Children's Home run by 4 Pure Heart Limited in Bury

Inspection report for children's home: 2630055 1 Registered provider: 4 Pure Heart Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is one of several owned and managed by a private company. The home provides care for up to three children who may present with social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since January 2022.

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Information about this children’s home

This is the home’s first inspection since registration.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children's home: 2630055 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Not previously inspected Inspection report for children's home: 2630055 3

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inadequate

This is a newly registered home. There is currently one child living in the home. One child had recently moved out as staff could not keep them safe. Furthermore, significant failings were identified in the planning of children’s care, safeguarding practice and the leadership and management of the home.

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inadequate

The systems for matching and assessing children’s needs prior to them moving into the home are poor. Managers do not take steps to assess all known risks or consider the needs of other children living in the home. Consequently, these decisions have compromised the welfare and safety of children.

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inadequate

Staff lack an understanding of children’s needs or how to keep them safe. Care planning is weak and results in children not being able to aspire to reach their full potential. The practice in the home does not support all children to have a positive experience and achieve positive outcomes.

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inadequate

Managers work with the headteacher of the virtual school and education professionals to develop education plans for children. Children have amended timetables and home tutors. However, staff are not proactive in promoting children’s daily attendance and children remain in their bedrooms. Consequently, children are not receiving education in line with their plans.

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inadequate

Despite the shortfalls identified, children are supported to spend quality time with their families. Their healthcare needs are appropriately supported, and they have access to a range of healthcare professionals. Children take part in a range of activities such as rugby, trampolining and swimming.

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

Safeguarding practice is poor and risk management strategies are ineffective.

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

Children’s risk assessments do not contain all the information about the risks to children or the actions that staff must take to reduce these risks. For example, one child’s risk assessment does not contain detailed information in regard to them having a history of taking a vehicle without consent, fire-setting and being a victim of criminal exploitation. This means that the staff team does not have sufficient information to keep children safe. Furthermore, several entries in one child’s risk assessment pertain to their former home and are not relevant to the current placement or reflect the placing authority’s care plan .

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

During May 2022, significant incidents occurred that required the assistance of the emergency services for children. Ofsted were not notified of these serious incidents. Furthermore, the recording of the incidents is poor and does not provide sufficient information or include what actions staff took to keep children safe, including who Inspection report for children's home: 2630055 4 they made contact with to inform of the seriousness of all incidents. This is a missed opportunity to demonstrate that all safeguarding professionals were informed and involved in decision-making.

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

Ofsted and the provider have received several complaints from neighbours about serious incidents that have occurred at the home and in the local community. There is no evidence of any actions taken by the provider to address the content of the complaints raised, which include concerns about children’s safety in the community and a lack of response from staff responsible for children. Leaders and managers have not investigated these incidents to understand what happened and how to reduce the chances of them happening again.

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

The provider did write to the neighbours following one serious incident. However, the privacy of the child was breached as the letter disclosed personal information pertinent to the child. This is not effective safeguarding practice. Also, the managers have not recorded or investigated other concerns from neighbours, and this does not promote transparency.

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

Staff are not always able to de-escalate situations effectively when children are heightened and displaying challenging behaviours. This has led to staff calling police for support. Staff do not consistently challenge children’s inappropriate behaviour, and there is a lack of age-appropriate boundaries and routines in place to support and guide children. This means children are not learning how to manage challenging or difficult situations.

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

There has been one missing-from-home incident. Staff said that they tried to locate the child and spoke with relevant professionals. A social worker said that the staff actively searched all known addresses to locate the child. Despite the appropriate actions being taken, the recording of the incident was poor.

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

The home environment is well maintained. Children are supported to personalise their bedrooms. Recruitment procedures are followed, and this ensures that only suitably vetted staff care for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has been in post since the home registered. She is in the process of completing a level 5 qualification.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The staffing in the home has changed since the registration visit in January 2022. Apart from the registered manager and the deputy, only one other member of staff holds a childcare qualification. As a result, children are cared for by inexperienced staff who lack the knowledge and skills to meet the children’s needs. The manager has not sent in an updated statement of purpose to reflect the changes in staffing in the home. Inspection report for children's home: 2630055 5 Leaders and managers have changed the use of the home without consulting Ofsted. This relates to staff using an unoccupied children’s bedroom as a sleep-in room. This is not in line with the home’s statement of purpose.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff have not received all the necessary training in relation to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, knife crime or criminal exploitation. Ultimately, staff are unable to manage difficult situations or help children aspire to their full potential. In addition, staffing rotas fail to show the actual hours that staff work.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Managers are not making effective use of their internal and external monitoring systems. Internal monitoring is not used as an effective tool to evaluate and reflect on the quality of care provided to children or the quality of record-keeping. Consequently, managers have failed to identify the numerous shortfalls identified at this inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Record-keeping is poor. Leaders and managers struggled throughout the inspection to locate information. Several shortfalls were identified in respect of the care plans for children, risk assessments, incident records, complaint records and key-worker records. This is because they lack detail and do not reflect the children’s current needs. This does not help staff promote and support children’s welfare.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Furthermore, the language used to describe children in their records, which are accessible to them, is inappropriate, lacks respect and does not promote children’s dignity, for example referring to a child as ‘Joe Bloggs’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Managers have failed to notify Ofsted of serious incidents, for example a child taking the car keys and accessing a vehicle, assaults on staff and incidents of fire-setting. Inspection report for children's home: 2630055 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 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—

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible. (Regulation (8) (1) (2)(a)(ii)(vii)) 31 July 2022

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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; 31 July 2022 Inspection report for children's home: 2630055 7 help each child to develop socially aware behaviour; 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; and

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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)(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

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other; 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)(iv)(v)) 31 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. 31 July 2022 Inspection report for children's home: 2630055 8 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

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

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on— feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and 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)(c)(f)(g)(ii)(h))

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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—

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Requirement Due date

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home's statement of purpose. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)) 31 July 2022

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and 31 July 2022 Inspection report for children's home: 2630055 9 notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (3)(a)(b)

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Requirement Due date

the privacy of children is appropriately protected. (Regulation 21(a)) 31 July 2022

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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 kept up to date. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to all of the records outlined in Schedule 3. 31 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;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the records are kept up to date; and

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Requirement Due date

retain the records for at least 15 years from the date of the last entry. (Regulation 37 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that staff rotas record the actual hours worked by staff. 31 July 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the following items, which may be kept in electronic form, are kept in an accessible manner—

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Requirement Due date

the statement of purpose; the children’s guide;

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Requirement Due date

placement plans for children who are not looked after (see regulation 18);

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Requirement Due date

the policy for safeguarding children (see regulation 34);

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Requirement Due date

the policy for preventing bullying (see regulation 34); 31 July 2022 Inspection report for children's home: 2630055 10 the missing child policy (see regulation 34);

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Requirement Due date

the behaviour management policy (see regulation 35);

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Requirement Due date

records of the use of measures of control, discipline or restraint (see regulation 35);

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Requirement Due date

children’s case records (see regulation 36);

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Requirement Due date

the procedure for considering complaints (see regulation 39); and

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Requirement Due date

records of complaints (see regulation 39). (Regulation 38 (a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(g)(h)(i)(j)(k))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation. (Regulation 39 (3)) 31 July 2022

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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

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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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

a child protection enquiry involving a child —

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e)) 31 July 2022

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice. Inspection report for children's home: 2630055 11

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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: 2630055 12

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: 4 Pure Heart Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Atlantic Business Centre, Atlantic Street, Altrincham WA14 5NQ

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Inspector

Chris Scully, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2630055 13 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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