Children's Home run by Phoenix Children’s Homes Limited in Plymouth

Inspection report children’s home: 2604092 1 Registered provider: Phoenix Childcare Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to two children who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a private provider of education and social care. The home was registered with Ofsted on 15 October 2020.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager’s post is vacant.

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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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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/or 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.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2604092 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Not previously inspected Inspection report children’s home: 2604092 3

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inadequate

At the time of this inspection, there was one child living in the home. The child has moved multiple times, which has negatively affected their views of being looked after. Inspectors found that leaders and managers have failed to take sufficient action to address the risk of placement breakdown. The fragility of the current placement means the child faces uncertainty over future care planning.

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inadequate

Inspectors found that there is insufficient staffing and an over-reliance on the use of agency staff. This has directly resulted in the child being unable to form long-lasting, trusting relationships with staff, which has led to a pattern of allegations being made by the child.

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inadequate

The child regularly spends time with their family. However, these arrangements lack robust oversight. The parameters for visits are not clearly defined and, as a result, arrangements are chaotic and not planned effectively.

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inadequate

The home’s environment meets the child’s needs and there is evidence of how the child has been supported to personalise rooms. The child experiences positive activities facilitated by staff, taking into account the child’s wishes and aspirations. However, the overall care of the child is affected by a lack of coherent care planning.

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

Staff are not provided with clear direction and strategies to support the child when they are upset. This is because support plans are conflicting and misleading. As a result, there have been multiple incidents involving allegations against staff and staff being physically harmed. There is no clear plan to support the child to move forward from these experiences and reduce risk.

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

Leaders and managers have responded to serious incidents promptly. However, inspectors found there to be considerable variation in how staff respond to the child. In addition, records lack oversight and scrutiny, and strategies to manage conflict are ineffective.

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

Leaders and managers have failed to ensure that staff provide the child with effective and consistent boundaries. For example, staff have involved family members when they are challenged by the child’s behaviours, and, on one occasion, the police were used to support staff when the child was particularly upset.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Since the home was registered with Ofsted in October 2020, several staff have left, including the registered manager. This has resulted in significant instability across the staff team. Inspectors found that, despite staff receiving supervisions, staff Inspection report children’s home: 2604092 4 morale is low. Two permanent staff members work tirelessly to provide continuity of care for the child, in extremely challenging circumstances.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers have failed to ensure that there is sufficient oversight in the home. This is compounded by insufficient staffing, including the interim manager overseeing two homes and working shifts to provide care for the child. This has a significant impact on the interim manager’s capacity to manage the home effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

In response to the shortage of staffing, leaders and managers have been proactive in recruitment. However, for one new member of staff, it was unclear whether all checks had been completed satisfactorily and whether all induction activities had been completed. Recruitment for a permanent manager has not yet been successful and cover is being provided by the manager of another home. Feedback from one permanent staff member was encouraging about the support and commitment of the interim manager

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The shortfalls identified during this inspection mean that three requirements are made. These relate to the leadership and management of the home and the safe care of the child. Leaders and managers are in the process of producing an action plan to address the shortfalls, during which time Ofsted will continue to monitor the home. Inspection report children’s home: 2604092 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 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

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(v)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to leaders and managers ensuring that risk-management plans clearly identify strategies to manage risk and that there is a consistent approach by staff to prevent the child from suffering harm. 24 December

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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

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 24 December Inspection report children’s home: 2604092 6 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 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)(b) (2)(a)(d)(e)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to leaders and managers ensuring that there are sufficient staff in the home who understand and follow the home’s statement of purpose.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, managers must have sufficient oversight of staff practice and records to ensure that children make progress.

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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

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)(e)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to leaders and managers taking sufficient action, linking with the placing authority, to ensure that care plans provide clear direction and strategies for future planning. 24 December Inspection report children’s home: 2604092 7

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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: 2604092 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Phoenix Childcare Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Support Hub, Unit 5, Chinon Court, Lower Moor Way, Tiverton, Devon EX16 6SS

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Inspector

Louise Bacon, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2604092 9 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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