Children's home run by Future 19 Social Care Limited

Inspection report children’s home: 2569163 1 Registered provider: Future 19 Social Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A private provider owns and manages this home. The home provides care for up to three children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered on 13 March 2020. The home is currently without a registered manager. The acting manager left in May 2022.

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Information about this children’s home

The setting was judged to be inadequate at full inspections carried out on 9 and 10 August 2021 and 7 and 8 December 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

Ofsted last visited the setting on 27 January 2022 to carry out a monitoring visit. The report is published on the Ofsted website.

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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/or 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

Date of last inspection: 7 December 2021

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: following the full inspection in August 2021, the home was judged inadequate. This resulted in two compliance notices Inspection report for children’s home: 2569163 2 being issued under regulation 12 (the protection of children standard) and regulation 32 (fitness of workers). At a monitoring visit in October 2021, the provider had met some steps of the compliance notice under regulation 12 but not enough for the notice to be lifted. An amended compliance notice under regulation 12 was reissued as well as the unmet regulation 32 notice. Following the full inspection in December 2021, the provider again failed to meet both compliance notices. Both were reissued for a third time alongside a restriction of accommodation notice. The monitoring visit in January 2022 found that both compliance notices had been met and the restriction of accommodation was lifted. Inspection report for children’s home: 2569163 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/12/2021 Full Inadequate 09/08/2021 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: 2569163 4

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inadequate

Serious and widespread concerns regarding the leadership and management of the home and the provider’s ability to implement effective risk management for children have led to an inadequate judgement.

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inadequate

The process for assessing the compatibility of children who live together in the home is ineffective. One child’s suitability to live in the home has not been assessed effectively by the provider and it is unclear how they will meet the child’s needs. This has left the child feeling frustrated with their daily care arrangements.

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inadequate

Disorganised records do not show that children receive effectively planned care. Children’s care plans do not always include necessary information about the child, and not all the required local authority records are in place. This does not provide staff with guidance on how to look for children properly if they go missing.

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inadequate

The provider has identified that they are not always able to fully engage some of the children in living at the home. As a result, some children need to move on sooner than originally planned. Children do not have clear transition plans to support their next steps. One child was unsure about what was going to happen to them next as there were no plans in place for them.

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inadequate

Children have mixed views about living at the home. One child said, ‘It is not the best, being in this care home.’ However, they went on to speak positively about the new deputy manager. The deputy manager is more focused on seeking children’s views. This has resulted in one child receiving new personal items, including a new bed. The child said, ‘Since [name of deputy manager] has come, it’s been alright; he has done more in the last few weeks than what [the provider] has done in a year.’

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inadequate

The recent efforts of staff to improve the communal living space do not extend to all areas of the home. Staff do not report all maintenance issues, and an ineffective system means that there are also delays in repair work taking place. Children’s bedrooms and bathrooms continue to need attention to bring them up to the correct standard.

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inadequate

Staff respond to children’s emerging health needs and ensure children access emergency medical help when needed. However, the recording of the administration of one child’s prescribed medication is inconsistent, and therefore presents a risk. This does not show that staff are supporting the child’s day-to-day mental and physical health.

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inadequate

Educational outcomes for children vary. One child is currently not in education or employment. However, another child is making plans for college, having sat their Inspection report for children’s home: 2569163 5 secondary school exams. Staff ensure that the child is ready to learn and attends school on time. The child receives treats and rewards to celebrate their educational achievements.

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inadequate

Children and staff build relationships through shared experiences that include playing football and day trips to the seaside. Staff spoke with children about what they like to do and, as a result, boxing equipment was purchased for children to use at home.

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

Risk management plans for children are poor. They do not accurately identify all known risks for each individual child. Staff do not have access to up-to-date information about children’s known and emerging risks and vulnerabilities. The failure to provide staff with specific strategies on issues, including children’s relationships, exploitation and anti-social behaviour in the community, places children at risk of significant harm.

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

Safety plans for children are ineffective. One child’s Philomena protocol, which relates to the risk of going missing from home, does not give enough detail of the potential risks to the child. Subsequently, this may impact on the response of staff and police if the child goes missing from home. On one occasion, staff were not thorough in following one child’s agreed plan. As a result, the child later told staff that they had been able to stay at an unsafe address.

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

Children spend significant amounts of time out of the home and continue to find themselves in unsafe situations in the community. Staff do not protect children as they do not educate children about risk. Staff do not talk about important matters with children, such as substance misuse and anti-social behaviour. When incidents occur, staff do not chat to children about what has happened, why it happened and how a repeat situation may be avoided. Staff carry out room searches when they are concerned that a child is in possession of something they should not be. However, staff do not involve children in this process. This does not promote children’s understanding of safety and risk.

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

Staff and supporting professionals meet and discuss the risks children are exposed to. However, staff are unable to evidence how they work effectively with supporting professionals to increase children’s safety. Children are not always offered an independent return home interview when they have been missing from home. Staff do not record the discussions children have about criminal activity or substance misuse. Risks for children are not reduced.

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

The provider’s locality risk assessment is ineffective as information contained within is not current. The provider does not actively check or put in place strategies to mitigate and manage risks that may be present in the local area. Inspection report for children’s home: 2569163 6 The response to health and safety matters in the home is not good enough. A failure to repair a child’s bedroom door has rendered it useless in the event of a fire. This increases risks for children should an emergency situation arise.

