Children's Home run by Brythan House Limited in Leicestershire

Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 1260700 1 Registered provider: Brythan House Limited

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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 privately owned. It is registered to care for up to four children with social and emotional difficulties. There is also a school on the same site. The inspector only inspected the social care provision on this site. The home has a suitably experienced registered manager.

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This monitoring visit

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the compliance notices set at the full inspection which took place on 29 and 30 June 2022. These compliance notices were issued to address concerns about safeguarding practice and leadership and management. This monitoring visit found that the provider has not met the steps set out in the compliance notices.

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This monitoring visit

There is an increased risk to children due to poor safeguarding practices in the home. Children have been involved in serious incidents where staff have not ensured their safety. For one child, there has been an incident of negligent practice regarding their healthcare needs. Managers have not taken robust action in respect of shortfalls in practice. As a result, staff are not held accountable for their actions in respect of ensuring children’s safety.

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This monitoring visit

The recording of incidents is poor. Written records are brief and do not provide an accurate account of significant incidents involving children. Some incidents do not have any management oversight, debriefs with children or staff, or adequate evaluation. The manager and staff have not yet received training in recording and documenting incidents. This limits the learning from serious incidents and significantly reduces opportunities to prevent further incidents happening in the future. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 1260700 2 Staff do not have all necessary training to keep children safe. Some staff do not have training in behaviour management strategies. Managers have not ensured that staff receive specialist training in responding to child sexual exploitation, despite caring for children where this is an identified risk. Consequently, staff are not equipped with the skills and knowledge to protect children and promote their

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers have implemented new risk assessments for each child since the last inspection. These assessments are being reviewed and updated. However, there is incorrect information recorded for one child, as incidents of being missing from the home are not up to date. Managers recognise that the use of the new risk assessments requires further work to embed the practice and become fully effective in safeguarding children.

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This monitoring visit

Since the last full inspection, leaders and managers have provided Ofsted with information about the home. This has included safeguarding notifications, internal reports and an updated statement of purpose. However, the information included in the notifications is inaccurate and minimises incidents. Internal reports also contain incorrect information. For example, one report states that all staff have received training in behaviour management strategies and in how to respond to child sexual exploitation, when this is not yet the case. This is misleading and impairs Ofsted’s capacity to have clear oversight of the quality of care provided in the home.

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This monitoring visit

Staff have started to receive supervision; however, the records are perfunctory and basic in content. There is no discussion about the progress of individual children and no reflection on incidents or learning from training. Supervisors do not set or review actions. Discussions about performance lack structure and accountability. No appraisals have taken place since the full inspection. As a result, managers have limited opportunities to ensure that staff are caring for children effectively.

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This monitoring visit

Managers were unable to provide appropriate records. For example, they were unable to share reports relating to a recent internal audit, records of reflective practice discussions and team discussions about safeguarding. This prevents Ofsted from obtaining a full understanding of how leaders and managers are improving and monitoring the home.

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This monitoring visit

Managers have rectified shortfalls in safe recruitment practice. The gaps identified in employment checks, seen at the full inspection, have been addressed. Managers also now see the merit in storing documents together, to maintain an accurate record of their safe recruitment of staff.

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This monitoring visit

Despite the identified shortfalls, children have positive relationships with the manager and staff. They are beginning to increase their independence through having more time with their family and friends. One child has a part-time job. These activities will help to increase children’s self-esteem and confidence. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 1260700 3 The requirements set at the last inspection will be reviewed at the next full inspection. Compliance notices served on this home, relating to keeping children safe and how the home is managed, have been re-issued. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 1260700 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/06/2022 Full Inadequate 04/08/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 09/06/2021 Full Inadequate 18/11/2019 Interim Declined in effectiveness Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 1260700 5

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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 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

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to staff working in line with the statement of purpose in meeting children’s needs. 19 September

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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; 19 September Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 1260700 6 understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; and

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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)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to the management of known risks for children, staff responses to risk and implementation of safe strategies of support.

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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 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 relates to ensuring that suitable systems are in place to monitor how the home is being run and the care provided. It also relates to ensuring that children’s risk assessments are accessible and give staff clear direction and strategies to mitigate risks. This also relates to staff training to meet the needs of the children. 19 September Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 1260700 7 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))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to effective assessment of children’s needs before they are placed at the home, to ensure that their needs can be met. It also relates to children having unexpected and unplanned endings to their time at the home. 19 September

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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

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b)(c)) 19 September

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (“the behaviour management policy”) which sets out—

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Requirement Due date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration; 19 September Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 1260700 8 details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”) —

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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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 (1)(a) (3)(a)(iv)(v)(vii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to management oversight of behaviour management strategies, restraint records and staff completing these in full and signing the record. This also relates to staff being aware of the behaviour management policy in managing behaviour effectively.

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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

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(b)) 19 September

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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

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

The registered person must— 19 September Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 1260700 9 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. (Regulation 45 (1) (3) (4)(a))

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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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: 1260700 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Brythan House Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 12 Charnwood Road, Barwell, Hinckley, Leicestershire LE9 8FJ

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Jennifer Collighan

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Inspector

Laura Walker, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 1260700 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 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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