Children's Home, Residential special school run by Young Foundations Limited in Northumberland

Inspection report children’s home: 2607536 1 Registered provider: Young Foundations Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned and managed children’s home provides care for up to eight children who experience a range of difficulties, which may include social and/or emotional difficulties. The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home shares the site with a small independent school that is also owned and managed by this provider. The inspection only focused on the children’s home.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, there were two children living in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

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

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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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.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 15 December 2021

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

This children’s home received a monitoring visit on 20 January 2022 following a serious safeguarding notification. A restriction of accommodation notice and two compliance notices under regulation 12 and regulation 13 were issued. A further Inspection report children’s home: 2607536 2 monitoring visit took place on 2 March 2022 to review the provider’s progress in meeting these notices. During this monitoring visit, the inspector found that the two compliance notices had not been fully met. Therefore, these were reissued and the restriction of accommodation notice remained in place. Inspection report children’s home: 2607536 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/12/2021 Interim Sustained effectiveness 27/04/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children’s home: 2607536 4

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improvement to be good

Children have developed some positive relationships with the core staff team. However, the rapid turnover of staff in recent months has affected how effective these relationships are at changing and managing behaviour. The core members of staff are caring and committed individuals who respond appropriately when the children are upset and unhappy. However, the serious incident that occurred in the home earlier in the year has left the staff feeling an increased sense of responsibility towards the children. Consequently, the staff are fearful of allowing the children to take age-appropriate risks or express how they feel.

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improvement to be good

Children say that they like living at the home. Despite this, the provider has identified that they can no longer provide care to either child as they do not have a sufficient number of trained staff. This has led to increased anxiety and distress for the children and a lack of understanding about why they need to move on from the home.

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improvement to be good

Care plans are now in place that detail the desired outcomes for children and how the staff will support these. There are flowcharts and pictures of the underpinning knowledge required to meet the outcomes and a child-friendly version that has been drawn up with the individual children. However, the effectiveness of these plans cannot be evaluated as these plans are new. While key-work sessions do take place regularly, they continue to be in the form of conversations rather than formal work linked to the child’s care plans.

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improvement to be good

Children attend education regularly, which is progress from their starting points. However, there is a lack of understanding about their levels of attainment and achievement among staff. The children’s current education arrangements do not meet their needs and there is a lack of challenge from staff to address this.

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improvement to be good

Children have healthcare plans in place. However, one child’s health needs are not fully understood as they have not had their annual medical assessment. This is a potential risk for children. Staff plan a wide range of meals in advance. However, for some children, their eating patterns are disrupted, and records show that meals are skipped or replaced by take away food regularly. This means that children’s diets are not as healthy as they could be. Children’s medication is administered and recorded appropriately. However, the total number of tablets held, when a further prescription is added, is confusing and would benefit from clarification.

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improvement to be good

Staff consult with the children and plan activities, with some being linked to the new incentives that are in place. There is a lack of variety and opportunities to try new hobbies and develop new skills. This would enable children to broaden their sense of adventure and help to develop friendships outside of the home. Inspection report children’s home: 2607536 5 Children are supported by the organisation’s psychological service as well as those in the community. Staff are also offered a level of support from this service to enable them to care for and manage the presenting behaviours of the children. Despite this, there has been a lack of engagement by staff in this process as they have not attended training in relevant subjects. This has contributed to the inability of staff to make effective progress in some areas of children’s lives.

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improvement to be good

There continues to be improvements to the decor in the home but there are still some areas, such as hallways and the kitchen, that need refurbishment and redecoration.

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improvement to be good

Children rarely go missing from the home. There are now clear protocols in place that link to the children’s care plans to help staff to know how to react if this occurs. Staff are quick to respond if children do go missing and they regularly go looking for children who leave the home.

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improvement to be good

Children’s individual risk assessments have improved. They detail all of the children’s known vulnerabilities with clear criteria and strategies to minimise risk. These have only been in place for a matter of weeks and the effectiveness of these cannot be evaluated. Children engage in this process and now the behaviour support plans detail, in the child’s voice, how they like to be supported when they are feeling in crisis. This helps the children to develop a sense of ownership of their own behaviour and can lead to a sense of being able to self-regulate their emotions and behaviour.

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improvement to be good

Staff respond quickly to help children who display risky behaviours that harm themselves or others. However, incidents of such behaviours, including bullying, are not reducing. Staff deal with each incident effectively as they happen, but they are unable to change the children’s patterns of risk-taking behaviour, such as self-harm. There is a lack of underpinning knowledge in relation to the effects of traumatic and emotional events on children and their presenting behaviour.

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improvement to be good

Physical intervention is used when necessary and all incidents are recorded and monitored by the manager. Staff record the views of children and debriefs take place after each use of physical intervention with all parties involved.

