Children's Home run by Eventus Achieves Limited in Wirral

Inspection report for children’s home: 2575842 1 Registered provider: Eventus Achieves Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is owned by a private company. It provides short breaks for up to four children with learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager resigned in May 2021.

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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 inadequate

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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: requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2575842 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/12/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 29/07/2021 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: 2575842 3

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improvement to be good

The home offers short breaks for up to four children with complex needs. There were three children staying in the home at the time of the inspection. Children’s overall experiences and progress are not consistent. This is because of weaknesses in the leadership and management of the home.

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improvement to be good

Inspectors found some areas of the home require attention. For example, the living room areas are not being maintained to an acceptable standard of cleanliness and repair. The windows throughout the home require attention to ensure that children’s privacy and dignity are consistently respected. This is a repeat requirement.

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection at the home, there have been further changes to the staff team. The continued changes of staff do not support children to build consistent relationships with the adults who will be caring for them during their short-break stay.

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improvement to be good

Family members and professionals report that children enjoy their short-break stays. Children are introduced to the service by a series of visits tailored to their needs. These stays are planned in partnership with parents and professionals. Prior to each visit, the staff contact the child’s parents for an update to identify if there have been any changes to medication or the child’s routines. This helps children to experience a happy and settled stay.

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improvement to be good

Staff provide a wide range of activities to enhance children’s lives. These memories are captured and displayed around the home. Children are encouraged to develop their independence skills. Recently, one child spent time in the local supermarket learning how to scan his groceries and write a shopping list.

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improvement to be good

Staff at the home are building relationships with children’s families and there is positive feedback from professionals. One parent said, ‘I like the individualised care the staff provide.’ Another parent said, ‘I know my child is safe and well cared for.’

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improvement to be good

Restraint practice in the home is used as a last resort. However, the recording of restraints remains poor. Leaders and managers have failed to maintain records of all restraints in line with regulation. For example, some records did not contain the duration of the incident or reflect when separate incidents of restraint have taken place. The manager’s reviews of these incidents do not always evaluate the effectiveness of the measure used to safely support each child. Children and staff are not always given the opportunity to discuss their feelings about the incident. As a result, this exposes children to the potential of harm. This is a repeat requirement. Inspection report for children’s home: 2575842 4 Positive behaviour is promoted in the home and the staff use a range of de- escalation techniques. There is good use of key-work sessions to help children understand the importance of appropriate behaviour. This is done through video-led

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improvement to be good

Risk management plans and risk assessments are overly generic and not specific to the child’s individualised needs. Although the staff on shift at the time of the inspection spoke confidently about the children’s risks, new staff working in the home do not have access to detailed information that will help them support and protect all children.

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improvement to be good

Medication procedures are clear and effective and there are safe systems of storage in place. Specialist training for staff has recently been completed to help staff understand a child’s complex epilepsy. As a result, staff are clear on the action they must take in the event of a medical emergency.

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improvement to be good

Recruitment procedures and practices are safe and effective. All staff are checked and vetted before starting work. These checks ensure that only suitable adults are employed to work with children in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The provider has not taken effective action to appoint an appropriate, permanent manager within a reasonable timeframe. The registered manager post has been vacant since May 2021. More recently, a new manager had been appointed. However, this appointment did not progress to registration with Ofsted due to the appointed person not having the required experience.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The inspectors identified a lack of attention to detail to records in the home. Several documents contained spelling errors and were not dated or signed. This lack of management oversight does not demonstrate that effective monitoring systems are in place.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The interim manager has failed to ensure that children’s case records are kept updated with relevant, accurate information. One child’s plan contained another child’s name. A further plan contained the wrong legal status for a children being cared for. This does not ensure that all staff have the correct information about the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There have been further changes to the staff team since the last inspection, with two staff recently leaving and two new staff arriving. As a result, children have not experienced the stability they require from a consistent team of people caring for them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Supervision of staff is now taking place. The manager has introduced reflective elements to the supervision records. However, the quality of the sessions requires further improvement to provide a more detailed account of discussions about Inspection report for children’s home: 2575842 5 children, professional development and any areas of improvement. This would support staff development and improve their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The interim manager demonstrated a good understanding of the children’s needs. Staff report that she is supportive and approachable. She had identified that staff required further training to support a child with epilepsy. This had been accessed and delivered to increase the knowledge and skills of staff in this area of work.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

During a recent short-break stay, a child required an admission to hospital due to significant concerns for the child’s emotional well-being. Staff did contact the child’s family members. However, the interim manager did not consider the incident serious and did not notify the regulator. A recommendation has been made to support this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

As a result of changes in management arrangements, a quality-of-care report has not been submitted since March 2021. This means that the responsible individual has failed to demonstrate clear oversight of the quality of care experienced by children on their short breaks. This is a repeat requirement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers have not met all the requirements from the last inspection and some requirements are repeated. Compliance notices are also issued under regulation 13 and regulation 27, due to consistent failure to meet the requirements issued. Inspection report for children’s home: 2575842 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

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

meet the needs of each child. Regulation 6 (2)(c)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered persons ensuring that there is a new blind fitted in the bathroom, ensuring that repairs are carried out to paintwork around the bath, ensure there are suitable privacy screens fitted in the front bedroom window of a child’s bedroom and in the second lounge area. 17 June 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—

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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. 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 17 June 2022

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Requirement Due date

A responsible individual must— 17 June 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2575842 7 have the capacity, experience and skills to supervise the management of the home, or the homes, in respect of which the responsible individual is nominated. (Regulation 26 (7)(b))

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Requirement Due date

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

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

is not, or does not intend to be, in day-to-day charge of the home.

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Requirement Due date

If the registered provider appoints a person to manage the home, the registered provider must, without delay, give HMCI notice of—

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person so appointed; and

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Requirement Due date

the date on which the appointment takes effect. (Regulation 27 (1)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii) (2)(a)(b)) 17 June 2022

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and 17 June 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2575842 8 within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(vii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)))

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Requirement Due date

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

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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;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c)) 17 June 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children ("a quality of care review") at least once every 6 months.

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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 quality of care provided for children;

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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

After completing a quality-of-care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality-of- care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review ("the quality of care review report").

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Requirement Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality-of-care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality-of-care review is completed; and 17 June 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2575842 9 make a copy of the quality-of-care review report available on request to a placing authority, if the placing authority is not the parent of a child accommodated in the home.

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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 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (3) (4)(a)(b) (5))

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Requirement Due date

This is requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendations

 The registered persons should ensure that staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. In particular, that risks should be individualised to each child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)  The registered person should ensure that they notify Ofsted and other relevant persons if one of the situations specified in regulation 40(4)(a)-(d) occurs, or if there is an incident relating to the protection, safeguarding or welfare of a child living in the home which the registered person considers to be serious. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.10)

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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: 2575842 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Eventus Achieves Limited

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Inspectors

Judith Birchall, Social Care Inspector Nicola Shaw, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2575842 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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