Children's Home run by Central and Southern Homes Limited in Devon

Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2611536 1 Registered provider: Central & Southern Homes Ltd

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home provides care for up to five children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager since 29 November 2021. A new manager started in November 2021 but has not yet applied to register with Ofsted.

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This monitoring visit

During a full inspection on 30 November and 1 December 2021, Ofsted judged the home to be inadequate. Serious and widespread failures in safeguarding, staff recruitment, staff skill and leadership were identified. At the full inspection, six requirements were made. During this inspection, progress has been seen in respect of five of the requirements, however, none are yet fully met.

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This monitoring visit

Staff have developed their curiosity and critical thinking about incidents and episodes of children going missing. However, this is not yet fully embedded as staff are not consistently following agreed safety plans or directions from senior leaders. Leaders and managers had identified this and an investigation into staff performance was in progress at the time of the inspection. An improved group living risk assessment identifies how staff will support children to be safe together. Leaders have identified that the home could not keep one child safe and the child has now moved on.

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This monitoring visit

Senior leaders have taken decisive action to restructure leadership in the home. This has included another manager and senior in the organisation providing a mentoring role in the home to raise standards. As a result, new monitoring systems have been developed and risk assessments reviewed and streamlined. Leaders have escalated concerns about delays in children receiving education. As a result, children are now provided with tuition but are not yet in school. Staff have received additional training Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2611536 2 on county lines, child exploitation, drugs and alcohol misuse and online exploitation. Staff spoken to report positive changes in the home, including more guidance about how to support children.

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This monitoring visit

The requirements raised at the full inspection will remain in place, to be reviewed at the next full inspection. Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2611536 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

30/11/2021 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2611536 4

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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

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs;

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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 (b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should formally raise with the placing local authority the concerns about one child’s delay in accessing education. 4 February 2022

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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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

understand the child’s health and well-being needs and the options that are available in relation to the child’s health and well-being, in a way that is appropriate to the child’s age and understanding; 4 February 2022 Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2611536 5 understand and develop skills to promote the child’s well- being. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(ii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that health plans fully consider the impact of smoking and substance misuse and identify how the child will be supported to improve their health outcomes.

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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

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

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(v)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, staff must assess the risk of harm to children, ensure that risk assessments are updated and act in accordance with the home’s procedures regarding signing documents to say that the risks are read and understood. 4 February 2022

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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

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child; 4 February 2022 Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2611536 6 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)(a)(b) (2)(c)(e)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that staff are suitably experienced and skilled to meet the needs of the children in the home, and that staff retention is explored to maintain consistency for children.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person should also ensure that there are systems in place to review the quality of interventions and to learn from incidents.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person should also develop systems to ensure that documents are reviewed, and to be able to satisfy themselves that staff are aware of what they need to do to be able to care for children.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and 4 February 2022 Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2611536 7 full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager should ensure that information provided by applicants is scrutinised to ensure that complete dates of employment are provided, that discrepancies are identified and challenged, and that references are taken up from the most recent employer.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children’s home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c) (the protection of children standard). (Regulation 46 (1))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must take into account the risks for individual children in relation to the location of the home. 4 February 2022

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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: 2611536 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Central & Southern Homes Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Pitmaston House, Malvern Road, Worcester WR2 4LL

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Inspector

Clare Nixson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2611536 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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