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improvement to be good

Fire equipment is tested regularly. However, there has been no fire evacuation test for over six months. This could leave children at risk in the event of a fire.

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good

The registered manager left her post on the first day of the inspection. The acting manager, who was previously a senior leader in the organisation, is now managing the day-to-day operation of the home. There needs to be a formal plan for the Inspection report children’s home: 2607536 6 interim and longer-term arrangements for the management of the home to ensure any further progress.

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good

The acting manager is aware of the strengths and vulnerabilities of the home, which have led to the children leaving. She recognises how the lack of staff and the gaps in their knowledge base influence the organisation’s ability to fulfil the home’s statement of purpose effectively.

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good

The acting manager has developed a new agenda to examine the practice of the staff and a new format for recording supervisions. So far, only three staff have had one of the new supervisions. Therefore, more need to take place before changes to practice can be seen. All current staff require an annual appraisal to ensure that their practice is still within the requirements of the organisation.

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good

The training required following the last monitoring visit has now taken place. However, the staff require further training to ensure that they can fulfil the commitments identified in the home’s statement of purpose. This will ensure that the staff are appropriately skilled and equipped to safely meet the needs of any further children who are admitted to the home.

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good

The acting manager has reviewed the locality risk assessment. However, this does not include the risks on the site and in the nearby farm fields. These are potential risks for all of the children and any visitors.

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good

The current monitoring process is effective at evaluating some individual records, such as physical intervention and the daily records. Leaders and managers need to develop the monitoring further to ensure that it is effective and influences the quality of the care provided in the home. Furthermore, leaders and managers need to ensure that they have a system in place so that they can notify the local authority where the home is located of any child who moves in to and out of the home.

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good

The compliance notices from the monitoring visit are met and the restriction of accommodation notice has been lifted. Due to the lack of staffing, the training that is required, and the lack of a registered manager, the conditions of registration have changed to reduce the number of children that the home can admit to three. Inspection report children’s home: 2607536 7

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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, the 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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the leaders and managers escalate their concerns to the child’s placing local authority when children’s social workers do not meet the children’s needs. 10 May 2022

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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

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand and manage the impact of any experience of abuse or neglect;

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Requirement Due date

make decisions about the day-to-day arrangements for each child, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans, which give the child an appropriate degree of freedom and choice. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(i)(v)(ix)) 10 May 2022 Inspection report children’s home: 2607536 8 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

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)) 10 May 2022

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Requirement Due date

The enjoyment and achievement standard is that children take part in and benefit from a variety of activities that meet their needs and develop and reflect their creative, cultural, intellectual, physical and social interests and skills.

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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

develop the child’s interests and hobbies;

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Requirement Due date

participate in activities that the child enjoys and which meet and expand the child’s interests and preferences. (Regulation 9 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)) 10 May 2022

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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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

achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

take part in activities, and attend any appointments, for the purpose of meeting the child’s health and well-being needs. (Regulation 10 (1)(c) (2)(a)(i)(iii)) 10 May 2022 Inspection report children’s home: 2607536 9 The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

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

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Requirement Due date

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to recognise incidents or indications of bullying and how to deal with them. (Regulation 11 (1)(b)(c) (2)(a)(iii)(ix)(xiii)) 10 May 2022

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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

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(iv)) 10 May 2022

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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—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 31 May 2022 Inspection report children’s home: 2607536 10 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;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1) (2)(c)(d)(h))

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. (Regulation 14 (1)(b)) 10 May 2022

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

ensure, by means of fire drills and practices at suitable intervals, that persons working at the home and, so far as reasonably practicable, children are aware of the procedure to be followed in case of fire. (Regulation 25 (1)(d)) 31 May 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)) 31 May 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (1) (4)) 31 May 2022

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child; 31 May 2022 Inspection report children’s home: 2607536 11 are kept up to date. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify, without delay, the local authority for the area in which the children’s home is located of every admission of a child into the home and every discharge of a child from the home. (Regulation 41 (1)) 10 May 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children’s home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c) (the protection of children standard). (Regulation 46 (1))

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Requirement Due date

This is with particular reference to risks in the grounds or next to the home. 10 May 2022

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Recommendations

 The registered person should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression in the home. Decor and maintenance needs in the home should be addressed in a timely way. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children’s medicines are administered in line with a medically approved protocol. Records must be kept of the administration of all medication, including accurate totals when new prescriptions are added. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.15)

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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 children’s home: 2607536 12

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Young Foundations Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 7 Grosvenor Street, Chester CH1 2DD

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Inspectors

Susan Atkinson-Millmoor, Social Care Regulatory Inspection Manager Lewis Roberts, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2607536 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.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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