Children's home run by Holistic Approach Limited

Inspection report children’s home: 2509838 1 Registered provider: Holistic Approach Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a private company. It is registered to provide care for up to three children who may have social, emotional and learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager is away from work and an acting manager is overseeing the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2509838 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/04/2021 Full Outstanding 09/03/2020 Interim Improved effectiveness 21/06/2019 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 2509838 3

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, two children have moved out of the home without appropriate planning. Limited independence work does not prepare children for adulthood. This lack of planning has a negative effect on children’s future care planning and hinders positive moves.

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improvement to be good

The children living in the home are settled. Children have positive relationships with staff, who respond to children’s needs in a warm and consistent manner.

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improvement to be good

Children attend full-time education. Staff work in partnership with the children’s schools to support children’s behaviours and reduce exclusions. This, in turn, maintains children’s attendance at school. Children benefit from having structured routines in place.

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improvement to be good

Updated care plans and health assessments are not on file for some children. This means that care planning for children is not consistent, which impacts on the quality of care provided . There has been a recent change in how the home records direct work with children. This new system provides more detailed and reflective recording, which captures children’s progress better. Children are consulted and their views are collated in many ways. Staff make effective use of informal discussions to gather children’s views about their experiences.

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improvement to be good

Children are given an opportunity to engage in a range of activities. They can take part in horse riding, swimming, boxing and bowling. This helps children to develop their social skills and self-esteem. Children are looking forward to their summer holiday in the home’s own caravan. The use of the caravan widens their experiences and opportunities away from the home.

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improvement to be good

Social workers reported that the staff team has a good understanding of the individual needs of the children and meet these well. The parent of one child said that their child has made progress since living in the home. Family time is well supported by the home.

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improvement to be good

Some areas of the home, internally and externally, require updating and decorating. Photos of the children are not displayed in the home. This detracts from achieving a homely environment.

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improvement to be good

An allegation from a child was not reported through the safeguarding process to the local authority designated officer, or social worker, by the manager or safeguarding lead. This means that action was not taken to investigate the allegation. Procedures Inspection report children’s home: 2509838 4 in place at the home were not followed, which reduces the ability to manage risks and keep children safe.

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improvement to be good

Sharps and ligatures are identified as specific risks in children’s risk assessments, but these risks are not adhered to in the home. Blinds that are hung in the windows of children’s bedrooms could be used as ligatures. During the inspection, the acting manager took action by removing the blinds.

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improvement to be good

The cupboard that contains hazardous substances had no lock and was accessible to children when the office was open. Hazards were also seen in the garden. These hazards were not contained in any assessment of risk related to the garden.

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improvement to be good

Children say that they like living in the home and feel safe. As a result, children do not go missing from home. Children are supported to develop strategies to regulate and understand their behaviours, which has resulted in a notable reduction in physical interventions.

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improvement to be good

Medication records show that staff understand how to administer, check and record medication safely.

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good

The registered manager is away from work and an acting manager is overseeing the home. Although she has previously been the registered manager for the home, which provides continuity, her lack of day-to-day presence in the home reduces the effectiveness of leadership and oversight on the home. There are shortfalls in the monitoring, which reduces the quality of care provided to the children.

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good

Staff like working in the home. They are invested in the children and they report high staff morale. Two senior residential care workers were supervising other staff without recent supervisory training. This is affecting the quality of the supervision. Appraisals are undertaken in line with the home’s policies and procedures which reviews and monitors staff’s performance.

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good

Staff are committed to attending training. However, four members of staff who were not trained in first aid were on shifts without other staff who had received first-aid training. This means that children do not have the benefit of someone on shift who is trained to respond to their immediate needs if there is an incident in the home.

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good

The manager has not reviewed and monitored staff recruitment files effectively. While employment references have been verified, a certificate of good conduct was not requested to confirm the reason why previous employment ended. Inspection report children’s home: 2509838 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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. 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

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;

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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)(b)(d))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers should make sure that the home environment is safe in response to identified risks of self-harm and ligatures. Ensure that the internal and external parts of the home are free of avoidable hazards. 17 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) required the registered person to— 31 August 2022 Inspection report children’s home: 2509838 6 use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1) (2)(h))

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children— receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s 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

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) (2)(b)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

Specially, have the necessary plans available in a timely manner, which includes updated care plans, health assessments and transitions plans for children. 31 August 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy which—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard children accommodated in the children’s home from abuse or neglect; and

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Requirement Due date

sets out the procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect.

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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 the prompt referral of an allegation about current or ongoing abuse or neglect in relation to a child to the placing authority and, if different, the local authority. (Regulation 34 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that processes are followed correctly when an allegation has been made by a child, including escalating the concerns to the local authority designated officer and social worker. 31 August 2022 Inspection report children’s home: 2509838 7

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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: 2509838 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Holistic Approach Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 99 Parkway Avenue, Sheffield S9 4WG

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Inspector

Nicola Clements, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2509838 9 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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