Children's Home run by Clear Water Care Homes Ltd in Sandwell

Inspection report for children’s home: 2614738 1 Registered provider: Clear Water Care Homes Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home is registered to provide care for up to four children with social and/or emotional difficulties. This is the home’s first inspection since opening in June 2021.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since June 2021. She is suitably qualified.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

requires improvement to be good

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

p.1

requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

p.1

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.

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2614738 2

p.1

Recent inspection history

Not previously inspected Inspection report for children’s home: 2614738 3

p.2

improvement to be good

At the time of this inspection, there were two children living at the home. These children are making some good progress. Two children who previously lived at the home have moved out. Staff were unable to meet these children’s needs. As a result, the children moved out of the home earlier than anticipated.

p.3

improvement to be good

Managers and staff do not manage children’s transitions into and on from the home consistently well. The manager did not seek relevant information from the placing authority about a child who moved into the home. This undermined the manager’s ability to make an informed decision about whether staff could meet the child’s needs effectively. She was not professionally curious enough to ask additional questions that would have helped her and her staff understand the young person’s vulnerabilities. Consequently, one child experienced an abrupt move from the home, which meant he was unable to have the placement stability he needed.

p.3

improvement to be good

The home is not always well maintained. Some children’s bedrooms are clean, but staff do not ensure that other aspects of the home are welcoming and safe. For example, there are exposed electrical wires over the kitchen hob, trip hazards and stained carpets, and repairs have not been completed in a timely manner. Furthermore, house rules and other signage are displayed, which give the home an institutional feel.

p.3

improvement to be good

Children’s records are not regularly reviewed and updated. For example, documents tracking children’s progress and daily records do not contain relevant information. This means that staff are not able to measure children’s achievements or what further support they may need.

p.3

improvement to be good

Staff administer medicines safely to children. However, they do not always keep accurate records of the administration of all medication in line with the home’s approved protocol. For example, staff do not record clear reasons when children do not have their prescribed medication. This has the potential to compromise children’s health and well-being.

p.3

improvement to be good

Managers do not persistently challenge the local authority to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with their plans. For example, they did not take enough action to ensure they received statutory documents for one child. As a result, the staff did not have a full history of the child or their needs, to provide a bespoke care plan.

p.3

improvement to be good

Children’s educational progress varies significantly. Staff successfully support one child with their education. This child is doing well and making good progress with his learning and school attendance. However, not enough has been done to support another child who has poor school attendance and is making limited progress. Inspection report for children’s home: 2614738 4 Staff support and encourage children to maintain important relationships with family members. Staff communicate well with social workers to review the arrangements for children to spend time with their families. They show a good understanding of the importance of children spending meaningful time with their birth families.

p.3

improvement to be good

Staff do not provide children with enough support in keeping safe. There is a lack of effective direct work with children who are known to be at risk of criminal exploitation. Staff are not helping children to understand harmful behaviours. As a result, children do not develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from damaging or harmful behaviour.

p.4

improvement to be good

Staff do some good work with children in helping them to understand their behaviour and learn different coping strategies, such as how to keep themselves safe around substance misuse. However, this is not consistently applied. For example, staff do not carry out work with children about the damage to the home or the risks associated with internet safety and child sexual exploitation.

p.4

improvement to be good

Staff do not have sufficient information to manage potential risk effectively. Important information is omitted from risk management documents. For example, known risks such as criminal and sexual exploitation and starting fires are not included in risk assessments. Furthermore, some staff were unable to demonstrate a good understanding of how to manage risk and keep children safe. This has the potential to increase the risk to vulnerable children.

p.4

improvement to be good

Staff lack professional curiosity about the safety of children in their care. They are not inquisitive enough about children’s use of their electronic devices and mobile phones and do not undertake regular checks, despite there being a potential risk. This lack of action makes children more vulnerable to coming to harm online.

p.4

improvement to be good

When children go missing from home, managers and staff fail to take appropriate action. For example, when one child went missing, staff did not carry out local searches or contact known associates. This has the potential to increase the risk to vulnerable children.

p.4

improvement to be good

Staff use praise and reward to encourage children to display positive behaviour. However, when sanctions are used, these are sometimes punitive rather than restorative in nature. Managers’ monitoring of this practice is not always effective. For example, one child was expected to contribute from his pocket money towards the £1,400 cost of repairs to damage to the home. This does not help children to recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, other children, the staff caring for them and the wider community.

p.4

improvement to be good

Staff do not always have a good understanding of how to support children with their behaviour. For example, staff have not provided support promptly to children to help Inspection report for children’s home: 2614738 5 them to stay calm. As a result, behaviour has escalated in the home, resulting in damage being caused and staff calling the police. Some staff are heavily reliant on managers to intervene in incidents. Managers are not taking enough action to review these patterns and make changes to improve children’s experiences. These are missed opportunities by staff to ensure that children are better supported to manage their feelings.

p.4

improvement to be good

Children told the inspector that they feel safe and could identify a trusted adult. Children feel listened to and do not raise any concerns about the care they receive.

p.5

good

Managers have not yet developed a good understanding about the strengths and weaknesses of the home. Inconsistent leadership and ineffective monitoring and oversight mean that managers do not identify and act on shortfalls to improve children’s safety, progress and experience. This limits the capacity of the home to improve.

