Children's Home run by Archways Care Limited in Worcestershire

Inspection report children’s home: SC383941 1 SC383941 Registered provider: Archways Care Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is part of a small organisation. The home can care for up to four children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2020.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19, at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers carried out under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF) on 17 March 2020. We returned to routine SCCIF inspections on 12 April 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 6 October 2020 to carry out an assurance visit. The report is published on the Ofsted website.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

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

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inadequate

Date of last inspection: 9 September 2019

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC383941 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/09/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 03/06/2019 Full Inadequate 04/09/2018 Full Good 26/09/2017 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC383941 3

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inadequate

There are serious shortfalls in safeguarding practice and in the leadership and management of this home. These concerns hinder the overall experiences and progress of children.

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inadequate

Three children live in the home. Two have lived in the home for over a year. Another child has recently moved out in a planned way, transitioning to foster care. Some children say they are happy living in the home.

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inadequate

Managers do not have adequate oversight of children’s routines. Children spend long periods of time in their bedrooms. This compromises their ability to engage in meaningful education. One child, who was in formal education, is no longer engaging. This hinders children’s ability to achieve their future aspirations.

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inadequate

One child is experiencing a decline in their mental health. Managers have not taken effective action to ensure that they receive specialist support. This child has also suffered a bereavement. The manager has not acted as an effective advocate to raise concerns about the child’s welfare. The manager was also unaware of changes to this child’s care plan due to poor communication between the home and placing authority.

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inadequate

Some staff do not have the skills to respond to children’s behaviour which may present as a challenge to them. One child receives a very high level of sanctions in comparison to other children living in the home. Positive behaviours are not routinely reinforced. As a result, children repeat negative actions and do not feel important or valued.

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inadequate

Children have designed the interior of a summerhouse in the garden. This is a calm and tranquil space where children can relax and complete activities. Children are proud of this space and feel a sense of achievement.

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inadequate

Children report that they have positive relationships with staff. However, they say they ‘like some more than others’. One child was unable to identify a staff member who they could talk to about their worries. As a result, should some children have concerns about their care, they are unlikely to disclose them.

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inadequate

Staff take a genuine interest in children’s likes and dislikes. They provide children with opportunities to develop hobbies. For example, one child has recently joined the Girl Guides. As a result of opportunities such as this, children are able to try new things and develop their self-esteem. Inspection report children’s home: SC383941 4

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

Managers and staff do not understand their safeguarding responsibilities and they do not show professional curiosity. Staff do not follow the home’s reporting and recording procedures. During one incident, staff did not report to managers that a child had made an allegation against a staff member. As a result, there was no investigation or external scrutiny of this allegation. This means that children are unable to trust that staff will keep them safe. Furthermore, children may receive care from staff who are unsafe to work with them.

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

Risk assessments do not clearly identify the steps staff need to take to keep children safe. They also contain inconsistent and inaccurate information. This minimises their effectiveness. In particular, when supervising children’s use of the internet and social media, children’s care plans clearly outline that staff should supervise them when online. However, the monitoring and supervision of children’s internet and mobile phone use are poor.

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

The home has a system in place to monitor the use of the internet. Managers and staff demonstrated how the system works to the inspectors. It became apparent that one child had tampered with the system on their mobile phone. This devalues the effectiveness of the system. Managers and staff had not been aware of this. Managers do not ensure that staff complete checks to ensure that the system is effective. They also differ in their view of how often these checks should take place. As a result, the measures in place to keep children safe online are ineffective.

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

One child has poor mental health. Staff are not creative in meeting this child’s needs. They do not follow guidance to help improve this child’s mental health. The child spends long periods of time alone in their bedroom with their mobile phone. This child has previously been the victim of online bullying, yet they are able to use the internet unsupervised and have unlimited data. Furthermore, they watch programmes which have an age restriction of over 18. As a result, this child views material which is of a frightening and violent nature.

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

Notifiable incidents are not always reported to Ofsted. Some of these incidents have involved children being sexually exploited online. One child received encouragement to self-harm by someone they were communicating with online. The manager and staff did report these incidents to the police. However, staff do not routinely educate children about online safety. As a result, children experience risky situations which compromise their safety.

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

Overall, staff respond appropriately when children go missing. However, on one occasion, staff did not inform the local authority for three hours. The home uses the Philomena protocol to share information with the police. This assists them in locating children quickly when they go missing.

