Children's Home run by Children & Adolescents Placement Provisions Ltd in West Northamptonshire

Inspection report children’s home: 2625585 1 Registered provider: Children & Adolescents Placement Provisions Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is owned by a small private provider. It is registered to provide care for up to four children who may have emotional, social and behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered in February 2021. The home’s registered manager is suitably experienced and qualified.

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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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requires improvement to be good

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

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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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.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 21 September 2021

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2625585 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/09/2021 Full Inadequate Inspection report children’s home: 2625585 3

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improvement to be good

The home was judged inadequate at the last inspection in September 2021. There were concerns over the placements of some children and the staff’s ability to meet the children’s needs safely. The safety and welfare of children were of concern. The manager was overstretched, and the oversight of incidents and children’s progress was poor. The behaviour of children was also worrying, placing them at increased risk.

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improvement to be good

In the intervening period, the management structure and personnel in the home have changed. This has provided the manager with the additional support to help her fulfil her role to a better standard. The management team has introduced several changes to address the identified shortfalls from the inspection. The home continues to require improvement because many of these changes are in their infancy and not yet fully embedded into practice.

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improvement to be good

Children say that they are happy in their home. These comments are reflected in a calmer and more settled atmosphere. Children are developing positive relationships with the staff. However, children remain unhappy about the number of temporary staff working in the home. This makes it difficult for children to develop meaningful relationships with these staff due to the intermittent nature of their shifts. The organisation is committed to recruiting relief staff to ensure that children are cared for by staff they know and feel comfortable with.

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improvement to be good

Children attend school regularly. For some children, this requires travelling long distances. The children accept this, demonstrating their commitment to their education. The manager is undertaking discussion with involved professionals about ways to limit this travel. This may involve more educational input in the home. The manager and staff are committed to ensuring that children attend education and make progress.

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improvement to be good

Children spend time with family members and those who are important to them. The manager works with the relevant social workers to have family meetings close to the home. The children commented on the improvements to the time they spend with family and how important this is for them.

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improvement to be good

The children continue to access informal sessions with a therapist, who works for the organisation. This is in addition to the formal support they receive from the child and adolescent mental health service. This means that children receive the help they need for their emotional well-being. Inspection report children’s home: 2625585 4

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improvement to be good

At the previous inspection, poor initial placement decisions by managers led to very difficult dynamics between the children, and there was an increase in incidents. The issues were compounded by the staff team’s lack of experience and expertise to address these behaviours. Leaders and managers have started to address these shortfalls through additional staff training. Training is now designed to equip staff with de-escalation techniques and improved awareness of the underlying reasons for some behaviour from children. Staff report that the training has been informative, and they feel better equipped for their role.

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improvement to be good

There has been a marked decrease in the number of incidents, including self- harmful behaviour and going missing from the home. Negative behaviours by children are being managed better by staff. Managers are now notifying Ofsted of significant incidents, such as allegations being made against staff. This enables Ofsted to have oversight of the frequency of significant events in the home and how they are managed.

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improvement to be good

Children’s behaviour support plans set out children’s likes, dislikes and behaviours. These are then incorporated into an individualised risk assessment document. Risk assessments are now being updated when changes occur. The changes are now clearly detailed and easier to understand. These important documents now support staff practice in safeguarding children in the home.

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improvement to be good

Children’s individual care files have improved, with greater detail and children having a say in what is recorded. However, a sampled file contained information about another child. The manager still needs to ensure that staff understand the potential impact of this information not being available on the relevant child’s file.

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good

The manager is committed to the home. She is becoming better able to fulfil all aspects of her role. This is because the owner and a consultant have provided support, reassurance and direction. Additionally, the manager benefits from the support of the therapist working in the home. The manager now benefits from a newly appointed deputy manager to support her with essential tasks. This provides the manager with additional time to develop the home, so that they can provide good care to children.

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good

Staff speak positively about the manager. They describe her as supportive and encouraging. The manager is readily available to staff and she will provide them with guidance, direction and professional supervision.

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good

The responsible individual is no longer in post. Leaders have identified a new person for this role, and they are waiting to take up this post. Leaders recognise this is a crucial role in providing the manager with support and direction. Inspection report children’s home: 2625585 5 The statement of purpose has been updated to detail the staff team and their qualifications. It now provides a clearer insight into the service offered, the experience of the staff team, and the services they can provide to children.

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good

At the last inspection, seven statutory requirements were made. The manager and leaders have made efforts to meet these requirements to improve the standard of care to children. However, two of the requirements have been set again, relating to children’s files being accurate and containing the correct level of detail. This is crucial to providing an oversight into the events of a child’s life while in the home. The second requirement relates to information being obtained by the independent visitor from parents/carers and other professionals, so that the monthly independent visitor report contains the views of those outside of the home. Inspection report children’s home: 2625585 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

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically refers to ensuring that records are completed fully with attention to detail and accuracy and filed correctly. 18 December

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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. 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. (Regulation 44 (1) (4)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure, where possible, that the visitor’s opinion on children’s safeguarding and well-being is informed by the views of parents and external professionals. 18 December Inspection report children’s home: 2625585 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: 2625585 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Children & Adolescents Placement Provisions Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 40 Harpur Street, Bedford, Bedfordshire MK40 2QT

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Inspector

Sonia Hay, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2625585 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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