Children's Home run by Vcare - 24 Limited in East Riding of Yorkshire

Inspection report children’s home: 2517443 1 Registered provider: VCare-24 Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a private provider. It provides care for one child with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The manager of the home was registered with Ofsted on 11 February 2020 and is suitably qualified for the role.

p.1

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.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

requires improvement to be good

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

p.1

requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

p.1

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.

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report children’s home: 2517443 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Not previously inspected Inspection report children’s home: 2517443 3

p.2

improvement to be good

The current child spends time with staff, which helps them to build positive relationships with the adults around them. The child and staff engage in meaningful activities, such as dog walking, go-karting and visits to the seaside. Consequently, the child has positive experiences as a result of living in the home.

p.3

improvement to be good

The child is up to date with their routine health appointments. Staff are not successful in encouraging the child to be independent with their hygiene. This is likely to impact on the child’s self-esteem and confidence. The staff spoken to said that more can be done around promoting the child’s personal hygiene.

p.3

improvement to be good

The home’s decor is not welcoming, and the walls are dirty. There are many holes in the walls caused from damage from a child, but these have not been repaired. The carpets are not clean throughout the home and in some places have burns in them. There are spiderwebs and flies in the shower cubicle of the child’s bathroom. The level of cleanliness does not promote children’s self-esteem. Furthermore, the lack of attention to decor and hygiene means that children are not being provided with a homely environment.

p.3

improvement to be good

The child in placement is not on roll in a school. The registered manager has put some learning in place, as a substitute for an education provision, in the interim. Plans are in place for the child to be enrolled in a local school, but until then the child’s learning and development are suffering.

p.3

improvement to be good

Staff promote family time. The child is taken to visit family, and family members visit the home. This ensures that the child is spending quality time with the people that they love.

p.3

improvement to be good

Staff use verbal redirection to help children when they are angry and sad. Staff remain nurturing and speak in a clear and calm manner. This ensures that the children can understand that the staff are trying the help them. As a result, incidents are becoming less frequent, and the child is developing coping strategies which are helping them control their frustration.

p.3

improvement to be good

The child’s risk assessment does not include all known risks to the child, such as smoking in their bedroom. This does not provide staff with actions to follow to reduce the risk of harm to the child. Consequently, the child is exposed to the risk of fire through smoking in their bedroom. Inspection report children’s home: 2517443 4 Physical interventions are not frequently used. The records reviewed during the inspection were thorough and well written. The child and staff receive a debrief from leaders and managers after an incident. This ensures that all involved are given the opportunity to discuss the incident in a reflective manner.

p.3

improvement to be good

On the rare occasion that children go missing from the home, staff follow the protocols that are in place. This ensures that the child is located as quickly and safely as possible. In addition, the child knows that they are cared for, because the staff follow them when they leave the home.

p.4

good

The registered manager divides her time between the two homes that she manages. Some staff spoken to said that it is difficult to contact her when she is at the other home. This is not giving staff the confidence and support that they need during difficult times in the home.

p.4

good

There have been some staff changes within the team. At times this has caused the child to be unsettled. The team is now working cohesively and delivering consistent care to the child. As a result, the child is familiar with the staff and appears to be more settled.

p.4

good

The registered manager has failed to notify Ofsted of safeguarding incidents, such as the child placing staff in a compromising situation. Consequently, the staff moved to work in another home for a short while as a safety precaution. This does not provide Ofsted with the necessary information on how the registered manager is processing the allegations.

p.4

good

Supervisions are of good quality and are regular. They give staff the opportunity to discuss their practice and reflect on their approach. During regular team meetings, staff discuss the strengths and weaknesses within the team. This enables staff to work with the children effectively and consistently. All staff are up to date with their mandatory training, and also specific training relating to the child’s individual needs.

p.4

good

The monitoring systems in place are not effective. The registered manager’s internal audits have failed to identify that smoking and personal hygiene concerns are not included in risk assessments, and that the cleaning of the home falls short of acceptable standards.

p.4

good

The registered manager works with a wide range of professionals, including teachers, social workers and therapists. Professionals and the parent spoken to were consistent in their responses. All said that there are no concerns with the staff’s practice. Inspection report children’s home: 2517443 5

p.4

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.5

Requirement Due date

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

p.5

Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the out- comes it seeks to achieve for children;

p.5

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)(vii)) 12 December

p.5

Requirement Due date

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

p.5

Requirement Due date

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

p.5

Requirement Due date

help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(x)) 12 December

p.5

Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

p.5

Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

p.5

Requirement Due date

understand and develop skills to promote the child’s well-being; (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(iv))

p.5

Requirement Due date

In particular, staff must explore their approaches to ensuring that the children’s personal hygiene is maintained. 12 December

p.5

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. 12 December Inspection report children’s home: 2517443 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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i))

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

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

p.6

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;

p.6

Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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)(a)(b)(h))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager is registered for two homes. She must ensure that this does not impact on her availability to speak with staff during working hours. 12 December

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there. (Regulation 40 (4)(c)) 12 December Inspection report children’s home: 2517443 7

p.6

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: 2517443 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 18, Becklands Park, York Road, Market Weighton, York YO43 3GA

p.8

Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Victoria Simpson

p.8

Inspector

Gemma McDonnell, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2517443 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.

p.8

Inspector

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.9

Inspector

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

p.9

Inspector

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

p.9