Children's Home run by Vcare - 24 Limited in East Riding of Yorkshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2517443 1 Registered provider: Vcare - 24 Limited Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a private provider. It provides care for one child with emotional and social difficulties. The manager of the home was registered with Ofsted on 11 February 2020 and is suitably qualified for the role.

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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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Inspection date: 11 February 2022

Date of last inspection: 10 November 2021

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Inspection date: 11 February 2022

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Inspection date: 11 February 2022

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2517443 2

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged requires improvement to be good at the last full inspection. At this interim inspection, Ofsted judged that it has declined in effectiveness.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The child is making some progress living at the home. They said living at the home is ‘alright’ but could not say what they liked about living there. The child does have positive relationships with staff that they are familiar with. Nevertheless, the child is not reaching their full potential living at the home. This means that their progress and experiences are extremely limited.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The child is now attending school. Staff do support the child with their attendance and have routines and boundaries in place should they refuse to attend. The deputy manager, school staff, and the placing social worker all work together when the child has been excluded. Through this collaborative work, the child is now on a reduced timetable to better meet their needs.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The child’s shower cubicle was clean at the time of the inspection. Their bedroom is personalised, and there are photos of the child with family. However, the bedroom wall has a hole caused by damage from the door. This has not been fixed in a timely manner. The rest of the home is not a pleasant environment to live in. This is due to the poor condition of the walls, carpets, and damaged internal doors.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff do not consistently promote the child’s hygiene routines. In addition, living in a home that is unkempt does not give the child any reason to maintain their own personal hygiene.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Risk assessments are well documented and updated as and when there is an incident. However, the document does not include all known risks to the child, such as the child smoking in their bedroom. This means staff have no action to follow to protect the child from potential fire caused by smoking in the bedroom.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

New staff are aware of the child’s immediate risks, and know what to do should they go missing from the home. One member of staff said, ‘Reading [child’s name] risk assessment is the first thing I had to do when I started.’ This helps to protect the child.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

There has been one reported episode of going missing from school. Staff worked with the school and obtained addresses of where the child may go. Staff followed the child’s protocol to ensure that they were found safely and quickly as possible. The document identified the action staff had taken to find the child. A welfare check was carried out by the police. However, a return home interview from an independent person was not implemented following their return. This is a missed Inspection report for children’s home: 2517443 3 opportunity for the child to reflect on the push-and-pull factors relating to going missing.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager is not based at the home and does not frequently visit. The deputy has oversight of the home and will ‘call in’ when support is needed. Staff spoken with at the interim inspection did say that the registered manager or the deputy are contactable when not in the home. During the difficult times that the child is facing, and the demanding shifts the staff have, the presence of the registered manager will re-enforce a supportive culture, and will alleviate some pressure that the staff have during their shifts.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The deputy has introduced a monitoring record of the child’s frequency of baths and showers. However, the monitoring of the home continues to be ineffective as the home remains at an unacceptable standard for a child to live in. For example, risk assessments are not updated, and the deputy has oversight of the home, and not the registered manager. This represents a significant shortfall in the operation of the home.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

One recommendation has been made following the interim inspection and four requirements have been carried over from the last full inspection. Inspection report for children’s home: 2517443 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/11/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2517443 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 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

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(vii)) 12 March 2022

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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

understand and develop skills to promote the child’s well- being. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, staff to explore their approach to ensure the children’s personal hygiene is maintained. 12 March 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

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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)) 12 March 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 12 March 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2517443 6 promotes their welfare.

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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 work as a team where appropriate;

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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)(b)(h))

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that when a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, the responsible local authority must provide an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. Homes should take account of information provided by such interviews when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30)

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Information about this inspection

This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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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: 2517443 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 18, Becklands Park, York Road, Market Weighton, York YO43 3GA

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Victoria Simpson

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Inspector

Gemma McDonnell, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2517443 8 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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