Children's Home run by Anchor Care and Education Ltd in Leicestershire

Inspection report children's home: 2637127 1 Registered provider: Anchor Care and Education Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children's home

This children’s home is privately owned and provides care for up to four children with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children's home

The home has been without a manager since 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 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: improved effectiveness

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: 2637127 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/03/2022 Interim Improved effectiveness 27/07/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children's home: 2637127 3

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inadequate

The overall experiences and progress of children are inadequate because of poor leadership and management. The home has been without a registered manager since December 2021. A manager has now been appointed and is due to begin later this year. There is a lack of effective internal quality assurance systems. This is impacting upon the quality of care and safeguarding children.

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inadequate

Children’s wishes and views are not informing their individual plans or the wider development of the home. Although staff speak to children, their participation in wider decision making is limited. Children’s views are not captured or recorded. This limits opportunities for children to fully participate and have their voices heard and responded to in a manner that makes them feel valued.

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inadequate

Leaders and managers have not ensured, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose, that the preferred therapeutic model of care is being implemented in children’s day-to-day care. As a result, leaders are not operating in accordance with their own statement of purpose.

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inadequate

Staff failed to respond to a child’s concerns when directly raised with them by the child. Staff did not explore the concern or suggest any solutions to the child to manage the expressed concerns. Staff also used poor judgement when discussing personal matters, with the child, in an inappropriate public place. There was no evidence that following this, concerns had been escalated or appropriate support provided, and action taken.

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inadequate

Not all the children have school provision. One child is attending school and has achieved good attendance, but another child at the home does not yet have a school place. Some of the children do participate in education-focused activities and receive education from the home’s tutor. However, for most children, their learning and development is being hampered through a lack of identified school provision.

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inadequate

Arrangements are in place to support children to spend time with their families. Staff support children having family time, even for children whose families live a considerable distance away. Staff have supported a child in building their relationship with their family. The child has recently been on holiday with their family and will be returning to the family home sooner than originally planned.

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inadequate

Children are encouraged and supported to explore their interests. They enjoy new experiences and develop their hobbies. This supports children to develop confidence and self-esteem. Inspection report children's home: 2637127 4

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

Staff do not understand their roles and responsibilities in safeguarding children. Although safeguarding incidents have not been a common feature, when there has been an incident staff have struggled to respond effectively. Staff fail to consult with managers and seek guidance. Failures in practice mean that safeguarding children is not yet good enough.

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

Safeguarding is not discussed in each staff member’s one-to-one meetings with their supervisor. Also, safeguarding matters are not discussed in team meetings. This limits the opportunities for staff to share practice, to agree joint strategies to managing incidents and prevents the development of a shared understanding of their roles and responsibilities.

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

Children have been missing from care. When this happens, the staff follow protocols to support their safe return. However, upon their return children have not regularly had a return interview with an independent person. This fails to ensure staff understand the reasons and circumstances of missing incidents. This limits the effectiveness of preventing further episodes.

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

Key-work sessions, used to discuss important topics with children, are not taking place. They fail to show an understanding of the child’s experiences and needs. Some fail to demonstrate a nurturing approach or response to children. This impacts on the progress that children make toward care planning objectives.

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

Staff do not follow children’s risk management and behaviour support plans. For example, there were significant risks in one child’s bedroom that were identified in a risk assessment. The assessment was not followed. This fails to ensure a safe nurturing environment for the child. This does not promote their welfare.

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

There has been a high turnover of staff. Additionally, many staff have yet to complete all the mandatory training, essential for safeguarding children. For example, most staff have not completed first aid training. As a result, this means that there are often no first aid responders in the home. This impacts on the ability to keep children safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers are not leading this home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos as described in the statement of purpose.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff do not receive regular supervision. This means they have not had an opportunity to share concerns about practice with their supervisor or receive professional guidance to develop their care practice. Where concerns about practice have been raised, these are not routinely followed through or action taken. As a result, this fails to equip staff with an understanding of their duties and responsibilities. Inspection report children's home: 2637127 5 When there have been incidents involving children, staff have not had the opportunity to reflect on these incidents and derive any learning to prevent a reoccurrence. This lack of reflective and developmental discussion limits the staff’s ability to develop better responses to incidents.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Not all staff have been provided with training as specified in the home’s statement of purpose. Fire safety and specific ligature training has not been completed by most staff. As a result, such arrangements do not ensure the safe care of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Given the lack of a permanent manager, internal monitoring of the quality of care provided has been poor. Current systems for monitoring the quality of care are inadequate and fail to evaluate the effectiveness of care practice. Consequently, areas requiring improvement are not addressed and opportunities to make improvement are missed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The independent visitor reports have identified shortfalls in the monitoring and oversight of the quality of care. Senior managers have not ensured that effective action has been taken to address these shortfalls. Monitoring systems and record keeping are poor. This restricts Ofsted’s oversight of the home to ensure children are being safeguarded. Inspection report children's home: 2637127 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 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— that staff—

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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

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust;

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Requirement Due date

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

are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same. (Regulation 11(1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a)(i)(vii)(viii)(ix)(x))

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Requirement Due date

This specially relates to the registered person ensuring that the home is run in accordance with the statement of purpose, relating to the preferred therapeutic approach being implemented. 12 Sept 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. 12 Sept 2022 Inspection report children's home: 2637127 7 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specially relates to ensuring children’s risk assessments and plans are accurate, reviewed and implemented. That disclosures or concerns raised by children are acted upon in accordance with safeguarding policy and procedure.

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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

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 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

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)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the responsible individual ensuring that all staff complete mandatory training. That staff are consistent with the approach and ethos of the homes statement of purpose and quality assurance systems are used to monitor the quality of care in the home to improve professional practice. 12 Sept 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must— 12 Sept 2022 Inspection report children's home: 2637127 8 Subject to paragraph (6), the registered person must ensure that the home is at all times conducted in a manner which is consistent with its statement of purpose. (Regulation 16 (5))

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Requirement Due date

This is in relation to all staff being trained in the therapeutic approaches as stated in the Statement of Purpose.

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Requirement Due date

at all times, at least one person on duty at the home has a suitable first aid qualification. (Regulation 31 (2)(a)) 12 Sept 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

This specially relates to all staff receiving regular supervision. 12 Sept 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person— to inspect the premises of the home and such of the home’s records (except for a child’s case records, unless the child and the child’s placing authority consent) as the independent person requires. (Regulation 44 (1)(2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the visitor being able to access all necessary records for review. 12 Sept 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; 12 Sept 2022 Inspection report children's home: 2637127 9 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”). (Regulation 45 (1)(2)(a)(b)(c)(3))

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Requirement Due date

This is in relation to reviewing the quality of care provided, the impact and effectiveness of care and the improvements and outcomes of the children every 6 months.

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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: 2637127 10

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Anchor Care and Education Ltd

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: Ensors Accountants Llp, Moseleys Farm Business Centre, Fornham All Saints, Bury St. Edmunds IP28 6JY

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Inspectors

Thirza Smith, Social Care Inspector Joanne Vyas, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: 2637127 11 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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