Children's Home run by Quality Protects Children Ltd in Knowsley

Inspection report children’s home: SC405448 1 SC405448 Registered provider: Quality Protects Children Limited Full inspection 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. The home provides care for up to five children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

A clinical team is available to provide children with therapeutic support and guidance to staff.

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Information about this children’s home

There has not been a registered manager since April 2021. There is a manager in post who is not yet registered.

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Information about this children’s home

The children have access to the organisation’s on-site school.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19, at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers carried out under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF) on 17 March 2020. We returned to routine SCCIF inspections on 12 April 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 26 February 2021 to carry out a monitoring visit. The report is published on the Ofsted website.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate Inspection report children’s home: SC405448 2 There are serious and/or widespread failures that mean children are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded and/or the care and experiences of children are poor and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Date of last inspection: 26 November 2019

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

Ofsted carried out a monitoring visit on 6 January 2021 due to increasing safeguarding concerns. Significant shortfalls were found in the leadership and management of the home. Consequently, a compliance notice was issued under regulation 13, the leadership and management standard. A further monitoring visit was undertaken on 26 February 2021 and the compliance notice had been met. Inspection report children’s home: SC405448 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

26/11/2019 Full Outstanding 26/09/2018 Full Outstanding 24/05/2017 Full Good 20/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC405448 4

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inadequate

Serious and widespread shortfalls in safeguarding practice, care planning, and leadership and management are undermining children’s progress and experiences.

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inadequate

Inadequate assessments that consider the needs of children and the skills and ability of staff to care for them effectively are compromising children’s stability and experiences of living at and moving on from the home. At times, children are moved out of the home into temporary accommodation to separate and safeguard children. This has resulted in some children moving on from the home in an unplanned and unsupportive way.

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inadequate

Children’s education, health and care plans are not consistently obtained and considered prior to children moving into the home. On one occasion, this led to notice being given on a child’s placement because the home’s therapeutic model was not compatible with the child’s learning needs. Leaders’ and managers’ failure to obtain important information prior to children moving into the home is negatively affecting some children’s stability, experiences and progress.

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inadequate

Staff’s poor management of children’s risk-taking behaviour is compromising children’s educational progress. The on-site school offers full-time education to all children living at the home. Despite this, children’s school attendance is extremely poor. For example, one child’s attendance was 20.69%. Frequent incidents of children going missing from home are hindering children’s school attendance and attainment.

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inadequate

Several changes in staff, including the manager, are weakening continuity of care for children. Staff inconsistencies are preventing children from developing trusting and lasting relationships with a stable staff team. Consequently, children are not being provided with consistent support to help them manage difficult feelings and build emotional resilience.

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inadequate

The home is not maintained to a good standard. Some areas of the home, including children’s bedrooms and the bathroom, are dirty. A child’s bedroom contains offensive graffiti that referred to another child living in the home. Staff do not ensure that the home is a comfortable and safe environment for all children.

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inadequate

Children are not supported, or helped, to learn how to resolve conflicts without causing harm to others.

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inadequate

Children are enabled to maintain attachments with people who are important to them. When appropriate, parents and family members are encouraged to visit the home. Children who live a distance from their families are supported to keep in touch with them. For example, staff helped a child to meet up with a parent who they had Inspection report children’s home: SC405448 5 not seen for a significant period. This is helping children to understand their backgrounds and develop a positive identity.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

Assessment of, and response to, risk are ineffective. Staff fail to consider how some children’s risk-taking behaviour may negatively affect other children living at the home. Furthermore, for some children, incidents of going missing from home, serious self-harm and substance misuse have increased since they moved into the home.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

Prior to children moving into the home, leaders and managers do not carefully consider the potential risks in the local area. Consequently, areas in the local community present a significant risk for some children. On several occasions, a local bridge and train track have posed significant risks for children with a history of self- harm.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

The strategies for managing risk are often ineffective. Despite knowing children’s histories and vulnerabilities, staff do not proactively assess situations and prevent children from going missing from home. On several occasions, children have gone missing from home and been at risk of significant harm, such as sexual exploitation and substance misuse.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

