Children's Home run by CF Support Services Limited in Essex

Inspection report children’s home: 2616993 1 Registered provider: CF Support Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately run home provides care for one child who is unable to be cared for in mainstream residential care or a foster placement.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in December 2021.

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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 and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded and the care and experiences of children and young people are poor and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2616993 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Not previously inspected Inspection report children’s home: 2616993 3

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inadequate

The home registered in December 2021, and the first child moved into the home in January 2022. The child moved out in March 2022 following a significant change to their needs. The current child moved into the home in March 2022.

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inadequate

There have been widespread failures by staff to safeguard this child. The manager has failed to identify and address poor staff practice. This has led to recurring practice concerns.

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inadequate

The child is not in education, and staff have failed to encourage them to engage in virtual studies at the home. The daily records indicate that staff do not challenge unwanted behaviours or set boundaries and expectations for the child.

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inadequate

Staff know that the child is vulnerable to criminal exploitation. However, there is insufficient staff challenge and guidance provided to help the child to understand the dangers posed by others.

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inadequate

One staff member, who has established a positive relationship with the child, has encouraged the child to talk about career options. The child has expressed an interest in joining the army. The child was supported by this staff member to apply to the army. This is a positive intervention that has enabled the child to take some ownership of their future plans.

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inadequate

Some staff have made positive relationships with the child; however, this is not consistent across the staff team.

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inadequate

There is good support of the child’s sexual health needs. Staff have taken the child to attend a sexual health clinic, which indicates that they have established positive relationships with some staff.

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inadequate

The staff have created a pathway plan for the child. The child has worked on first- aid tasks and budgeting. Some staff have made a good effort at trying to engage the child in independence activities.

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

Staff have failed to keep the child safe. On two occasions, the child has been able to access money from the staff office and purchase cannabis. A staff member said that the child’s risk assessment had been changed to allow him to keep smoking materials on his person as this made him ‘less annoyed’. Some staff are intimidated by the child and therefore do not feel able to challenge him. Inspection report children’s home: 2616993 4 Smoking materials and a cannabis grinder were found in the child’s bedroom on the first day of the inspection. Staff had not removed these. The manager said that he did not know what the grinder was. The grinder was not removed by the manager until it was discussed again an hour later with the responsible individual. Not all staff are alert to indicators of substance misuse and are therefore not challenging it. This fails to safeguard the child.

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

Staff failed to sufficiently challenge the child when he smoked cannabis in front of the staff. This does not set expectations of behaviour or help the child to understand the dangers of substance misuse.

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

In the 11 weeks that the child has been at the home, he has been missing for a total of two weeks. The child spends prolonged periods away from the home at places unknown to staff. Although the child’s placing authority permits this arrangement, staff have failed to engage with the child sufficiently to discourage him from going missing from the home. The child’s social worker said that the frequency of missing episodes has reduced marginally since the child’s move to the home. However, the number of days and nights that the child spends away from the home are of considerable concern. Staff have not demonstrated sufficient professional curiosity about what the child is doing when he goes missing from home.

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

Staff have failed to dynamically risk assess a situation which led to the child, who had already been missing overnight, to be left alone in the community during the night. Staff then failed to let the child into the home during the night when he returned. The manager did not identify any issues in staff practice. Poor decision- making by staff has compromised the child’s safety.

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

Staff are inconsistent in their approach to managing behaviour. This does not help the child to understand expectations of behaviour.

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

Two staff members believe that smoking materials can be kept by the child. Another staff member said that this was not allowed due to the fire risks related to the child. Despite known risks of fire setting, some staff are failing to mitigate these risks.

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

Risk assessments are not reflective of emerging risks, including county lines. Consequently, the child remains vulnerable to harm.

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

The child’s missing-from-home protocol is comprehensive. There is good reference to places that the child may be when he goes missing. Maps and addresses are provided and known contacts and telephone numbers are recorded.

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

There is good liaison with the police, who visit the home regularly.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager registered at the same time as the home. Lack of experience has led to insufficient managerial oversight. The manager is keen to address shortfalls Inspection report children’s home: 2616993 5 raised. However, it is of concern that these shortfalls were not identified before they were raised at the inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has failed to provide effective oversight of or reflection on staff’s practice following significant incidents. There is no management overview or recorded evidence to show that the manager has challenged staff practice. The staff have not received suitable guidance on how they could have managed incidents more effectively. This fails to ensure that the child is provided with a good standard of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has failed to identify and challenge poor staff practice that is documented in the home’s daily records. Lack of suitable management monitoring to improve practice has led to a culture of poor decision-making that is not in the best interests of the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has failed to ensure that risk assessments are subject to appropriate scrutiny to ensure that they are reflective of current and emerging risks. Lack of effective monitoring of risk assessments has led to inconsistent staff approaches in relation to risks.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has failed to submit to Ofsted the statement of purpose. The current statement of purpose does not reflect staff’s qualifications and experience. This was addressed at the inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The management team has not consistently followed safer recruitment procedures. Gaps in employment have not been explored for one staff member. The reason why employment ended for a staff member who previously worked with vulnerable adults has not been explored. Failure to make such checks increases the potential for unsuitable staff to work at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The induction programme for new staff is good. However, not all staff have completed their induction activities. This does not equip new staff with the knowledge that they need to support the child and fully understand the operational aspects of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The inspector was not signed into the visitors’ book on arrival at the home and no fire instruction was given. Failing to record visitors to the home could compromise safety in the event of a fire. Additionally, this fails to provide an accurate record of people visiting the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

External monitoring by the independent person has identified some shortfalls, which the manager has worked towards addressing. However, the independent person has not identified the scale of the issues identified at this inspection. This has led to issues being unaddressed. Two reports written by the independent person hold identical information. Therefore, one report is not accurate.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager is well liked and respected by the staff team. Social workers speak highly of the manager. Inspection report children’s home: 2616993 6 The manager has escalated concerns about the child to the social worker and the police. This led to a range of professionals working together to support the child and additional advice and support being provided for staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has ensured that staff have appropriate training opportunities. Training records are clear and subject to regular revision.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There is good evidence of the manager challenging the placing local authority when the child has not received return home checks. Inspection report children’s home: 2616993 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 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

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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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

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship;

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Requirement Due date

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust; 22 July 2022 Inspection report children’s home: 2616993 8 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

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children;

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Requirement Due date

that each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(viii)(ix)(xi)(b))

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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

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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)) 22 July 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

promotes their welfare. 22 July 2022 Inspection report children’s home: 2616993 9 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’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;

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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)(e)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement (“the statement of purpose”) which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1.

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (1) (3)(a)(b)) 22 July 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

The requirements are that— 22 July 2022 Inspection report children’s home: 2616993 10 full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a) (3)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that gaps in employment are explored and that the reason for previous employment with children or vulnerable adults ending is verified so far as reasonably practicable.

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Requirement Due date

ensure that each employee completes an appropriate induction. (Regulation 33 (1)(a)) 22 July 2022

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Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4. (Regulation 37 (1) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, make a record of all visitors to the home, and ensure that the names of visitors and the reasons for the visit are recorded. 22 July 2022

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Requirement Due date

The independent person’s report may recommend actions that the registered person may take in relation to the home and timescales within which the registered person must consider whether or not to take those actions. (Regulation 44 (5))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that reports are accurate and reflective of the care provided at the home. 22 July 2022

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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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: 2616993 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: CF Support Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Three Rivers Business Centre, Unit 11 Felixstowe Road, Ipswich, Suffolk IP10 0BF

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Joanne Henderson

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Inspector

Lianne Bradford, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2616993 12 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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