Children's home run by Care Haven (UK) Limited in Stockport

Inspection report for children’s home: SC483828 1 SC483828 Registered provider: Care Haven (UK) Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a privately run children’s home. It provides care for up to five children who may have social and/or emotional difficulties. Two children were living at the home at the time of this inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager post has been vacant since December 2021. A new manager has been appointed. She has not yet applied for registration with Ofsted.

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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 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: 19 October 2021

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

Compliance notices were served on the provider on 22 October 2021, following the inspection which took place on 19 and 20 October 2021. The notices were served against regulation 12, the protection of children standard, regulation 13, the leadership and management standard, and regulation 14, the care planning standard. Inspection report for children’s home: SC483828 2 A monitoring visit was completed on 23 November 2021 to monitor progress against these compliance notices. At that visit, sufficient progress had been made for Ofsted to assess that all the compliance notices had been met. Inspection report for children’s home: SC483828 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/10/2021 Full Inadequate 11/03/2020 Full Requires improvement to be good 28/11/2018 Full Good 31/01/2018 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: SC483828 4

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improvement to be good

Opportunities for children to develop a sense of permanence and belonging are hampered by the strong pull of their relationships and allegiances away from the home. When children are at home, they are encouraged to have positive experiences, but often children do not spend time with staff in order to build meaningful relationships which can positively impact on their lives.

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improvement to be good

There is good communication and strong partnership working between the staff team, external professionals and families to try to effect positive change for children. Despite this, risks for one child have not reduced while living at the home. A number of risks in relation to going missing from home, substance misuse and exploitation are assessed as unmanageable by staff. Some risks have increased. As a result, the child is not in a strong position to move on from the home with the positive support network, skills and knowledge to keep safe.

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improvement to be good

Children have places in schools and education plans are in place which are bespoke to their needs. Regular meetings take place between staff and teachers to promote children’s education. However, neither child is currently engaging with their education plan. Staff do not provide children with a clear timetable of educational activities to complete at home during school hours. Children leave the home to spend time with friends and family in the community during the day, when they should be in education. As a result, children’s days lack structure, and they are not being supported back into formal learning.

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improvement to be good

Children are not always being provided with clear and consistent boundaries. One child, who initially was expected to hand his mobile phone in at night, is now allowed to have this with him throughout the night, alongside his game consoles. As a result, his sleep patterns are disrupted. He is awake during the night and wants to sleep during the day when he should be going to school.

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improvement to be good

Children have access to local services to meet their physical, sexual and emotional health needs. Although children do not always choose to engage with these services, staff continue to promote these resources, and ensure that children have the information they need to make informed decisions about their care.

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improvement to be good

Children’s individuality is recognised and celebrated. Children are encouraged to express themselves and diversity is positively embraced by staff. This supports children to develop a strong sense of self-worth. Inspection report for children’s home: SC483828 5

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improvement to be good

Staff have a good understanding of the risks to children and written risk assessments are thorough and regularly reviewed. Systems are in place to identify and evaluate patterns and trends. This helps staff to understand the progress children are making. However, these plans are not always effective in reducing risks to children to help keep them safe, particularly in the community.

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improvement to be good

Plans to reduce risk and promote positive behaviours lack clear actions for staff to take. Action plans often contain professional, jargonistic language and broad statements which do not offer staff clear guidance to inform their practice.

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improvement to be good

Children’s records are comprehensive and assessments and plans are updated regularly. Staff do not always sign and date their contribution to records. Staff do sign all documents to evidence they have been read and understood. The interim manager is proactive in chasing other professionals when information is not provided in a timely manner. This ensures that staff have all the information they need to inform their care of the children.

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improvement to be good

When children go missing from care, staff form part of a multi-agency response. There is regular communication between staff and the placing authority. The interim manager ensures that return home interviews take place in order to contribute to plans to keep children safe.

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improvement to be good

There have been no physical interventions with children since the last inspection and no searches have taken place of children’s bedrooms. As a result, children live in an environment which provides them with a sense of security and safety.

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improvement to be good

There has been one allegation made against a member of staff in the reporting period. This was responded to quickly by senior managers. The outcome of the investigation was a proportionate response to the incident and the concerns raised. The incident was not notified to Ofsted in a timely manner. This impacts on the regulator’s oversight. Timely notification of serious incidents was a requirement of the last inspection and is not met.

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improvement to be good

Additional training identified as required for the staff member at the conclusion of the investigation has not been provided. As a result, the member of staff has not gained the skills and knowledge needed to reduce the likelihood of this practice being repeated, and an opportunity to strengthen safeguarding practice has been missed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leadership and management of the home is going through a period of transition following the resignation of the registered manager in December 2021. Since then, a senior manager from the organisation has taken temporary responsibility for the Inspection report for children’s home: SC483828 6 home. A permanent manager has now been appointed. She was previously deputy manager at the home. She has not yet applied for registration with Ofsted.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The current interim manager is working alongside the newly appointed manager to share and develop consistent practice and support her promotion from her role of deputy. Staff say that changes to leadership and management of the home since the last inspection have brought about improvements, and changes in roles and responsibilities play to the strengths of all involved .

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Changes to leadership and management of the home resulted in the manager’s formal review of the quality of care being prepared belatedly. The report evaluates the practice of the home effectively and provides a clear and focused plan for further improvement. The report is not yet evidencing the impact of consultations with children, families and other key stakeholders. This was a requirement of the last inspection and is not yet met.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are well supported through formal supervision and informal practice discussion. All staff have now had an annual appraisal of their practice. This system of support and challenge helps staff to identify the skills and knowledge they need to care for children. It ensures that leaders and managers have the information they need to develop the practice of staff and evidence the quality of care being experienced by children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Senior managers have worked hard to implement the improvements in practice required. They made the decision not to welcome new children into the home in order to focus on their quality of care and ensure that systems were put in place to support the practice of staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is clear evidence of improved and effective management oversight of the home. Managers’ evaluations of children’s progress and staff practice are evident throughout children’s care records. As a result of these changes, leaders and managers are much better placed to understand the strengths and areas for development across the home and to support the team to continue to build on the improvements already made. Inspection report for children’s home: SC483828 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, 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 registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(b)(c)(e))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 31 May 2022

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (2)(b)(c) (5))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must include the views of children, families and other stakeholders when evaluating the quality of care and this information should be used to drive improvement. 30 June 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC483828 8 This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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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 that staff—

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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;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(ii)(v))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, that the registered person should ensure children not engaging with formal education are provided with a timetable of structured educational activities which promote their learning. 31 May 2022

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that risk assessments contain clear, practical steps that staff should take to manage and reduce risk. These should be individualised to reflect the needs of each child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)  The registered person should ensure that all written information is signed and dated by the author. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3)  The registered person should ensure that required training identified for individual staff is provided in a timely manner and the impact of this training on practice is evaluated, in order to safeguard children and minimise potential risks. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1) Inspection report for children’s home: SC483828 9

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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: SC483828 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Care Haven (UK) Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Westminster House, 10 Westminster Road, Macclesfield, Cheshire SK10 1BX

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Patricia Swallow

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Inspector

Dawn Parton, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC483828 11 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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