Children's Home run by Direct Care Children’s Homes Ltd in Wiltshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2655041 1 Registered provider: Direct Care Children’s Homes Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care and accommodation for up to three children.

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Information about this children’s home

A manager is in charge of the home and is in the process of applying for registration with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

This is the home’s first inspection since registration in November 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2655041 2

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Recent inspection history

Not previously inspected Inspection report for children’s home: 2655041 3

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improvement to be good

All children have experienced multiple placement moves, one up to seven times in a short period. This home has provided much needed stability to this child. All three children are living away from their home towns. Children have found this difficult to cope with.

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improvement to be good

Children are missing out on formal education. The home provides activities and some structure during normal school hours, but this is not well planned and children are slow to get up and engage with the staff.

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improvement to be good

Consistency and sufficiency of staffing remains an issue and impacts on children’s ability to build meaningful and trusting relationships with the adults caring for them. A core group of staff has remained. Leaders and the manager, who are familiar to children, work directly with them to minimise the impact of staffing vacancies and changes.

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improvement to be good

Children can access a wide range of activities linked to their interests and hobbies. They are also encouraged to try out new things, and they make use of a local leisure facility and attend youth clubs. However, time spent on games consols is not consistently limited to avoid too much screen time.

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improvement to be good

Managers and staff work in partnership with other stakeholders and professional agencies in supporting children and promoting progress. Feedback from stakeholders is encouraging. They comment on the positive commitment of staff, helpful communication and staff who have a determined approach to seeking resources and support for children. The staff are supporting children through some very difficult times.

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improvement to be good

The environment is homely, and well decorated and maintained. The home looks and feels like a family home, with books, games and other things of interest to the children.

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improvement to be good

Children’s health is a priority and children are registered with local health service providers. Specialist support is also being provided, including from child and adolescent mental health services.

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improvement to be good

Inspection report for children’s home: 2655041 4 Not all children are safe and protected from harm. Multi-agency working, regular strategy meetings and the provision of a safe home with caring staff have failed to overcome one child’s determination to go missing from the home. Stakeholders have recognised the home’s work to try and effect change in this situation.

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improvement to be good

Risks are known to the staff, although not all risk assessments are fully up to date. Behaviour management is based on understanding the impact of childhood trauma, focusing on repair and avoiding blame. Staff are trained in effective techniques to hold children, when necessary. Such interventions are rare and just one incident of restraint has been recorded since the home opened. Boundaries are in place around most expectations of behaviour, which promotes a sense of security for children.

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improvement to be good

Most children feel safe in this home and can discuss their wishes and feelings openly with staff. However, children want to go back and live in familiar areas and this is not currently possible.

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improvement to be good

The home has reduced episodes of going missing from home for some children, using disruption and working in partnership with local support services. Risk-taking behaviour has also reduced for some children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers has been impacted by a lack of sufficient staffing in the home. Despite a constant recruitment drive it has proved difficult to engage or retain suitably experienced and skilled staff. The priority has been to provide direct care and support to children and consequently management tasks have suffered.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Records are not all kept up to date. Some important information is missing from records, including from care plans, and records are not well ordered or linked. On one occasion, the record completed following a serious incident was not sufficiently detailed. It did not lead to any timely reflective practice with the staff involved to try to avoid a repeat of the incident.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

A detailed development plan is in place. Strengths and weaknesses are understood. The majority of shortfalls identified at this inspection were known to leaders and managers beforehand. Action was already being taken to improve practice. The recently employed manager has the skills, experience and qualifications to address shortfalls. A full staff team should enable this process.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The planning and delivery of team meetings by the manager is exceptional and designed to equip staff with the knowledge, understanding and support they need to do the job well. Good-quality supervision is provided to staff on a regular basis and managers are accessible to the staff for support. In addition, the manager has reviewed and improved the behaviour management planning document and produced clear guidelines for staff around their roles, responsibilities and expectations. These changes have yet to be fully implemented in practice. Inspection report for children’s home: 2655041 5 The inspector is assured that the providers are determined to address shortfalls and improve the service to children in an effective and timely manner. Inspection report for children’s home: 2655041 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 registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3, ensure these records are kept up to date and are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular:- records of the child’s religion, if any. The child’s ethnicity, and the child’s cultural and linguistic background. The name, address, telephone number and the religion, if any, of the child’s parents and a copy of any plan for the care of the child prepared by the child’s placing authority. 31 July 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4; ensure that the records are kept up to date; and retain the records for at least 15 years from the date of the last entry. (Regulation 37 (2)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular:- keep a copy of the staff duty roster of persons working at the home, and a record of the actual rosters worked. 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 ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child, 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. Use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided. (Regulation 13 (1)(c)(d)(e)(h)) 31 July 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2655041 7 The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to Maintain regular contact

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Requirement Due date

with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child’s education and training and to maximise the child’s achievement; ensure that staff 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. Ensure that each child has access to appropriate equipment, facilities and resources to support the child’s learning. (Regulation 8 (1)(vi)(viii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, seek work and resources from the child’s education provider and plan alternatives to formal education effectively to maximise learning for the children. 31 July 2022

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Recommendation

 Children should be supported to express themselves as individuals and should be given an appropriate degree of freedom and choice in relation to day-to-day arrangements for their care, depending on their individual needs and the setting in which they are cared for. This is in relation to activities and personal items such as clothing, technology and leisure items. Children’s reasonable preferences in relation to day-to-day arrangements should be met with consideration given to safeguarding, particularly in relation to the use of technology. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.17)

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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: 2655041 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Direct Care Children’s Homes

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Inspector

Janice Hawtin, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2655041 9 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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