Children's home run by Country Care Children’s Homes Ltd

Inspection report for children's home: 2590408 1 Registered provider: Country Care Children’s Homes Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a private company. The home provides care for up to three children who have experienced trauma which has left them with emotional difficulties and associated challenging behaviours.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager holds a level 5 qualification.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children's home: 2590408 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/06/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2590408 3

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improvement to be good

Staff understand the needs of the children and have developed positive relationships with them. As a result, children are relatively settled and making progress. However, the safeguarding arrangements in relation to one child are poor, and this has detracted from her overall experiences of living in the home.

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improvement to be good

When necessary, the staff intervene to avoid an escalation of children’s behaviours. However, they are not always successful in preventing negative verbal exchanges and prompting positive relationships between some of the children. On one occasion, two children were involved in a physical altercation which resulted in both children being hurt and the police being called. This concerning incident is not typical of children’s experience of living in the home.

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improvement to be good

A new child has recently moved into the home, and this has had a positive impact on the dynamics between all the children. During the inspection, the inspector observed positive relationships between the children and staff. One child told the inspector that she would give the home ‘a hundred out of a hundred’.

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improvement to be good

Children’s physical and emotional needs are understood. Children attend all routine and specialist health appointments. The staff team has developed effective relationships with health professionals to ensure that children’s individual health needs are being met.

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improvement to be good

Children are engaging in the education that is being offered. Children are at different stages with their learning, but all are making progress towards their individual targets. For example, one child who had not attended any formal education is now attending full time. Another child, who is not in education, is engaging with tutoring sessions as an interim arrangement. The registered manager is advocating on behalf of the child to get a more suitable educational provision.

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improvement to be good

Children are supported to develop basic life skills. In preparation for their independence, children are supported to develop their skills and are given budgets to buy and prepare their own meals.

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improvement to be good

Staff work hard to protect children from harm. The safeguarding measures that are in place are generally effective. However, on two separate occasions, a child was able to leave the home without the knowledge of the staff. On one of these occasions, a serious incident occurred that placed the child at risk of harm. Inspection report for children's home: 2590408 4 The registered manager does not have a clear understanding of how the child was able to leave the home without staff knowing. In part, this is because daily records do not provide a clear account of staff’s actions or whether staff were following agreed supervision levels.

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improvement to be good

Overall, the number of missing-from-home incidents has reduced since the last inspection. Staff work effectively with other professionals, such as the police, to ensure that children return home safely. Return home interviews are arranged and undertaken with the children. This provides staff with the guidance to support the children in reducing their episodes of going missing from home.

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improvement to be good

Risk assessments are in place, and they provide the staff with the knowledge and guidance to understand the children’s vulnerabilities. However, one child has a camera monitor in their room at night. There is no assessment in place to assess and manage the use of this camera monitor. The lack of guidance may result in the camera being used unnecessarily or inconsistently.

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improvement to be good

Children say that they feel happy and safe living at the home. One child told the inspector that they could speak to staff about their views and feelings. The registered manager works hard to ensure that children’s views are heard, and she will always offer feedback even if it is not the outcome the children desire. This helps children to feel valued.

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improvement to be good

Staff are successful at managing children’s behaviours. When children are anxious or upset, staff use de-escalation techniques such as distraction and humour to help children become calm again. This means that physical interventions are rarely used by staff.

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improvement to be good

The registered manager plans well for new children to move into the home. She considers the children’s holistic needs alongside the children already living in the home. For one child, a detailed transition plan ensured that the staff were equipped to meet her needs before she moved in. A social worker team manager said that the transition for her child had been crucial in supporting her to settle.

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good

There is a suitably qualified and experienced manager in post. She has high aspirations for children and has created a warm and nurturing environment. She is supported by an equally experienced deputy manager.

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good

Management monitoring systems are not always effective. For example, the manager has completed a quality of care review; however, the review was not completed in the required timescales and a copy was not sent to Ofsted.

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good

Following a recent serious incident, the manager failed to undertake an internal review into what happened. This was a missed opportunity to identify and address Inspection report for children's home: 2590408 5 shortfalls in staff practice that have had a negative impact on the experiences of children.

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good

Staff are supported well by the managers, who show a commitment to the professional development of the staff. For example, staff benefit from regular team meetings and training. Supervision sessions are reflective and support the staff to improve their practice. Children and the staff speak positively about the support they receive from managers.

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good

The staff have completed a varied training programme which is designed to support staff to meet the individual needs of the children. Most staff hold a level 3 qualification, and those who do not are working towards it. This equips staff with the level of knowledge and skills they need for the role.

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good

Staff relationships with external professionals are good. This is because there is good communication and information-sharing between staff, the registered manager and other professionals. Inspection report for children's home: 2590408 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 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; and

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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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to staff understanding and implementing children’s risk assessments, their monitoring and supervision of children and their role in keeping children safe. 9 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

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the homes 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 hones is having on the progress and experiences of each child 9 June 2022 Inspection report for children's home: 2590408 7 and uses this to inform the development 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)(b) (2)(e)(f)(g))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the manager ensuring that they have monitoring and reviewing systems in place which identify shortfalls effectively.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only use devices for the monitoring or surveillance of children if—

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is for the purpose of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the child concerned, or other children. (Regulation 24 (1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that the use of camera monitors is clearly recorded in a child’s agreed risk assessment. 9 June 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered manager 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

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

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Requirement Due date

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. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a) (3) (4)(a)(b)) 9 June 2022 Inspection report for children's home: 2590408 8 Th is specifically relates to the registered manager completing the quality of care report in a timely manner.

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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: 2590408 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Country Care Children’s Homes Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: The Meadows, Beech Lane, Dove Holes, Buxton, Derbyshire SK17 8DJ

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Inspector

Lydia Isaac, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2590408 10 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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