Children's home run by CareTech Community Services Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 1245823 1 Registered provider: CareTech Community Services Limited Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A private company owns this home. It is registered for six children. The home provides care for children who have physical and learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since May 2021.

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Inspection date: 22 March 2022

Date of last inspection: 20 December 2021

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Inspection date: 22 March 2022

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Inspection date: 22 March 2022

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1245823 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 improved effectiveness.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

At the last inspection on 20 and 21 December 2021, two requirements and two recommendations were made. At this inspection, two requirements and one recommendation have been met. Work is in progress to address the remaining recommendation.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

At the time of this inspection, five children lived at the home. Children make good progress and staff support them well with preparation for independence. Individual projects are created for children to support them with this. For example, staff support one child through a project to widen his experiences outside of the home.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff build positive relationships with children. When there was an increase in incidents for one child, staff worked hard to identify the underlying reasons for this. This meant that they could take steps to support the child to overcome his challenges. As a result, incidents have reduced.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff are skilled in supporting children during and after incidents. Children receive child-focused support through debriefs and reflection. Staff tailor this to the children’s individual learning styles. Management oversight of incidents is strong. This supports the manager to identify shortfalls in practice and rectify these quickly.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children have a wide range of risk assessments in place. There is clear guidance in place to ensure that staff are equipped to safeguard children. One risk assessment relating to a legal order was not in the child’s file. However, the manager had stored this electronically and staff had read the Court Order. This means that the members of the staff team have a good understanding of restrictions in place to ensure the child’s safety.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Following the last inspection, the provider took swift action to address the shortfalls relating to the safer recruitment of agency staff. A review of processes and monitoring systems has taken place. If the manager is not satisfied that agency staff are safe to work in the home, they are refused entry until satisfactory information is received. However, on one occasion, the manager did not ensure that all employment gaps were explored rigorously for one member of staff. A recommendation is made in respect of this.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager has worked hard to reduce the amount of different agency staff in the home. When agency staff do work in the home, they are supported well Inspection report for children’s home: 1245823 3 by experienced staff in the team. These improvements mean that the care provided to children is more consistent.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff have been provided with appropriate training that ensures that they have the knowledge to meet the children’s needs. This includes training in relation to online safety and bullying. The manager maintains contact with the training department to ensure that staff are booked on to mandatory training and refresher courses as needed.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager is in the process of completing her review of the quality of care. She has reviewed the template she uses to ensure that actions and timeframes are clearly documented. This will inform plans for the development of the service.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

A further shortfall was identified as part of this inspection. Generally, the home is well maintained and welcoming. However, some areas require redecoration. The manger is aware of this and this forms part of her improvement plan. A recommendation has been made to continue this work in a timely way. Inspection report for children’s home: 1245823 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/12/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 05/03/2020 Interim Sustained effectiveness 22/05/2019 Full Good 06/03/2019 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: 1245823 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children’s needs are met in a homely, domestic environment. This specifically relates to ensuring that the home is well maintained and decorated. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should maintain good employment practice to minimise potential risks to children from unsuitable people caring from them. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)

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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: 1245823 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: CareTech Community Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: CareTech Community Services Limited, 5th Floor Metropolitan House, 3 Darkes Lane, Potters Bar, Hertfordshire EN6 1AG

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Inspector

Natasha Skinner, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1245823 7 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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