Children's Home, Residential special school run by MacIntyre Care in Buckinghamshire

Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC043994 1 SC043994 Registered provider: MacIntyre Care

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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 is part of an independent school for children who have an autism spectrum disorder and/or severe learning disabilities. The home provides care for up to 16 children across four houses.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered by Ofsted on 21 December 2019.

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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 22 November 2021 to carry out a monitoring visit. The report is published on the Ofsted website. Following this visit, Ofsted imposed a variation on 3 December 2021 to reduce the number of children who can live at the home from 20 to 16.

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Information about this children’s home

The inspectors only inspected the social care provision at this school during this monitoring visit.

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This monitoring visit

This unannounced monitoring visit took place to review how well the registered persons had complied with the two compliance notices issued on 3 December 2021. Both of these compliance notices were found to be met.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers had undertaken the necessary work to meet the steps outlined in the compliance notice about how staff shifts are planned and organised (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(b) of The Children’s Homes Regulations (England) 2015).

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This monitoring visit

The changes that leaders and managers have made have enabled them to better review that each shift is led by experienced staff. They have better oversight of the use of agency staff. This means that there are more staff on duty who know the children well and that agency staff are supported by experienced staff. The rotas demonstrate that the staff are generally working fewer hours. The staff’s working Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC043994 2 hours remain high. However, a new system for monitoring staff well-being is in place to ensure that staff are not working excessive hours to the extent that it effects their well-being or performance.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers have also completed pieces of work to meet the steps outlined in the compliance notice about reviewing staff hours, and the frequency of formal supervision (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(h) of The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015).

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This monitoring visit

The notice required the provider to review and make changes to how rotas are completed. Leaders and managers identified improvements and are acting on these. The rotas now provide a holistic view of staffing across the four houses of the home, which senior managers are monitoring daily. Changes to staff supervision have been made to ensure that more regular supervision is in place. For instance, education staff who regularly work in the children’s home have received one group supervision, with plans for them to receive individual supervisions from January 2022. Nevertheless, these systems are in their infancy and are not yet fully embedded in practice.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers have made longer-term plans to improve staff recruitment and retention, such as pay increases for care staff. At the time of the visit, managers confirmed that this had improved staff retention but had not increased staff recruitment. Further resources have been identified to maintain oversight of staff deployment; for example, an administrator is due to take up a post next week and part of their duties will be to keep staff rotas up to date.

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This monitoring visit

Despite improvements to staff deployment and better oversight of the staff rota, the staffing levels that can be provided are stretched close to the limit. For example, there is a significant challenge to provide safe staffing levels over the Christmas period. This is exacerbated by the impact of COVID-19 infections and there are not enough staff currently to provide cover in the event of further staff absence due to COVID-19. Leaders and managers are currently planning contingencies with local authorities to ensure that children have safe levels of supervision and care.

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This monitoring visit

There have been eight significant incidents recorded since the compliance notices were issued. The incident records are not all clearly or appropriately written. Several reports contained grammatical and punctuation errors. One report contained inappropriate language. The incident reports did not contain contextual information, such as which staff were working with a child prior to a restraint. This information is especially necessary where a child requires two staff to care for them. The lack of contextual information in the content of the incident record reduces leaders and managers’ ability to review the incident appropriately.

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This monitoring visit

The monitoring visit did not review the requirements or recommendation made at the inspection of 22 November 2021. The requirements are reissued with revised dates for completion. The recommendation is repeated. Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC043994 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/06/2021 Full Good 21/10/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 16/07/2019 Full Inadequate 09/10/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC043994 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

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (‘a quality of care review’) at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review (‘the quality of care review report’).

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is repeated from the monitoring visit dated 22 November 2021. 18 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 18 February 2022 Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC043994 5 registered person to—

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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

This requirement is repeated from the monitoring visit dated 22 November 2021.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy which—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard children accommodated in the children’s home from abuse or neglect; and

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Requirement Due date

sets out the procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect.

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Requirement Due date

The procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect must, in particular—

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Requirement Due date

provide for liaison and co-operation with any local authority which are, or may be, making a child protection enquiry in relation to a child accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

provide for the prompt referral of an allegation about current or ongoing abuse or neglect in relation to a child to the placing authority and, if different, the local authority in whose area the home is located.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is repeated from the monitoring visit dated 22 November 2021. 18 February 2022

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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 that staff—

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. 18 February 2022 Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC043994 6 (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is repeated from the monitoring visit dated 22 November 2021.

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Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the records are kept up to date; and

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Requirement Due date

retain the records for at least 15 years from the date of the last entry.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is repeated from the monitoring visit dated 22 November 2021. 18 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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home.

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Requirement Due date

This relates, in particular, to leaders and managers monitoring the quality of incident reports and ensuring that these are accurate and complete. 18 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 helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 18 February 2022 Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC043994 7 use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home.

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Requirement Due date

This relates, in particular, to leaders and managers undertaking a learning review about what led up to their inability to provide safe staffing levels over the Christmas period and what actions they can adopt to prevent this from reoccurring. In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is repeated from the monitoring visit dated 22 November 2021. 18 February 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement (‘the statement of purpose’ ) which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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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.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is repeated from the monitoring visit dated 22 November 2021. 18 February 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.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is repeated from the monitoring visit dated 22 November 2021. 18 February 2022 Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC043994 8 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 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

This requirement is repeated from the monitoring visit dated 22 November 2021. 18 February 2022

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Requirement Due date

A person may only manage a children’s home if—

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Requirement Due date

the person has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills to manage the home effectively and lead the care of children.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is repeated from the monitoring visit dated 22 November 2021. 18 February 2022

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Recommendations

 The registered manager should ensure that the home’s records on each child represent a significant contribution to their life history. Staff should understand their important role in encouraging the child to reflect on and understand their history, according to their age and understanding. Staff should keep and encourage children to keep appropriate memorabilia of the time spent living at the home and help them record significant life events. In particular, (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.5)

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Recommendations

This recommendation is repeated from the monitoring visit dated 22 November 2021. Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC043994 9  Leaders and managers should ensure that the incident records that staff complete are grammatically correct and that accounts of incidents are expressed in a non- stigmatising, careful and objective way. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, paragraph 14.4, page 62) 

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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: SC043994 10

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Children’s home details

Provision sub-type: Residential special school

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 602 South Seventh Street, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire MK9 2JA

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Inspector

Ruth Coler, Social Care Inspector Sara Stoker, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC043994 11 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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