Children's home run by Mutual Care Limited

Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2528486 1 Mutual Care Ltd

p.1

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 social and emotional 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

This monitoring visit

This visit was carried out to assess the progress the home has made since Ofsted issued a suspension notice on 15 September 2021. Two compliance notices that were issued immediately following the home’s suspension were also reviewed at this visit.

p.1

This monitoring visit

Significant investment has been made in redecorating and refurbishing the house. The property is now very well presented and creates a welcoming, clean and comfortable home for children to move in to. Two bedrooms have been set aside for children. Senior managers have decided to provide a home for two children initially, rather than three.

p.1

This monitoring visit

Senior staff have complied in principle with the notices issued under Regulations 11 and 12. The actions taken include the creation of new quality assurance systems to improve the manager’s oversight of the home. Staff training in online safety and substance misuse has been provided; further training in these areas is planned. Matching processes have been strengthened. Learning from previous incidents has served to develop practice. New systems cannot be tested in practice until the home is up and running again. Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2528486 2 Good progress has been made in meeting the requirements of the suspension notice. These requirements relate to fire safety. The measures taken include commissioning a review of the fire risk assessment and improving procedures to ensure better overall monitoring of fire safety by the manager. One member of staff has been nominated as a health and safety officer; part of his role will be to carry

p.1

This monitoring visit

out fire safety checks. In addition, the acting manager is mindful of setting out expectations of behaviour for children and staff around smoking. Systems have been introduced to support this change. Senior staff are now awaiting sign-off from the fire safety officer; this is expected imminently. Once this is confirmed, Ofsted will lift the suspension notice.

p.2

This monitoring visit

The requirements raised at the full inspection will remain in place, to be reviewed at the next full inspection. Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2528486 3

p.2

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/09/2021 Full Inadequate 26/02/2020 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2528486 4

p.3

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.4

Requirement Due date

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

p.4

Requirement Due date

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

p.4

Requirement Due date

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

p.4

Requirement Due date

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

p.4

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.4

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.4

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.4

Requirement Due date

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

p.4

Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

p.4

Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

p.4

Requirement Due date

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

p.4

Requirement Due date

that staff— 13 October 2021 Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2528486 5 meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

p.4

Requirement Due date

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

p.5

Requirement Due date

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

p.5

Requirement Due date

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

p.5

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.5

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.5

Requirement Due date

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

p.5

Requirement Due date

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust;

p.5

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.5

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.5

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. 13 October 2021 Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2528486 6 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.6

Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

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.6

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.6

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.6

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.6

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

promotes their welfare. 27 October 2021 Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2528486 7 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.6

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.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

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.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

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.7

Requirement Due date

Specifically, 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.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; 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.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

The requirements are that— 27 October 2021 Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2528486 8 the individual is of integrity and good character;

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.8

Requirement Due date

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

p.8

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.8

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.8

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

p.8

Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

p.8

Requirement Due date

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

p.8

Requirement Due date

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

p.8

Requirement Due date

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

p.8

Requirement Due date

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

p.8

Requirement Due date

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

p.8

Requirement Due date

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

p.8

Requirement Due date

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

p.8

Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child—

p.8

Requirement Due date

is instigated; or 3 November 2021 Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2528486 9 concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

p.8

Requirement Due date

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.9

Requirement Due date

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

p.9

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.9

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.9

Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

p.9

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.9

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.9

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.9

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.9

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.9

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. 3 November 2021 Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2528486 10 (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (3) (4)(a)(b) (5))

p.9

Requirement Due date

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.10

Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

p.10

Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2528486 11

p.10

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 19 St Mary’s Road, Portishead, Bristol, Somerset BS20 6QP

p.11

Inspectors

Michelle Oxley, Social Care Inspector Paula Lahey, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2528486 12 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.11

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.12

Inspectors

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

p.12

Inspectors

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

p.12