Children's Home run by Impact For Change Ltd in Somerset

Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2484443 1

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Impact For Change Ltd

Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care for up to three children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home offers medium- or long-term placements.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this monitoring visit a senior manager was in day-to-day charge of the home. A new manager has been recruited and is expected to start in March 2022.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this monitoring visit, no children were living in the home.

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This monitoring visit

Two compliance notices were issued following the full inspection in January 2022 when the home was judged inadequate. At that time, the home was not being led and managed effectively and children were not being safeguarded.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit was carried out to review the actions the provider has taken to address the weaknesses seen at the full inspection, and to comply with the notices.

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This monitoring visit

Immediate appropriate action was taken following the full inspection to change the management of the home. An experienced senior manager has since been in day-to- day charge. This manager has been a role model to staff in the practice of good care, and has given staff clear directions and guidance on their role. As a result, children received better, safer care after the full inspection.

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This monitoring visit

Following a review of the expertise and sufficiency of staff, senior leaders made the decision to close the home temporarily. The three children who were living here have been helped to move to new homes. A new manager is due to start in March 2022. The senior manager has told Ofsted that the organisation is planning to recruit and train new staff before the home is reopened. Plans are also in place to review the home’s statement of purpose. A comprehensive audit has been carried out to ascertain whether all safeguarding concerns have all been managed appropriately. Following this audit, some concerns Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2484443 2 have retrospectively been referred to children’s social care. Appropriate action has also been taken to investigate children’s complaints.

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This monitoring visit

Staff who remain working for the home have now received good-quality supervision. Reflective and appropriately challenging discussions are helping staff to understand where their performance can improve. Staff have started to complete outstanding mandatory and specialist training. The provider is planning for staff to undertake additional training in providing trauma-informed care for children.

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This monitoring visit

The provider has commissioned an independent investigator to look at how the performance of the home deteriorated. This investigation is currently underway.

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This monitoring visit

Sufficient action has been taken to address the areas of compliance; the notices are met. However, the impact of some actions cannot yet be ascertained as the home is temporarily closed. A condition requiring the provider to inform Ofsted three months before admitting children has been issued. The requirements and recommendation from the previous inspection will remain until they can be reviewed at the next full inspection. Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2484443 3

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 19/01/2022 Full Inadequate 14/01/2020 Full Requires improvement to be good 26/02/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2484443 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

treat each child with dignity and respect;

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Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand and manage the impact of any experience of abuse or neglect;

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Requirement Due date

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably; and

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vii)(c)(i)) 25 February 2022 Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2484443 5 In addition, leaders and managers should ensure that children are provided with continuity of care from adults who have the training, skills and experience to meet their needs.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, ensure that all children are supported to maintain a clean and hygienic bedroom.

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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. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that children are provided with support from external agencies that will reduce the risk of exploitation and drug misuse. 25 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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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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; and

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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)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)) 11 February 2022 Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2484443 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 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

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to 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

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

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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)(e)(f)(g)(ii)(h)) 11 February 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development; and

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b)) 25 February 2022 Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2484443 7

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. 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: 2484443 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Impact for Change Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Canns Down Press, Beaford, Winkleigh, Devon EX19 8LZ

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Inspector

Paula Lahey, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2484443 9 regulates and inspects 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 children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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