Children's Home run by Apex Children’s Services Ltd in Wirral

Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2592035 1 Registered provider: Apex Children’s Services Limited

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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 by a private company. It provides care and support to four children who may have social and emotional needs and/or learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager’s post has been vacant since August 2021.

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This monitoring visit

Following a full inspection in November 2021, the home was judged inadequate. Serious shortfalls were found in safeguarding practice, leadership and management and medication administration. As a result, three compliance notices were issued under regulation 12, the protection of children standard; 13, the leadership and management standard; and 23, medication.

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This monitoring visit

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the compliance notices. The provider has not taken sufficient action to meet the notices. Some serious concerns continue in safeguarding practice, leadership and management, and medication. Consequently, further compliance notices have been issued under regulations 12, 13 and 23.

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This monitoring visit

Not all staff are aware of their safeguarding responsibilities when reporting child protection concerns. Staff did not report additional concerns in relation to an ongoing child protection matter to all relevant local authorities. This meant that the local authority, where the alleged incident happened, did not have the full details of the concerns. Failure to share information with all relevant local authorities could place children at risk of significant harm.

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This monitoring visit

Furthermore, staff did not inform a child’s parent when they were taking the child to hospital. The parent was informed after the child had been medically assessed and admitted to hospital. Staff did not give the parent the information in a timely way, Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2592035 2 which denied them the opportunity to support their child. This does not demonstrate strong partnership working with children’s parents and carers.

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This monitoring visit

Staff are not following children’s risk assessments consistently. For example, when a child stayed away from the home, staff did not undertake the required welfare checks, as identified in the child’s risk assessment. On this occasion, the staff did not seek to obtain the necessary assurances that the child was safe. This compromised the child’s welfare and safety.

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This monitoring visit

Additionally, the child had spent numerous nights away from the home, which were recorded as authorised. However, the manager could not provide evidence that the child’s social worker had authorised all absences. This demonstrates further weaknesses in safeguarding practice and partnership working.

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This monitoring visit

Serious incident records continue to lack important information and fail to provide a clear and accurate account of the action taken by staff. The manager’s review of these records had not identified these shortfalls. The manager’s monitoring and evaluation of serious incidents is still not robust. Weaknesses in the manager’s and leaders’ monitoring have undermined the home’s improvement journey.

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This monitoring visit

Although staff have recently undertaken internet safety training, not all staff demonstrate an awareness of all potential risks. As a result, some staff do not have the necessary knowledge and skills to ensure that the children are using the internet safely.

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This monitoring visit

Insufficient staffing levels are potentially compromising the children’s and staff’s welfare and safety. When determining staff ratios, the manager does not consider possible emergencies, or the lessons learned from previous serious incidents in the home.

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This monitoring visit

On occasion, staff have not followed the company’s lone working policy. For example, they did not inform the manager when a staff member was left working alone. This meant that the manager was unable to assess the situation and make arrangements for emergency staff cover.

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This monitoring visit

Shortfalls in the administration and recording of medication continue. Mistakes have occurred when medication has been given to children, away from the home, by a third party, such as a parent. The procedures for third-party administration of medication are still not robust.

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This monitoring visit

On a positive note, safeguarding incidents have reduced and this is because the children living at the home are settled. Furthermore, the concerns identified at the last inspection in relation to children keeping each other awake at night have been resolved.

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This monitoring visit

The children told the inspector that they are happy. Positive interactions were observed between the children and staff. Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2592035 3 The staff have undertaken further training on the impact of childhood trauma and managing conflict. This training has provided them with the confidence to respond to unsafe behaviour should this arise. There has not been any aggressive behaviour since the last inspection. Therefore, the staff’s learning in de-escalation and restraint practice has not been tested.

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This monitoring visit

The manager has removed the door locks on the communal areas of the home. This has ensured that the children have access to all areas of the home.

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This monitoring visit

Following the monitoring visit, the provider decided to close the home temporarily. This will give them the opportunity to focus on recruiting an experienced registered manager and staff team. Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2592035 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/11/2021 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2592035 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

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

seek to develop and maintain effective professional relationships with such persons, bodies or organisations as the registered person considers appropriate having regard to the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the children’s home is to provide care and accommodation. (Regulation 5 (a)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to working in partnership with parents and social workers consistently. 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

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;

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(v)(vi)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to ensuring that the staff understand their responsibilities to report child protection concerns to all relevant professionals; and follow children’s risk assessments consistently. 27 February 2022 Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2592035 6 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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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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 has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c)(d)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to the manager’s oversight, monitoring and evaluation of the quality of care and protection provided in the home. 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; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to impact assessments and some children’s negative experience of moving on from the home. 27 February 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home. 27 February 2022 Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2592035 7 In particular, the registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child. (Regulation 23 (1) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to shortfalls in administering medication to children and medication records. 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

This relates to the manager undertaking a thorough and meaningful assessment of the home’s location. 27 February 2022

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Recommendations

 The registered provider must ensure that children are enabled and supported to take their own medication and make health appointments if they can do so safely. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.16)  The registered provider must ensure that the relief staff obtain the relevant qualification in regulation 32(4) within the relevant timescale listed in regulation 32(5). (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.12)  The registered provider must ensure that the staff record information about children in a non-stigmatising way. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4) Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2592035 8

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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: 2592035 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Apex Children’s Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 6 Tower Quays, Tower Road, Birkenhead, Merseyside CH41 1BP

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Inspector

Marina Tully, social care inspector Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2592035 10 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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