Children's Home run by North East Lincolnshire Council in North East Lincolnshire

Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC380956 1 SC380956 Registered provider: North East Lincolnshire Council

p.1

Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and managed by a local authority. It provides care for up to two children for a period of assessment to assist in future placement planning. At the time of this monitoring visit, no children were living at the home.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The registered manager voluntarily cancelled her registration in March 2021, and an interim manager has been in day-to-day charge of this home. The interim manager submitted a complete application for registration. However, the interim manager is currently not in day-to-day charge of this home.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

Ofsted was aware during this inspection of a police investigation into serious allegations about restriction of liberty at the setting. While Ofsted does not have the power to investigate allegations of this kind, actions taken by the setting in response to the allegations were considered, where appropriate, alongside the other evidence available at the time of the inspection to inform the inspector’s judgements.

p.1

This monitoring visit

This children’s home was judged inadequate at the full inspection on 3 and 4 November 2021. This was because leaders, managers and staff failed to take appropriate action to protect children from the potential risk of serious harm. Furthermore, the home had been without a registered manager since March 2021. As a result of these failures, children’s safety was compromised. Ofsted issued three compliance notices under regulation 12, 14 and 20. Ofsted also raised a further six requirements and four recommendations. Action taken to address these requirements and recommendations has not been considered as part of this monitoring visit.

p.1

This monitoring visit

Ofsted carried out a monitoring visit on 14 December 2021. The purpose of that visit was to review the actions taken to meet the compliance notices. The provider had Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC380956 2 made limited progress, and further action was necessary to improve the care planning and safety of children. Ofsted reissued the compliance notices under regulation 12, 14 and 20.

p.1

This monitoring visit

Ofsted carried out a further monitoring visit on 11 January 2021. The inspector concluded from this monitoring visit that progress had been made and all steps in regulation 20 had been met. However, two steps in regulation 12 and one step in regulation 14 of the original compliance notices were reissued.

p.2

This monitoring visit

The purpose of this monitoring visit was to review the progress and the actions taken to meet the reissued compliance notices. This monitoring visit included a review of the documents, and discussions and interviews with the senior childcare officer and the service improvement manager for children’s residential services, as nominated by the responsible individual. The inspector concluded from this monitoring visit that progress had been made and that the final steps set in the compliance notices were met.

p.2

This monitoring visit

There are no children living at the home. On 15 December 2021, the provider made a request to Ofsted to vary the conditions of registration. Ofsted approved the variation for a temporary closure of the home. The registered person must inform Ofsted of their intention to admit children to the home three months before a child moves into the home. At the time of this monitoring visit, the provider did not request the variation be removed.

p.2

This monitoring visit

The home is still without a registered manager and there is no manager in day-to- day charge of the home. Most of the permanent staff allocated to this home remain absent from work and unable to fulfil their roles and responsibilities.

p.2

This monitoring visit

Processes and guidance will aid the staff’s understanding and implementation of agreed risk management strategies. The manager’s analysis of incident reports will enable the delivery of practice reflection and, where needed, professional challenge to staff. Manager’s meetings provide further opportunity to quality assure staff practice through peer reviews and critical learning. In principle, sufficient steps have been taken to ensure that the manager has oversight of staff’s understanding of risk and risk management.

p.2

This monitoring visit

The use of ligatures to self-harm was a significant risk for children who previously lived in this home. The staff are now provided with procedural guidance, taken directly from the NHS. This guidance, alongside additional planned training, will aid staff’s decision-making about when they should seek medical support following a ligature incident. The developed incident log has a designated section to capture if children required medical attention. As a result of the temporary closure of the home, there have been no incident records for the manager to audit.

p.2

This monitoring visit

No children have moved into or out of the home. Any decision made in the future to move children into this home will be based on an assessment of their needs. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC380956 3 Collaborative working between residential care and children’s services means that children’s exits from the home will be well planned.

p.2

This monitoring visit

At the time of this monitoring visit, the home conditions are not to an acceptable standard. The home requires maintenance to ensure it is hazard free and safe for children. There has been damage to the home, as well as adaptations which need repairing and restoring. Examples include significant water damage to the bathroom floor, the removal of fire door mechanisms, and transparent plastic is covering some windows.

p.3

This monitoring visit

The remaining six requirements and three recommendations issued in November 2021 have not been reviewed at this visit and are repeated. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC380956 4

p.3

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/11/2021 Full Inadequate 02/09/2019 Full Good 04/09/2018 Full Good 27/09/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC380956 5

p.4

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.5

Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so. (Regulation 8 (1)) 27 February 2022

p.5

Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (3)(b)) 27 February 2022

p.5

Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; and

p.5

Requirement Due date

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

p.5

Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

p.5

Requirement Due date

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

p.5

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 (b)(c)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)) 27 February 2022

p.5

Requirement Due date

The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if—

p.5

Requirement Due date

the registered provider— 27 February 2022 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC380956 6 is not, or does not intend to be, in day-to-day charge of the home. (Regulation 27 (1)(b)(iii))

p.5

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)(c)) 27 February 2022

p.6

Requirement Due date

The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person’s report to—

p.6

Requirement Due date

HMCI. (Regulation 44 (7)(a)) 27 February 2022

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)) 3 May 2022

p.6

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62 paragraph 14.4)

p.6

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that, in line with Regulation 23, they make suitable arrangements to manage, administer and dispose of any medication. These are fundamentally the same sorts of arrangements as a good parent would make but are subject to additional safeguards. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 35 paragraph 7.5)

p.6

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they produce a children’s guide. The children’s guide must be made available to all children when their placement in the home is agreed (or on arrival at the home, if the placement is made in an emergency). (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 24 paragraph 4.21) Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC380956 7

p.6

Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

p.7

Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC380956 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider: North East Lincolnshire Council

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Civic Offices, Knoll Street, Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire DN35 8LN

p.8

Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Ms Joanne Spender

p.8

Inspector

Jennifer Fenlon, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC380956 9 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.8

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.9

Inspector

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

p.9

Inspector

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

p.9