Children's Home run by Staffordshire County Council in Staffordshire

Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC065679 1 SC065679 Registered provider: Staffordshire County Council

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a local authority. It is registered to provide care for one child who may have experienced childhood instability which has resulted in trauma and associated behaviours.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has been without a registered manager since December 2021.

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This monitoring visit

This children’s home was judged inadequate at the full inspection on 4 and 5 May 2022, due to significant shortfalls in safeguarding practice and poor leadership.

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This monitoring visit

The focus of this visit was to monitor and review the actions taken by the local authority to address the shortfalls raised at the last inspection. At the time of the visit, one child was living at the home.

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This monitoring visit

The home does not currently have a permanent manager. As an interim arrangement, the deputy manager is managing the home with support from senior managers. Recruitment is ongoing for a suitably experienced and qualified manager.

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This monitoring visit

Staffing shortages mean that agency staff continue to be used in the home on a regular basis. However, the acting manager has used a consistent group of agency staff, so that the child is not cared for by too many unfamiliar adults.

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This monitoring visit

Incidents of one child going missing from the home have increased. Overall, staff respond well to the incidents and have ensured that the child’s missing-from-care protocol has been followed. Following such incidents, the manager works alongside other agencies such as the police, youth offending team and social worker to Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC065679 2 safeguard the child. At the time of the inspection, the child was missing from the home, however, agencies have continued to work jointly to locate the child.

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This monitoring visit

Risk assessments and behavioural support plans now contain the relevant detail and are updated on a regular basis. The plans provide clear guidance for the staff with regard to managing the child’s risk and behaviours. The child has been involved in creating their own risk assessment as a way of trying to reduce his risks. This encourages him to make safe choices.

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This monitoring visit

The effectiveness of the risk assessments is undermined because staff do not always follow the agreed strategies. For example, on one occasion when the child was found after being missing from the home, staff agreed for the child to be brought back to the home by a person they did not know. This had the potential to expose the child to harm.

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This monitoring visit

Senior managers and the acting manager have reviewed and reflected on the shortfalls identified at the last inspection. In response to this, they have devised an action plan to improve the quality of care provided by staff. The action plan is in its infancy and new management monitoring systems are not yet embedded.

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This monitoring visit

The child’s care plans do not contain up-to-date information relating to the child’s individual needs. This means that staff are not provided with sufficient guidance to support and help children.

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This monitoring visit

Two of the three requirements raised at the last inspection were not reviewed and have been restated. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC065679 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/05/2022 Full Inadequate 24/08/2021 Full Good 22/01/2020 Full Good 01/08/2018 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC065679 4

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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

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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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)(iii)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the staff following the child’s risk assessments. 15 August 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 promotes their welfare.

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

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that they have monitoring and reviewing systems in place to identify shortfalls effectively. 15 August 2022

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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 15 August 2022 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC065679 5 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;

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Requirement Due date

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home; plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that children are suitably matched to the home.

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Requirement Due date

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)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that debriefs are carried out with children and that these are recorded. 15 August 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

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

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Requirement Due date

The specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that children’s records are kept up to date. 15 August 2022 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC065679 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should put systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC065679 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Staffordshire County Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Wedgwood Buildings, Tipping Street, Staffordshire ST16 2DH

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Inspector

Lydia Isaac, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC065679 8 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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