Children's Home run by A-Triangle Care Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children's home: 2641790 1 Registered provider: A-Triangle Care Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and operated by a private organisation. The home provides care for up to two children who may have some behavioural needs or a learning disability.

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Information about this children’s home

This was the first inspection of the home since its registration in May 2021. At the time of the inspection, there was no registered manager in post. A manager has been appointed and is in the process of applying to register with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

There was one child living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2641790 2

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improvement to be good

Outcomes for children are mixed. Most children have made some positive progress, developed trusting relationships with staff and had some good experiences. However, staff were unable to meet the needs of one child safely and, as a result, the child had to leave the home.

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improvement to be good

Relationships between children have been problematic at times. One child has experienced disruption as a result of managers’ decisions to introduce other children to the home.

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improvement to be good

Staff understand children’s educational needs and support them to engage in learning. Staff attempt to work with appropriate professionals to help ensure children’s educational needs are met. One child, who is due to start college this year, spoke enthusiastically about how staff have been supporting her to visit colleges in the area.

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improvement to be good

Children say that staff listen to them and help them to share their thoughts and feelings. Children are able to make day-to-day choices and, where possible, their choices are respected.

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improvement to be good

Children are supported to see their family and friends, and staff help them to maintain relationships with people who are important to them.

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improvement to be good

Staff carry out regular one-to-one work with children to help support their social development and understanding. This work could be improved by ensuring that the areas discussed are relevant to children’s individual challenges.

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improvement to be good

Concerns regarding children’s safety and well-being have reduced as a result of the care and support they receive. For example, risks to one child in relation to being missing from home have reduced significantly. Another child’s emotional well-being has improved, which has resulted in a reduction of self-harming behaviours.

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improvement to be good

Risk management is not consistently effective. Risks are not always clearly identified. In some cases, risks are identified but strategies to minimise these risks are not clear. This means that staff may not be sure about the measures required to keep children safe.

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improvement to be good

The previous manager’s response to a young person’s allegation of abuse was not adequate. The allegation was not managed in accordance with the home’s own safeguarding procedures and was not reported to the relevant agencies. Failure to Inspection report for children's home: 2641790 3 respond to allegations properly means that children may not be protected from harm.

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improvement to be good

Shortfalls in the recording of significant events, such as safeguarding concerns and incidents of physical intervention, mean that these incidents are not properly monitored. This does not promote children’s safety or well-being, and it also reduces opportunities to improve practice.

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improvement to be good

Safer recruitment procedures are in place. However, these are not consistently followed. For example, one staff member was not required to provide a full employment history, and reference checks were incomplete for another. Failure to follow safer recruitment procedures could result in children being exposed to adults of unsuitable character.

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good

The home is currently without a registered manager. A manager has been appointed and is in the process of applying to register with Ofsted.

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good

The manager demonstrates good understanding of children’s needs and a clear vision for the home. She shared positive plans for improvement and was able to demonstrate some improvements already achieved since she began managing the home in December 2021.

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good

There has been some staff turnover since the home began operating in May 2021. As a result, there have been a number of new staff appointed. Arrangements for training and support are not effective, and this has resulted in some staff not receiving mandatory training within suitable timescales.

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good

Managers do not make effective use of internal monitoring systems, which means that areas for improvement are not always identified or addressed. The new manager has identified the significant shortfalls in monitoring and has started to make improvements.

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good

Evaluation of significant incidents is not sufficiently robust and does not enable managers and staff to identify potential learning. There is limited reflection, which does not support improvements in practice.

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good

Ofsted have not been notified about some significant events that have taken place in the home. This does not support effective monitoring and therefore compromises children’s welfare and safety. Inspection report for children's home: 2641790 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 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

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

help each child to understand how to keep safe; 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)(i)(ii)(vii)) 25 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

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; and 25 February 2022 Inspection report for children's home: 2641790 5 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)(h))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a) (3)(a)(b)(c)(d)) 25 February 2022

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used; 25 February 2022 Inspection report for children's home: 2641790 6 the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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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 spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child —

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concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e)) 25 February 2022

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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. 25 February 2022 Inspection report for children's home: 2641790 7 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

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (3) (4)(a))

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the children’s guide is made available to all children, is age appropriate, provided in an accessible format and explained to each child to make sure they understand it. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations, including the quality standards, page 24, paragraph 4.21)  The registered person should only accept placements for children where they are satisfied that the home can respond to the child’s assessed needs effectively as recorded in the child’s relevant plans and where they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations, including the quality standards, page 56, paragraph 11.4)  The registered person should ensure that children benefit from regular direct work which is meaningful to their individual needs and takes into account the child’s gender, religion, ethnicity, cultural and linguistic background, sexual

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Recommendations

identity, mental health, any disability, their assessed needs, previous experiences and any relevant plans. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations, including the quality standards, page 14, paragraph 3.2) Inspection report for children's home: 2641790 8  The registered person should ensure that where the placing authority or another relevant person does not provide the input and services needed to meet a child’s needs during their time in the home or in preparation for leaving the home, the home challenges them to meet the child’s needs (see regulations 5(c)). (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations, including the quality standards, page 12, paragraph 2.8)  The registered person should have a workforce plan which can fulfil the workforce-related requirements of regulation 16, schedule 1 (paragraphs 19 and 20). The plan should: - detail the necessary management and staffing structure (including any staff

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Recommendations

commissioned to provide health and education), the experience and qualifications of staff currently working within the staffing structure and any further training required for those staff, to enable the delivery of the home’s statement of purpose; - detail the processes and agreed timescales for staff to achieve induction, probation and any core training (such as safeguarding, health and safety and mandatory qualifications); - detail the process for managing and improving poor performance; - detail the process and timescales for supervision of practice (see regulation 33 (4)(b)) and keep appropriate records for staff in the home. The plan should be updated to include any new training and qualifications completed by staff while working at the home and used to record the ongoing training and continuing professional development needs of staff, including the home’s manager. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations, including the quality

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Recommendations

standards, page 53, paragraph 10.8)  The registered person should ensure that at least one person on duty at any given time in a children’s home has a suitable first-aid qualification (regulation 31 (2)(a)). (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations, including the quality standards, page 34, paragraph 7.13)

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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 for children's home: 2641790 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: A-Triangle Care Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 5 Crescent East, Thornton-Cleveleys, Lancashire FY5 3LJ

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Inspector

Marie Cordingley, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2641790 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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