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, no children were 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

Ofsted carried out a monitoring visit on 14 December 2021. The purpose of this visit was to review the actions taken to meet the compliance notices. The provider had Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC380956 2 made limited progress, and further action was necessary to improve the care planning and safety of children. Ofsted reissued the compliance notices under regulations 12, 14 and 20.

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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 documents, and discussions and interviews with the service improvement manager for children’s residential services, as nominated by the responsible individual. The inspector concluded from this monitoring visit that progress had been made but steps within regulations 12 and 14 of the original compliance notices were reissued.

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This monitoring visit

There are no children living in the home. On 15 December 2021, the provider made a request to Ofsted to vary its conditions of registration. Ofsted approved the variation for a temporary closure of the home. The registered person must inform Ofsted of their intention to admit children to the home three months before a child moves into the home. At the time of the monitoring visit, the provider did not request the variation be removed.

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This monitoring visit

The home is still without a registered manager and there is no manager in day-to- day charge of the home. The permanent staff allocated to this home are currently all absent from work and unable to fulfil their roles and responsibilities.

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This monitoring visit

Procedures and practice have been developed to help children to experience a planned move into the home. Decisions to move children into this home are now based on an assessment of their needs. However, as no children have moved into the home, the effectiveness of these changes cannot be assessed.

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This monitoring visit

The child in placement at the time of the last monitoring visit has now left the home. This placement move was not child-focused. Staff from the new placement opposed and challenged this decision, demonstrating an inability to separate their own needs from that of the child. Within 48 hours of the child arriving at their new home, the placement broke down. The child experienced a further move because of the failure of leaders and managers to support the child’s move effectively, and clearly communicate the reasons for this move to staff in the new placement.

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This monitoring visit

Staff knowledge around risk is improving. Their attendance and involvement in training and risk management meetings aid their understanding of de-escalation strategies. This better equips staff to recognise and respond to children’s risks and behaviours.

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This monitoring visit

Good-quality risk assessments provide staff with the necessary guidance to support children when they are in crisis, and at risk of ligaturing. However, leaders and managers do not have sufficient oversight of staff’s understanding of these documents. Managers are not held accountable for this specific area of oversight. Currently, senior leaders are unable to test whether management monitoring systems are consistently used, or are effective in, preventing repeat concerns being highlighted. Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC380956 3 The use of ligatures to self-harm is a significant risk for children. The staff are not provided with procedural guidance to aid their decision-making about when they should seek medical support following a ligature incident. This shortfall in practice could result in the child having untreated injuries caused by ligature use.

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This monitoring visit

Staff receive guidance about the use of physical restraint on children, and are held to account for concerning or abusive practice. The review of restraint practice brings a cultural change and a focus on transparency, de-escalation and a hands-off approach for children. This means that the required steps in the compliance notice under regulation 20 have been met.

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This monitoring visit

The remaining six requirements and four recommendations issued in November 2021 have not been reviewed at this visit and are repeated. 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)) 27 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—

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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)) 27 February 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)) 27 February 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)) 27 February 2022

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Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; and 27 February 2022 Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC380956 6 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))

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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)) 27 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; 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)) 27 February 2022

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person’s report to—

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Requirement Due date

HMCI. (Regulation 44 (7)(a)) 27 February 2022

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice. Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC380956 7

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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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