Children's Home run by Orchard Children Homes Ltd in Staffordshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 1257740 1 Registered provider: Orchard Children Homes Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home provides care for up to four children who have social and/or emotional difficulties. The home is operated by a private company.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The current manager was appointed in July 2021 and registered with Ofsted in February 2022. The manager has a level 5 qualification in leadership and management in the children’s workforce.

p.1

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. We last visited this setting on 28 September 2020 to carry out an assurance visit. The report is published on the Ofsted website.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 29 October 2019

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1257740 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/10/2019 Full Good 22/08/2018 Full Outstanding 09/01/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1257740 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two children live in the home. They have lived in the home for a number of years. Both children have shared that they wish to remain at the home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Three children have moved out of the home during this inspection period. One child who had lived at the home for three years moved out in line with their plans. Two children lived in the home for a short period. One of the children moved out in line with their agreed plan, and another child lived at the home for two weeks and moved in due to an emergency.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff build positive relationships with children. They feel listened to and valued. Children are more able to manage their emotions and reflect on their behaviours than when they first moved in. As a result, children feel safe and secure, and there has been a reduction in incidents in the home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children’s positive behaviour with reward systems. This is having a positive impact on children’s behaviour, and they enjoy the rewards they earn.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Both children attend school full-time and are making good progress. They have good attainment, and one child engages in a range of after-school activities. This enhances their learning and development socially and supports their sense of achievement. Professionals from both children’s school report a good relationship with staff and good communication, and they say that children have good relationships with the adults who care for them.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children experience a range of activities suited to their hobbies and interests. Staff have taken children on holiday for a week to ensure that they have time focused on leisure and making memories. Staff take photos to capture memories of activities and special occasions in order to help children to understand their journeys.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children with their independence skills at a pace that suits their needs. This includes children learning to cook, clean and complete a small shop and travel independently.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to spend time with people who are important to them. This includes family and friends. Staff have advocated on behalf of children to help them spend time with family members who they have not seen for a long time. Children have enjoyed spending time with friends, including a trip to the cinema, with the support of staff. This helps children gain a sense of belonging and identity, and it supports them to feel included in their family life.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff recognise that the home requires some improvement in order to make it more homely. For example, pictures of children were displayed, but these Inspection report for children’s home: 1257740 4 were of a poor print quality. During the inspection, two blind cords were loose, which poses a hazard to children, and one child’s bedroom was in need of redecoration. The manager was quick to have these shortfalls addressed during the inspection. The carpet on the stairs requires cleaning. One child has no doors on his wardrobes at his request.

p.3

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

Staff know children well. They understand their needs and how to respond to them and support them. Staff seek professional input to ensure that there is a joined-up approach to caring for children that is suited to their individual needs. This helps children receive consistent tailored care.

p.4

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

Children living in the home do not go missing from home. Despite this, there are detailed plans and protocols for staff to follow should this occur. When a previous child living in the home went missing from care, staff responded appropriately and in line with policies and procedures.

p.4

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

Staff support children to understand the wider world around them. This includes discussing topics such as sexuality, COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine. As a result, children are more knowledgeable and feel able to ask questions about sensitive topics.

p.4

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

Staff use alarms on children’s bedroom doors at night. However, managers have not completed a rigorous assessment of children’s needs in order to support the requirement for this measure. As a result, the alarms have been used unnecessarily, which has an impact on the home’s ability to maintain a homely environment. The manager recognised that these measures were not required and removed them with immediate effect during the inspection.

p.4

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

Restraint is only used as a last resort to prevent children from harming themselves or others. Staff use a range of strategies to try to de-escalate these incidents. The new manager has good oversight of restraint, evaluating whether the practice is safe, proportionate and effective. Children are encouraged to share their experience of restraints, and to tell staff if they could have done something differently. This approach gives children the opportunity to further assist staff in managing behaviours effectively. However, there were shortfalls in the previous manager’s oversight of restraints. These shortfalls included children’s debriefs management oversight and a delay in the recording of an incident.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has worked at the home since July 2021. She is experienced, passionate and motivated to provide good care for children. The manager works in partnership with the deputy manager, who is knowledgeable and ambitious, and together they support staff to develop their knowledge and skills. The manager has Inspection report for children’s home: 1257740 5 a vision of the home becoming more therapeutic, and has secured training for staff to develop them in the selected approaches.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Currently, two children live in the home. The manager recognised the impact of one child moving on in an emergency, had had on children already living in the home. The arrival of this child at the home took place before the manager had joined the company. The manager is focusing on providing stability for the children already living in the home before more children move in.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

any future placements. Her focus is on providing stability for the children already living in the home.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has ensured that there is safe recruitment of new staff, and that they have received thorough inductions, support and guidance. One staff member praised the support received as ‘overwhelming’.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Where staff practice has fallen short of the expected standards, the manager has been quick to address these, and to share information with the relevant professionals and implement disciplinary procedures. Consequently, staff understand the expectations, and children are effectively safeguarded.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff and managers report a positive morale in the home. Staff feel empowered and welcome the changes the new manager has implemented. However, these changes are not reinforced through regular supervision and annual appraisals, which is a missed opportunity to formalise and review staff development.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is not receiving regular practice-based supervision through the responsible individual in order to support her development. This is currently being addressed through a person independent of the company. However, they do not have sufficient oversight to complete this role. Inspection report for children’s home: 1257740 6

p.5

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.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(d))

p.6

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that blind cords are secured safely, and to ensuring that the home provides a homely environment for children. This includes ensuring that photos of children being displayed are of a good quality, carpets are clean, and children’s bedrooms are well maintained. 28 April 2022

p.6

Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

p.6

Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

p.6

Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (c)(i)(ii)(iv)) 28 April 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 1257740 7 This specifically relates to ensuring that bedroom door alarms are subject to rigorous risk assessment and are regularly reviewed.

p.6

Requirement Due date

satisfy the requirements in paragraph (5)(a) to (c); and

p.7

Requirement Due date

have the capacity, experience and skills to supervise the management of the home, or the homes, in respect of which the responsible individual is nominated. (Regulation 26 (7)(a)(b)) 28 April 2022

p.7

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

p.7

Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

p.7

Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

p.7

Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b)) 28 April 2022

p.7

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—

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

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;

p.7

Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and 28 April 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 1257740 8 a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

p.7

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”)—

p.8

Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

p.8

Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

p.8

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)(iv))

p.8

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to a shortfall in the previous manager’s oversight, including a child not receiving a debrief, missing management oversight, signatures, and a record not being written up with 24hours.

p.8

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: 1257740 9

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Orchard Children Homes Ltd

p.9

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 2nd Floor, 118 Calais Road, Burton-On-Trent DE13 0UW

p.9

Inspector

Jodie Lewis, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1257740 10 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, safeguarding and child protection.

p.9

Inspector

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.10

Inspector

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

p.10

Inspector

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

p.10