Children's Home run by North East Lincolnshire Council in North East Lincolnshire

Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC380956 1 SC380956 Registered provider: North East Lincolnshire Council

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and managed by a local authority. It provides care for up to two children for a period of assessment to assist in future placement planning. At the time of this monitoring visit, one child was living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager voluntarily cancelled her registration in March 2021, and an interim manager has been in day-to-day charge of this home. The interim manager has submitted a complete application for registration. The interim manager is currently not in day-to-day charge of this home.

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Information about this children’s home

Ofsted was aware during this inspection of a police investigation into serious allegations about restriction of liberty at the setting. While Ofsted does not have the power to investigate allegations of this kind, actions taken by the setting in response to the allegations were considered, where appropriate, alongside the other evidence available at the time of the inspection to inform the inspector’s judgements.

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This monitoring visit

This children’s home was judged inadequate at the full inspection on 3 and 4 November 2021. This was because leaders, managers and staff failed to take appropriate action to protect children from the potential risk of serious harm. Furthermore, the home had been without a registered manager since March 2021. As a result of these failures, children’s safety was compromised. Ofsted issued three compliance notices under regulations 12, 14 and 20. Ofsted also raised a further six requirements and four recommendations. Action taken to address these requirements and recommendations has not been considered as part of this monitoring visit.

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This monitoring visit

The purpose of this monitoring visit was to review the progress and the actions taken to meet the compliance notices. This monitoring visit included a review of the Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC380956 2 documents, and discussions and interviews with the manager and other relevant people. The inspector concluded from this monitoring visit that limited progress had been made and steps within the original compliance notices were reissued.

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This monitoring visit

No additional children have moved into this home, in line with the local authority’s agreement with Ofsted. Previously, children had moved into the home without any robust risk assessment or plans. This meant that the staff did not have adequate direction to review or mitigate any potential conflicts or risks. The manager has not demonstrated how they will risk-assess and plan effectively for future children moving into this home.

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This monitoring visit

The child currently living in the home continues to experience significant delays in moving on from this home following the assigned 12-week assessment period. Delays in sourcing suitable placements mean that the child is still not receiving the therapeutic and educational support that they need.

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This monitoring visit

The child is still at risk of ligaturing. The staff still have no procedural guidance to aid their decision-making about when they should seek medical guidance following a ligature incident. The child continues to receive no medical assistance or treatment in these circumstances.

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This monitoring visit

The child’s risk assessments are not routinely reviewed and updated, particularly when there has been an escalation of an identified risk. The child’s risk assessment still does not help staff to manage and reduce risks related to the use of ligatures. The assessments fail to provide the staff with the necessary guidance for them to help the child when they are in crisis, and at risk of ligaturing. There is an absence of guidance about welfare checks, or the observation of the child, to assess their safety and protection at times of crisis.

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This monitoring visit

Procedural amendments mean that staff, including casual staff, are responsible for familiarising themselves with the child’s safety plans. Staff are directed to read the child’s risk assessment and the ligature training pack and know the location of the ligature cutters. This process does not provide assurance of staff’s understanding, and managers have failed to maintain oversight of these procedures. Concerningly, incidents, including when a child has ligatured, do not routinely have management oversight. This means that managers cannot be assured that staff understand and appropriately implement agreed risk management strategies in their day-to-day practice.

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This monitoring visit

The child’s risk assessment provides staff with guidance and clarity about de- escalating incidents to prevent physical restraints. The child continues to be physically restrained, but only when other de-escalation strategies have been exhausted. Incident reports now evidence staff’s attempts to de-escalate the child’s behaviours before the use of physical restraint. However, management overviews and debrief with children and staff are routinely absent. The failure to review these records restricts learning and potentially means that poor practice continues. This is detrimental to children’s welfare and protection. Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC380956 3 The home is without a registered manager. Management arrangements for the day- to-day operation of the home are ineffective and inconsistent. Managers from other homes have been brought in to provide support under short-term arrangements, but

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This monitoring visit

their oversight of the home has been restricted. They have not had access to necessary documents, for example the staff rota and incident reports. Furthermore, there are currently no permanent staff working in the home and this is detrimental to the child’s progress and development. Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC380956 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/11/2021 Full Inadequate 02/09/2019 Full Good 04/09/2018 Full Good 27/09/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC380956 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 education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so. (Regulation 8 (1)) 31 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

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)(b)) 9 January 2022

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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 children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(a)) 9 January 2022

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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)(b)) 31 December 2021

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Requirement Due date

*Restraint in relation to a child is only permitted for the purpose of preventing—

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Requirement Due date

injury to any person (including the child); 9 January 2022 Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC380956 6 serious damage to the property of any person (including the child); or

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Requirement Due date

a child who is accommodated in a secure children’s home from absconding from the home.

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Requirement Due date

Restraint in relation to a child must be necessary and proportionate. (Regulation 20 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2))

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Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; and

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Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and

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Requirement Due date

allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (b)(c)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)) 31 December 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if—

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Requirement Due date

is not, or does not intend to be, in day-to-day charge of the home. (Regulation 27 (1)(b)(iii)) 25 January 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)(c)) 31 December 2021

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person’s report to— 31 December 2021 Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC380956 7 HMCI. (Regulation 44 (7)(a))

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the children’s home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meets the needs of the children. The home should offer a homely, domestic environment. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that they produce a children’s guide. The children’s guide must be made available to all children when their placement in the home is agreed (or on arrival at the home if the placement is made in an emergency). (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 24, paragraph 4.21)  The registered person should ensure that in line with Regulation 23, the registered person ensures that they make suitable arrangements to manage, administer and dispose of any medication. These are fundamentally the same sorts of arrangements as a good parent would make but are subject to additional

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Recommendations

safeguards. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.5)  The registered person should ensure that the staff should be familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC380956 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: North East Lincolnshire Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Civic Offices, Knoll Street, Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire DN35 8LN

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Inspector

Jennifer Fenlon, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC380956 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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