p.5

good

Staff and managers do not always provide appropriate and consistent boundaries in relation to children’s behaviour. For example, some staff allow children to have access to their electrical devices and mobile phones throughout the night, which is contrary to their plans to keep them safe. This inconsistent approach leaves children open to potential harm.

p.5

good

Some staff do not have the necessary skills and knowledge to support children well and meet all their needs. For example, not all staff have received training in understanding autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, gang affiliation and county lines, knife crime and cognitive behaviour therapy. These skills are pertinent to meet the needs of children in the home. Despite this, managers have not provided staff with the relevant training.

p.5

good

Managers do not always use their monitoring and review systems effectively to help with their oversight of the home. For example, managers were not aware of damaged fire doors and information missing from the fire risk assessment. This demonstrates a lack of vigilance around health and safety in the home.

p.5

good

Staff told the inspectors that they feel supported by managers and have a positive relationship with them. However, the quality of supervision that staff receive is variable. Although some staff receive regular supervision, managers do not always use supervision effectively to monitor staff progress and professional development. This does not promote staff development and improve practices within the home. The lack of oversight means opportunities for raising staff aspirations and ensuring better care for children are missed.

p.5

good

Managers ensure they send their quality of care review to Ofsted within the required timescale. However, this report does not contain feedback from children and Inspection report for children’s home: 2614738 6 external professionals. This leaves the regulator without the full information needed to review the manager’s own assessment of the quality of care.

p.5

good

Managers have not always notified Ofsted when a serious incident occurs. This undermines the measures that have been put in place to safeguard children.

p.6

good

Staff and managers have developed and maintain positive working relationships with local services, children’s families and external professionals. Inspection report for children’s home: 2614738 7

p.6

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.

p.7

Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

provide to children personal items that are appropriate for their age and understanding

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (1)(a) (2)(b)(vii)(viii)(c)(i))

p.7

Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to the registered manager ensuring that all aspects of the home are welcoming and safe. 25 March 2022

p.7

Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

p.7

Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

p.7

Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.7

Requirement Due date

that staff— 25 March 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2614738 8 help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

p.7

Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

p.8

Requirement Due date

help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child’s age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful;

p.8

Requirement Due date

help each child to develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship. (Regulation 11 (1)(b)(c) (2)(a)(ii)(iii)(vi)(vii))

p.8

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered manager ensuring that they support children to keep safe.

p.8

Requirement Due date

This also refers to staff supporting children to explore their emotions and build positive relationships.

p.8

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.8

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.8

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;

p.8

Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

p.8

Requirement Due date

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

p.8

Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

p.8

Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)) 25 March 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2614738 9 This particularly refers to staff ensuring they understand risk and that risk assessments are up to date.

p.8

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—

p.9

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.9

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.9

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;

p.9

Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

p.9

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;

p.9

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)(f)(h))

p.9

Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to the registered manager ensuring that staff have a consistent approach to managing children’s behaviours.

p.9

Requirement Due date

It also relates to the registered manager ensuring that all staff receive refresher mandatory training.

p.9

Requirement Due date

It also relates to the registered manager ensuring they use internal monitoring systems more effectively. 25 March 2022

p.9

Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

p.9

Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

p.9

Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. 25 March 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2614738 10 Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b))

p.9

Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to the registered manager ensuring that they have the relevant information in relation to children’s risks.

p.10

Requirement Due date

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must—

p.10

Requirement Due date

take adequate precautions against the risk of fire, including the provision of suitable fire equipment in the children’s home

p.10

Requirement Due date

This relates to ensuring that adequate precautions against risk of fire are in place and that the fire risk assessment is kept up to date. 11 March 2022

p.10

Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy ("the missing child policy") setting out—

p.10

Requirement Due date

the steps taken, and to be taken, to prevent children from being absent without permission; and

p.10

Requirement Due date

the procedures to be followed, and the roles and responsibilities of persons working at the home, in relation to a child who is, or has been, so absent. (Regulation 34 (4)(a)(b))

p.10

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered manager ensuring that staff follow missing-from-care protocols when a child goes missing. 25 March 2022

p.10

Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which—

p.10

Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

p.10

Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c))

p.10

Requirement Due date

This relates to staff ensuring that all children’s records are updated. 25 March 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2614738 11

p.10

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that any sanctions used to address poor behaviour should be restorative in nature, to help children recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves and others. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraphs 9.38)  The registered person should ensure that medicines are administered in line with a medically approved protocol, and that all current information is recorded. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraphs 7.15)  The registered person should undertake a review that focuses on the quality of the care provided by the home, and that the experiences of children are captured within the report. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraphs 15.2)  The registered person should ensure that notifications of all significant events are

p.11

Recommendations

sent to Ofsted. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraphs 14.10)  The registered person should ensure that a record of supervision is kept for staff, including the manager. The record should provide evidence that supervision is being delivered in line with regulation 33 (4)(b). (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, pages 61, paragraph 13.3)

p.11

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: 2614738 12

p.11

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Clear Water Care Homes Limited

p.12

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 6 Elsenwood Crescent, Camberley, Surrey GU15 2BA

p.12

Inspectors

Patrick McIntosh, Social Care Inspector Nicola Lownds, Regulation Inspection Manager Inspection report for children’s home: 2614738 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.

p.12

Inspectors

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.13

Inspectors

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.13

Inspectors

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.13