.10

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)) 3 November 2021

p.10

Requirement Due date

If the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005(a) applies to the home—

p.10

Requirement Due date

the registered person must ensure that the requirements of that Order and any regulations made under it, except for article 23 (duties of employees), are complied with in respect of the home. (Regulation 25 (2)(b))

p.10

Requirement Due date

Consult with the local fire service to ensure that the current fire risk assessment and physical building adequately protect children from the risks of fire. 13 October 2021

p.10

Requirement Due date

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

p.10

Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or, if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home—

p.10

Requirement Due date

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

p.10

Requirement Due date

The requirements are that— 27 October 2021 Inspection report children’s home: 2528486 11 the individual is of integrity and good character;

p.10

Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

p.11

Requirement Due date

the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and

p.11

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)(b) (3)(a)(b)(c)(d))

p.11

Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that references are sufficiently detailed and followed up by the provider to establish if an individual is suitable to work with vulnerable children.

p.11

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

p.11

Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

p.11

Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

p.11

Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b))

p.11

Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff receive an annual appraisal of their practice. 27 October 2021

p.11

Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

p.11

Requirement Due date

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

p.11

Requirement Due date

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

p.11

Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

p.11

Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child—

p.11

Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or 3 November 2021 Inspection report children’s home: 2528486 12 there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e))

p.11

Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that Ofsted is notified of serious incidents.

p.12

Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months.

p.12

Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

p.12

Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

p.12

Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

p.12

Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

p.12

Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review (“the quality of care review report”).

p.12

Requirement Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed; and

p.12

Requirement Due date

make a copy of the quality of care review report available on request to a placing authority, if the placing authority is not the parent of a child accommodated in the home.

p.12

Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (3) (4)(a)(b) (5)) 3 November 2021 Inspection report children’s home: 2528486 13 In particular, ensure that there is a review of the quality of care provided by the home every six months, and that this review considers the views of children. The report should be sent to Ofsted in a timely manner.

p.12

Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

p.13

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: 2528486 14

p.13

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 19 St Marys Road, Portishead, Bristol, Somerset BS20 6QP

p.14

Inspectors

Angela Weston, Social Care Inspector Louise Bacon, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2528486 15 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.14

Inspectors

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.15

Inspectors

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

p.15

Inspectors

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

p.15