Children's home run by First Blue Healthcare Limited

Inspection report for children's home: 2627054 1 Registered provider: First Blue Healthcare 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 operated by a private company and provides care for two children who have had adverse childhood experiences.

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Information about this children’s home

There is a new manager in post, who took up position in July 2021. Ofsted is currently processing her application for registration.

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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 widespread failures that mean children’s welfare is not promoted or safeguarded.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2627054 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

24/03/2022 Interim Sustained effectiveness 21/09/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children's home: 2627054 3

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inadequate

At the time of the inspection, two children were living in the home. Both were present during the inspection and spoke to the inspector. Since the last inspection no children have left or been admitted to the home.

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inadequate

Children’s experiences and progress are compromised by the inability of staff to understand and meet their needs. Staff have made negative comments about the children, and the children do not appear invested in the staff. Because of this, children disengage from members of staff.

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inadequate

The inspector identified that the children were having a detrimental effect on each other. However, staff fail to positively engage the children. They do not plan to mitigate potential problems. As a result, the children frequently become unsettled, and behaviours escalate beyond staff control.

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inadequate

Children attend educational settings according to their needs and abilities. Staff work in partnership with education departments and other relevant professionals to make sure that children have every opportunity to increase their academic achievement and reach their full potential.

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inadequate

Staff ensure that children are registered with primary healthcare services and that appropriate arrangements are in place for the safe management of medicines to promote the safety and well-being of children.

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inadequate

Arrangements are in place that support children to maintain positive relationships with their family and friends. Staff work closely with children and their families to ensure that time spent together is safe and a positive experience.

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

Staff do not have the skills to manage children’s behaviours and risks effectively. For example, during a recent incident, children were able to cause significant damage to the fabric of the home. They threw objects out of a bedroom window, set off fire alarms and recorded and uploaded video footage of this to the internet. Staff failed to intervene during the incident, which lasted nine hours. The situation was eventually ended when a neighbour called the police.

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

Staff fail to consistently follow children’s care plans and risk assessments. This means that staff do not take essential action to keep children safe. This leaves children exposed to harm. Children have been in possession of items that could pose a risk to their health and safety. For example, one child gained access to, and drank toilet cleaner, which resulted in them having to attend hospital for medical treatment. Inspection report for children's home: 2627054 4 Staff fail to take effective action to respond to bullying by children. This has meant that older children have been able to exert pressure on younger children to engage in antisocial behaviour, including barricading themselves into their bedrooms and causing damage. A lack of action by staff to respond effectively to bullying exposes children to the risk of emotional harm.

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

Children are protected by the organisation’s recruitment practices. Staff are vetted and assessed as suitable before any appointment is confirmed. These procedures promote the safety of children by preventing unsuitable adults from working with them.

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

Regular practice evacuations help to ensure that children know how to exit the building safely and quickly in case of an emergency.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has not ensured that the staff have the skills and confidence they need to manage children’s needs and behaviours effectively. Staff have had to rely on the police to resolve challenging behaviour. Staff do not help the children to understand the effect that their actions have on others or how these may place them at risk of harm. Without this understanding, children are not motivated to change their behaviours. Consequently, incidents occur, and children make allegations against the staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has recruited new senior members to the team, provided supervision and training for staff and provided additional support when required. However, this has not yet had a noticeable impact on the quality of care provided.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Ofsted has not received independent reports within timescales. This does not ensure that Ofsted has a good overview of the home between inspections.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has formed positive relationships with a range of agencies including the police, placing social workers and education departments. This helps the manager to have a coordinated approach so that children’s needs are met.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Despite the significant shortfalls identified at the inspection, a visiting social worker was complimentary about the home. She said that staff communicate well with her and that her child had made excellent progress while living at the home. Inspection report for children's home: 2627054 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 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—

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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;

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children;

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Requirement Due date

understand and communicate to children that bullying is unacceptable; and

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to recognise incidents or indications of bullying and how to deal with them; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(ix)(x)(xi)(xii)(xiii)(b)) 29 August 2022 Inspection report for children's home: 2627054 6 This specifically relates to staff building positive relationships with children in the home, helping children develop positive relationships and taking effective action in respect of bullying.

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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;

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to staff following actions set out in children’s plans to manage behaviour and intervene to reduce the risk of harm. It also relates to ensuring that children cannot access harmful substances. 29 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

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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 staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)) 29 August 2022 Inspection report for children's home: 2627054 7 This specifically relates to managers ensuring that staff have the skills to meet children’s individual needs and manage incidents of challenging behaviour.

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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—

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Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires; and

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Requirement Due date

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.

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Requirement Due date

A visit by the independent person to the home may be unannounced.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must produce a report about a visit (“the independent person’s report”) which sets out, in particular, the independent person’s opinion as to whether—

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Requirement Due date

children are effectively safeguarded; and

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Requirement Due date

the conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person’s report may recommend actions that the registered person may take in relation to the home and timescales within which the registered person must consider whether or not to take those actions. (Regulation 44 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3) (4)(a)(b) (5))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the manager ensuring Ofsted receives regulation 44 reports in a timely manner. 29 August 2022

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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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 Inspection report for children's home: 2627054 8 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: 2627054 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: First Blue Healthcare Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Nurture Childcare Services Ltd, Seighford Hall, Clanford Road, Seighford, Stafford ST18 9NL

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Inspector

Dave Carrigan, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2627054 10 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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