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

The provider fails to adhere to safe recruitment practices as they do not conduct full checks of agency staff who work in the home. In addition, there are no clear records of their induction. Agency staff are regularly used to fill the vacancies in the home while recruitment takes place. The provider cannot demonstrate that children are being cared for by safe and suitable staff, which places children at risk.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

A lack of skilled leadership means management arrangements are weak . The provider is not confident that they can meet the children’s needs. Managerial tasks are not delegated, and the oversight of the home remain poor. This creates instability for children and staff. Children’s experiences of living at the home do not reflect the home’s statement of purpose.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The provider has recently appointed an independent consultant. However, there is a lack of effective monitoring and the filing systems in the home are disorganised. This has meant that gaps and inconsistencies in children’s care plans and case records over time have not been addressed. The failure to review incidents on time has meant that the poor quality of reports or further support needed for children and staff has gone unnoticed. This does not show that managers are responsive to the well-being of both children and staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The provider does not review the quality of care the home provides effectively or share the review with the regulator within the necessary timescales. The review lacks rigour and clarity, and the action plan includes inaccurate information. This does not help improve the services provided to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

New staff have filled some vacancies in the home, and there have also been promotions within the team. Induction programmes for staff lack structure, and there are no plans to develop staff in their new roles. Contractual agreements for supervision are not upheld. The records of supervision sessions are not indicative of good-quality reflective practice. The lack of leadership has led staff to say that they do not feel supported.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The provider recognises practice concerns and allegations children make against staff. There continue to be shortfalls in the recording and outcomes of investigations into allegations. The lack of recorded meetings and advice, for example, does not demonstrate how investigating officers make decisions. In addition, learning outcomes are not followed through, which does not assure that staff practice in caring for children improves.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff do not know how to respond to complaints as they do not have an accessible policy and procedure in place. Records of complaints made by neighbours do not evidence that they are happy with the outcomes of the investigation into their Inspection report for children’s home: 2569163 7 complaints. Staff report improved relationships with neighbours. However, the current complaints process is not transparent.

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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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 premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (1)(a) (2)(c)(i))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must implement a system to ensure maintenance issues are identified and addressed within a timely manner. 7 August 2022

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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; 7 August 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2569163 8 take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must review all children’s risk assessments to ensure that they include all current known risks and identify the actions staff must take to reduce these risks. This includes the missing-from-care and Philomena protocols.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must implement a system where children are supported to learn about risk.

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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

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 has sufficient staff to provide care for 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

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and 7 August 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2569163 9 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)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(g)(i) (ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that there is a manager in day-to-day control of the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure there are robust monitoring systems to gain an oversight of the care provided to children. These systems should provide effective analysis of plans, staff practice and recording. Where shortfalls are identified, leaders must take effective action to address these.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all plans for children are clearly recorded, updated and correct.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that incident reports are reviewed and evaluated. Any areas of improvement must be identified and implemented.

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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. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that a thorough matching process takes place before children move into the home. In particular, that all known risks for children are fully assessed before they move into the home. This assessment should consider the children already living in the home. The rationale as to why the home is a suitable placement for the child should also be recorded.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that local authority care plans and children’s placement review minutes are available in the home to inform children’s care planning.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that children’s care plans include all required current information pertinent to caring for the child. 7 August 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2569163 10 The registered person must ensure that children have transition plans in place to support their moves from the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular the registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child. (Regulation 23 (1) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that there is a record of all medication administered to children, including recording if it is offered and/or refused. 7 August 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; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and

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Requirement Due date

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)(b) (3)(a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must review all recruitment files to ensure that they have followed safe recruitment practice as 7 August 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2569163 11 outlined in schedule 2 of the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that references for agency workers are obtained, verified and recorded as such.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that agency staff receive a full induction to the home.

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Requirement Due date

ensure that each employee completes an appropriate induction;

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees— undertake appropriate continuing professional development; and

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (1)(a) (4)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that new staff complete an induction.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that staff have practice- related supervision and that this takes place fortnightly for probationary workers, in line with the statement of purpose and contract.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that staff have targets for their personal development set and reviewed in line with their current role. 7 August 2022

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Requirement Due date

The procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect must, in particular—

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Requirement Due date

provide for records to be kept of an allegation of abuse or neglect, and the action taken in response;

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Requirement Due date

describe the measures which may be necessary to protect children following an allegation of abuse or neglect. (Regulation 34 (2)(d)(e))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that investigations are fully recorded and include the agreed learning outcomes for staff. 7 August 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2569163 12 Subject to paragraph (6), the registered person must establish a procedure for considering complaints made by or on behalf of children.

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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 (1) (3))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that there is a complaints policy and procedure accessible to staff.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that there is a record of the complainant being informed and satisfied with the outcome of the complaint. 7 August 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person 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

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain 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. 7 August 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2569163 13 The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (3) (4)(a) (5))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that a quality of care review is completed every six months, that the report is an accurate reflection of the period accounted for and includes views of children, families and supporting professionals and an action plan for service development.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the quality of care review is sent to Ofsted within 28 days of being completed.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children’s home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c) (the protection of children standard).

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Requirement Due date

When conducting the review, the registered person must consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person. (Regulation 46 (1) (2))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the locality risk assessment is reviewed so it is a relevant document. 7 August 2022

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that when a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, they have an opportunity to have an independent return home interview and the outcomes are recorded. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30).

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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) Inspection report for children’s home: 2569163 14 Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. Inspection report for children’s home: 2569163 15

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Future 19 Social Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 9 Thorne Road, Rossington, Doncaster, Yorkshire DN1 2HJ

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Inspector

Alexandra Howitt, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2569163 16 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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