At times, insufficient staffing levels prevent staff from implementing the children’s safety plans. For example, there have not been enough staff on shift when the use of physical intervention has been necessary to keep children safe. Managers do not ensure that all staff are suitably trained to physically intervene and restrain a child proportionately and safely.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

Managers do not consistently review and evaluate incidents in the home in a timely way, for example records documenting restraints. Opportunities to identify and improve weak practice are being missed.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

There are several ongoing investigations in relation to allegations and complaints against some staff members. The provider is currently working with the relevant professionals to ensure that these concerns are investigated. However, on one occasion, concerns were not shared with the child’s social worker or local authority designated officer in a timely way.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The home is not being managed effectively and efficiently by a permanent registered manager. There has not been a registered manager at this home since April 2021. Since then, there have been five interim managers overseeing the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The former registered manager is currently managing the home and her application to register with Ofsted is progressing. Inspection report children’s home: SC405448 6 At the last full inspection, the home was judged outstanding. This has not been sustained. Inconsistencies in leadership and management are contributing to a significant decline in the quality of care and protection provided to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers do not always ensure that the home is sufficiently staffed to care for children safely.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The home is not being led or managed in a way that is consistent with the aims and objectives set out in the home’s statement of purpose. For example, assessments that consider the effects of children moving into the home are not robust and not all children are being provided with therapeutic care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Managers do not ensure that children’s case records are kept securely. This has resulted in a child accessing their file and reading highly confidential and sensitive information about their background in an unplanned and unsupported way.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Monitoring systems are ineffective. Managers are not identifying weaknesses in staff’s practice or the quality of care provided to children. Consequently, children’s safety and welfare are compromised and they are not being adequately supported to fulfil their potential.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

During the inspection, the provider took action to address the serious shortfalls identified. The provider requested a variation in the home’s registration conditions to reduce the number of children from five to one. This will enable the manager and staff to focus on the needs of one child and make the necessary improvements. Inspection report children’s home: SC405448 7

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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

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to ensuring that offensive graffiti in children’s bedrooms is removed swiftly and all areas of the home are cleaned and maintained to a high standard. 10 April 2022

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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.

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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 achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to ensuring that children’s education, health and care plans are routinely obtained, and staff understand and help children to achieve their educational targets. 10 April 2022 Inspection report children’s home: SC405448 8 The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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Requirement Due date

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(iv)(viii))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to ensuring that all staff understand their professional boundaries and are positive role models for children. Staff must address potentially harmful and inappropriate behaviour swiftly and effectively. 10 April 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

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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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

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other; 10 April 2022 Inspection report children’s home: SC405448 9 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

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)(a)(i)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to ensuring that all potential risks are robustly assessed; effective strategies for reducing risk are in place and followed by staff; and staff adopt a proactive rather than reactive approach to risk management.

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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

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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. 10 April 2022 Inspection report children’s home: SC405448 10 (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c)(d)(e)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to ensuring that the staff team, including the manager, is stable, consistent and sufficient. The staff team must provide children with continuity and a high standard of care and protection.

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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.

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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;

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Requirement Due date

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to ensuring that children’s needs, and any potential impact that children may have on each other, are thoroughly assessed prior to children moving into the home. 10 April 2022

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate. (Regulation 35 (3)(b)(ii)) 10 April 2022

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Requirement Due date

securely in the children’s home during the period when the child to whom the case records relate is accommodated there. (Regulation 36 (2)(c)) 10 April 2022 Inspection report children’s home: SC405448 11 This relates to ensuring that children do not access confidential information held in their case files.

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Requirement Due date

* This requirement is subject to a compliance notice.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, using the ‘Social care common inspection framework’. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. Inspection report children’s home: SC405448 12

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Quality Protects Children Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Hill House, Archway Road, Huyton, Knowsley, Merseyside L36 9XB

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Inspectors

Marina Tully, Social Care Inspector Catherine Fargin, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC405448 13 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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