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

At the time of the inspection, the door to the staff office would not fully close. The registered manager was unclear whether this met fire safety regulation. Inspection report children’s home: SC383941 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Oversight of the care children receive by leaders and managers is poor. The responsible individual is absent from work. An interim responsible individual is in place. The registered manager has recently returned to work after a period of absence.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers fail to respond adequately to concerns about staff practice. One staff member made allegations about the practice of other staff members. Leaders and managers did not respond to these allegations for two months during which time children were potentially at risk of harm. Since then, the interim responsible individual has investigated the allegations and taken the necessary action.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff lack the requisite skills to meet the needs of the children they care for. This is because they do not receive up-to-date training pertinent to children’s needs. The interim responsible individual has devised a staff training plan. However, the effectiveness of such is yet to be determined.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has ineffective systems to review and evaluate the care children receive. The systems used do not identify shortfalls in staff practice. The most recent quality-of-care report does not include consultation with children or professionals. As a result, managers do not have a good understanding of the care children receive and how this has an impact on them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager lacks understanding of risk assessments and their purpose. For example, she is unaware of the rationale for door alarms on children’s bedrooms. The manager was also unaware that they should regularly review the need for these door alarms and that they should not use them if they are not needed to keep a child safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The quality of the independent visitor’s reports is poor. The reports do not identify the shortfalls in the care children receive or help the home to improve. They are often received late.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The staff team gave positive feedback about working at the home. They were unanimous in that they feel well supported. In particular, new workers complimented their induction and supervision. The home has a strong team of relief workers who support the permanent staff team. This ensures that children receive care from staff who they know. Inspection report children’s home: SC383941 6

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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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5(c))

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Requirement Due date

This is specifically in relation to the manager ensuring that they make reasonable efforts to identify and access the appropriate support to meet children’s mental health needs.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 6 December 2021

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Requirement Due date

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

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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

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;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; 6 December 2021 Inspection report children’s home: SC383941 7 take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(e))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the manager’s and staff’s understanding of their safeguarding responsibilities. This includes understanding each child’s individual risk assessment, as well as having the ability to undertake the necessary steps to keep children safe.

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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 have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of 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

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on— 6 December 2021 Inspection report children’s home: SC383941 8 feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

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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)(c)(f)(g)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Leaders must ensure that necessary action is undertaken so that the home is led and managed by those who are suitably skilled and experienced. In addition, ensure that all leaders, managers and staff are competent and capable of fulfilling their roles.

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that children are cared for by staff who have the skills, knowledge, experience and ability to meet their needs.

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers should ensure that any shortfalls, identified when monitoring and reviewing the care children receive, are responded to promptly. This includes any allegations or complaints.

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

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

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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

manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed; and

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Requirement Due date

that the child’s placing authority is contacted, and a review of that child’s relevant plans is requested, if—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person considers that the child is at risk of harm or has concerns that the care provided for the child is inadequate to meet the child’s needs. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(b)(ii)(c)(e)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the manager effectively reviewing the placement of children whose needs require specialist 6 December 2021 Inspection report children’s home: SC383941 9 support. This includes consideration of whether staff have the requisite skills to meet children’s complex needs.

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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—

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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

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. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(vii)(b)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to physical interventions not being recorded to the required standards and lack of management oversight.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 6 December 2021

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child —

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious.

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Requirement Due date

A notification made under this regulation— 6 December 2021 Inspection report children’s home: SC383941 10 must include details of—

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Requirement Due date

the other persons, bodies or organisations (if any) who or which have been notified; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions taken by the registered person as a result of the matter; and

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Requirement Due date

must be made or confirmed in writing. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e) (5)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the provider ensuring prompt notification to HMCI of a serious event.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must produce a report about a visit ("the independent person’s report") which sets out, in particular, the independent person’s opinion as to whether—

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Requirement Due date

children are effectively safeguarded; and

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Requirement Due date

the conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person’s report may recommend actions that the registered person may take in relation to the home and timescales within which the registered person must consider whether or not to take those actions.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person’s report to—

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Requirement Due date

upon request, the local authority for the area in which the home is located;

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Requirement Due date

the registered provider and, if applicable, the registered manager; and

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Requirement Due date

the responsible individual (if one is nominated). (Regulation 44 (1) (4)(a)(b) (5) (7)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)) 6 December 2021 Inspection report children’s home: SC383941 11 This specifically relates to the capability of the independent visitor, particularly their ability to identify the shortfalls in the care children receive and their reports being submitted in a timely manner.

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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—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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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

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Requirement Due date

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

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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").

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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 (2)(a)(b)(c) (3) (5))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered manager ensuring that they gather the views, wishes and feelings of children to incorporate into their review of the quality of care children receive. 6 December 2021

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. This includes liaising with any external professionals such as the fire service and acting on any raised recommendations (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards, page 42, paragraph 9.5). Inspection report children’s home: SC383941 12

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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: SC383941 13

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Archways Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Hill Farm, Shawbury Lane, Shustoke, Coleshill, Birmingham B46 2RN

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Inspectors

Sarah Berry, Social Care Inspector Mazviita Makiyi, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC383941 14 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

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