Children's Home run by Blue Elephant Childcare Limited in Devon

Inspection report for children's home: 2609490 1 Registered provider: Blue Elephant Childcare Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is registered to provide care for one child. It is one of a small group of homes run by a private company. The manager was registered in November 2020.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded, and the care and experiences of children are poor and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Date of last inspection: 8 February 2022

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2609490 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/02/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children's home: 2609490 3

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inadequate

Weak leadership and management of this home means the progress and experiences of the child remain mixed. The last inspection identified similar shortfalls, just three months ago. Leaders and managers have not taken sufficient action to address these to improve the child’s outcomes and increase safety.

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inadequate

Staff find it difficult to consistently implement boundaries for the child. This is particularly relevant to healthy eating and lifestyle habits. Leaders and managers have provided the child with a personal trainer to help with this. However, staff have undermined this by enabling the child to continue to access an unhealthy diet, which has remained unchallenged by the registered manager.

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inadequate

The home environment is well maintained. However, some images are displayed in the child’s bedroom that promote violence. This contradicts the therapeutic approach described in the statement of purpose. These same images were seen at the last inspection and discussed with the registered manager. No subsequent action was taken to review the appropriateness of these images and the potential impact on the child’s experiences.

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inadequate

Education is promoted and the child’s school attendance has continued to improve. One staff member is creative in their approach and has found activities outside of formal education to support the child’s learning. Recently the child helped a member of staff to produce a kitchen design, and there are plans for the child to attend a local a garage to look at the mechanics of quad bikes. During the inspection the child was observed to enjoy bike riding and dog walking.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

Understanding of effective safeguarding practices by staff has not been good enough to keep the child safe online. The registered manager and staff lack sufficient professional curiosity around online gaming and there is an over-reliance on the parental control settings for the home’s internet to safeguard this activity.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

An internal investigation found that the child has access to games with an age certificate of 18 years and above. Recommendations from this investigation remain outstanding and have not been followed up by leaders and managers. The gaming device has remained in the child’s bedroom with the child having full access without safety settings being applied.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

Staff told the inspector that if the child is found to be playing inappropriate games they have been advised not to intervene and to move away from the child. This means that the child is left to continue to play the games without adult supervision Inspection report for children's home: 2609490 4 and has uncensored access to inappropriate content, which may include adult chat forums connected to the game. This lack of care leaves the child at risk of harm.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

Following a significant safeguarding concern online, the registered manager did not take sufficient action to enhance safety in response to the incident. The child’s devices remain without sufficient safety settings. Although the child’s records were updated in response to the incident, they lack specific detail on how staff should monitor the child’s use of internet-enabled devices. Consequently, this is left largely unmonitored.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

Staff and the child’s family suspect that the child has a social media account, but no one in the home has taken action to investigate this and to look at ways to manage and safeguard the child on this platform. This highlights a worrying lack of oversight and monitoring of the child’s activities online and in the home.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

The registered manager has not ensured that all staff working with the child are fully aware of the most recent safeguarding concerns. This has put the child and staff at risk, as staff cannot make informed decisions about their practice when lone working with the child.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

Children’s records are of poor quality. While they are regularly updated after incidents, they still contain out-of-date information and are repetitive and vague. This means staff are not clear about how to care for the child.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

As a result of these concerns, a compliance notice has been issued requiring the home to take action to better protect this child when they are online.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There is a lack of effective management oversight in this home. The registered manager does not routinely and thoroughly monitor the quality of the care and provide professional challenge to staff. When incidents have occurred, staff do not always receive a debrief and leaders and managers do not think critically about how to make improvements. When action is taken, it is not always sufficient or effective.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

When concerns have been raised, leaders and managers have sought advice from relevant professionals. However, the management and recording of internal investigations is weak. Interviews with staff are not well recorded and the staff members interviewed have not agreed and signed their statement. Where recommendations are made, these are not followed up to ensure practice has improved.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

In recent months staff sufficiency has become a problem. Leaders and managers struggle to staff this home with consistent staff members who have a relationship with the child and know them well. On occasions, this has led to the registered manager working with the child or drawing on staff from other homes in the company. These staff members have not always had the opportunity to meet the Inspection report for children's home: 2609490 5 child or shadow a shift at the home beforehand. New staff are not routinely directed to the child’s up-to-date care plan to know how to look after the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The registered manager does not routinely ensure that staff who are new to the home are aware of the fire safety procedures.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

When staff have left the organisation, they have received exit interviews. These exit interviews have highlighted that, despite the shortfalls in management identified during this inspection, staff have found the registered manager to be supportive about their individual welfare.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Repeated breaches of regulation have been identified at this inspection. Consequently, requirements made at the previous inspection in relation to the management of the home and safety of children, have been repeated. New requirements relating to the quality of care and fire safety have been added. Ofsted will continue to monitor this home closely and undertake additional inspections. Inspection report for children's home: 2609490 6

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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

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

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

treat each child with dignity and respect;

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Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background;

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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

help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult; and

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Requirement Due date

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)) 3 June 2022 Inspection report for children's home: 2609490 7 In particular, ensure that the child’s plan has been updated and is explicit in the expectations of staff.

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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

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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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

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm; and

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Requirement Due date

that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure urgent action is taken to remove access to inappropriate games on the child’s games console and that managers are aware of the social media accounts the child has and develop a plan for how to manage these safely. 3 June 2022 Inspection report for children's home: 2609490 8 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 promotes their welfare.

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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

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 work as a team where appropriate;

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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

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home; and

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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)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the quality of care is closely monitored, with changes and improvements being made in a timely manner. 3 June 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.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— 3 June 2022 Inspection report for children's home: 2609490 9 that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff read the child’s updated plans before working with the child.

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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

make arrangements for persons working at the home to receive suitable training in fire prevention; and

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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)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that all staff working in the home are aware of the fire safety procedures before they start work at the home. 3 June 2022

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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 children’s bedrooms are appropriately decorated. Doing so is an important aspect of demonstrating that the staff care for the child and value them as an individual. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.19)

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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: 2609490 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Blue Elephant Childcare Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 30, Chivenor Business Park, Barnstaple, Devon EX31 4AY

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Inspector

Katie Ratcliffe, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2609490 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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Inspector

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