Children's Home run by Contemporary Concept Care Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2639649 1 Registered provider: Contemporary Concept Care Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a private children’s home that provides care for up to two children. The home’s statement of purpose states that children living in this home may have a range of social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered in September 2021. The home is currently operating without a registered manager and so the responsible individual has been overseeing the home. However, a new manager has been recruited and has started her role. She has not yet applied to Ofsted for registration.

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This monitoring visit

Ofsted carried out an initial visit to the home to monitor three compliance notices that were served under regulations 12, 13 and 32 following the home’s full inspection on 25 January 2022. The compliance notices related to the lack of manager oversight, poor staff guidance and inadequate training for staff in relation to safeguarding children and reducing risk-taking behaviour. Following the initial visit, further information was received relating to concerns about the provider’s compliance with safer recruitment. A second inspection visit was carried out to gather additional evidence relating to the safe recruitment of staff. At the time of this second visit, no children were living at the home.

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This monitoring visit

At the time of the initial monitoring visit, one child was living at the home. The inspector found that suitable action had been taken to meet two of the compliance notices under regulations 12 and 13.

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This monitoring visit

Since the full inspection, there has been one incident of a child going missing from the home. However, this was not a result of poor staff practice or inconsistent decision-making. Appropriate and swift action was taken by the staff team to try to Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2639649 2 locate and return the child safely. The provider worked closely with the child’s placing authority and relevant safeguarding professionals to minimise risks for the child. Managers implemented additional control measures to reduce the risks of the child going missing from home, such as introducing waking night staff and adapting window restrictors.

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This monitoring visit

The quality of the risk management plans has improved. They provide clear and comprehensive guidance for staff to follow to safeguard the child effectively. These plans are reviewed regularly by managers and contain up-to-date chronologies and accurate risk gradings. Staff are provided with individual support sessions to improve their understanding of the risk management plans, which was evidenced in staff’s discussions with the inspector.

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This monitoring visit

The child has been helped to understand how to keep themselves safe and educated about factors that placed them at potential risk. This is demonstrated through focused key-work sessions, where staff engaged the child in regular and honest conversations about reducing risk-taking behaviour. The child told the inspector that staff supported them to complete training courses specific to their identified areas of current risk.

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This monitoring visit

Managers have ensured that staff are adequately trained in courses relevant to the child’s needs and risks. Furthermore, staff demonstrated an improved understanding of how to safeguard the child, who was at risk of child sexual exploitation, substance misuse and going missing from the home.

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This monitoring visit

The child’s case files and care plans have now been brought up to date. They include the child’s current needs and risks, and the support measures in place to safeguard the child. They evidence the direct work completed with the child and additional agencies involved in the child’s care to help reduce risk.

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This monitoring visit

Managers’ oversight of missing-from-home records is now more consistent. Their evaluation of incidents is reflective, considers the risks for the child and identifies action that can be taken to protect the child. Staff reported that managers discuss any lessons learned with the team, to improve safeguarding practice. This has contributed to improved communication and understanding of risk management in the staff team.

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This monitoring visit

Safer recruitment procedures at the home remain a serious concern. The lack of suitable vetting prior to staff commencing their employment does not minimise the risks to children or protect them from harm effectively. Therefore, the previous compliance notice under regulation 32 has not been met.

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This monitoring visit

A serious incident relating to an allegation made by a child is currently being investigated by the police. Although suitable action has been taken to meet the steps identified in the compliance notice under regulation 12, a further shortfall was found in relation to staff’s understanding of the whistle-blowing procedure. Staff Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2639649 3 have failed to report their concerns about a child’s safety and welfare to senior managers without delay. A requirement has been made to address this.

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This monitoring visit

The remaining areas of concern raised at the full inspection were not looked at during this visit. Therefore, they remain as requirements and recommendations until the home’s next inspection. These are restated.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/01/2022 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2639649 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 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

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a) (2)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to children’s bedrooms being kept tidy and appropriately decorated, and that all damage is repaired and all furniture is fit for purpose. 9 March 2022

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally; 9 March 2022 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2639649 5 help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(iii)(iv)(v)(viii))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to staff providing support and encouragement to children to promote consistent routines and structure during education hours, to prepare children to return to full-time education.

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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

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; 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)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person should ensure that the staff understand their roles and responsibilities in relation to whistle-blowing and reporting any concerns relating to children’s safety and welfare to senior managers without delay. 9 May 2022

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. 9 March 2022 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2639649 6 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person is to ensure that children’s internal placement plans are up to date and reflect the placing authority’s care plan objectives. An impact risk assessment must be completed before admitting a child, to show that the suitability of the child has been assessed and the staff have the skills and experience to meet the child’s needs.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safe keeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home. (Regulation 23 (1))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person is to ensure that there is a safe and effective system in place to monitor the amount of medication stored at the home. 9 March 2022

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

there is no registered manager in respect of the home. (Regulation 27 (1)(a)) 9 March 2022

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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; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home, 9 May 2022 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2639649 7 if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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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)(b) (3)(d))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person should ensure that full and satisfactory information for all employees is on file and that staff are suitably vetted prior to commencing employment.

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendations

 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 provides 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)  The registered person should ensure that a note of the content and/or outcomes of supervision sessions is kept and that both the person giving the supervision and the staff member have a copy of the record. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.4)  The registered person should ensure that where records are kept electronically (regulation 38), this information can be easily accessed by anyone with a

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Recommendations

legitimate need to view it and, if required, be reproduced in a legible form. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 14.2)

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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.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2639649 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Contemporary Concept Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 7 Wyndham Close, Eastham, Wirral CH62 0DH

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Inspector

Cheryl Field, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2639649 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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