Children's Home run by Advanced Adolescent Care Solutions Limited in Rotherham

Inspection report children’s home: 2651405 1 Registered provider: Advanced Adolescent Care Solutions Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned. It was registered with Ofsted in December 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care for one child with social, emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has the relevant experience and holds the required qualifications for the position held.

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Information about this children’s home

This is the home’s first inspection since registration.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable Inspection report children’s home: 2651405 2

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Inspection type Inspection judgement

Inspection report children’s home: 2651405 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child living in the home is making continued progress. They are attending school, rebuilding relationships with family members, becoming more confident, and learning age-appropriate independent living skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has continued to increase their attendance and engagement in education. They have completed essential exams in English and mathematics, which has helped to securing a college placement for September 2022.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have been instrumental in forging and promoting positive relationships between the child, their parent, and siblings. A parent said, ‘Our relationship is back on track. We are seeing each other more than once a week, and it’s good that we are getting on well, and enjoying spending time together.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is supported by staff to strengthen their independence skills. The child is now able to budget, bake and prepare home-made meals to a very good standard. There is encouragement and participation to undertake chores around the home, including doing laundry and cleaning. However, records relating to the child’s progress with their independence skills lack clarity. This does not help to give an accurate picture of the work undertaken by staff to help increase the child’s confidence in this area.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The health and well-being of the child at the home is part of everyday life. Staff encourage the child to engage in regular physical activities, such as going for walks and using the gym equipment in the garage. This focus on health has helped to improve the child’s physical and emotional well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child benefits from taking part in a number of diverse social and leisure activities. This includes a flight experience, going to the coast, go-karting and many others. Several activities have taken place with the child’s family. This has provided new and positive childhood experiences. Staff ensure that these experiences are documented for the child. An array of photographs have been taken, and these provide the child with long-lasting memories of their time at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have undertaken a wide range of good-quality direct work with the child. These discussions demonstrate the strong and trusting relationships that the child has with staff. Consequently, the child is learning how to express their worries and concerns openly with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Case records give a good account of what life is like for the child. However, there is some missing documentation, for example staff do not have access to an updated education, health and care plan, pathway plan or the last statutory review meeting minutes. The manager has escalated this with the local authority without success. Inspection report children’s home: 2651405 4 The lack of statutory documentation has the potential to lead to unclear staff practice.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child does not have a pathway plan in preparation for adulthood. This does not help to prepare or set out the plans for the child’s next steps.

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

The child’s risk levels have reduced over time. The child is much safer and responds well to guidance given by staff. This positive impact is due to the trusting and positive relationships the staff have built with the child.

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

The staff demonstrate a strong awareness of the child’s needs and potential risk factors that relate to them. The staff consistently implement the agreed strategies, rules and boundaries set out within the individual and specific support plans and written risk assessments for the child. These support plans and risk assessments are routinely reviewed and updated when required. This helps to better protect the child from harm.

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

The manager and staff team have followed safeguarding policies and procedures when the child has gone missing from care, or when allegations have been made. This proactive safeguarding practice promotes the safety and well-being of the child.

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

Safe recruitment practices take place, with all appropriate checks being undertaken. These practices ensure that the staff employed are safe to work with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff work together to provide positive experiences and good support to the child in their care. The current staff team has the relevant experience and understands the child’s needs. They treat the child with unconditional positive regard. As such, the child has made good progress in all areas of their life.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff benefit from clear reporting and communication systems. These involve shift handovers, monthly staff meetings and formal individual supervision. The staff describe teamwork and morale as good. This team approach helps to ensure that the child benefits from consistent care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive suitable training that provides them with the majority of the necessary skills to care for children. Staff training commences with an induction where all mandatory training is received. This includes first aid, safeguarding children, behaviour management and physical intervention. However, staff have not received training in child development or child trauma. This does not make sure that the staff fully understand the needs of the children who may reside at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has a number of effective internal and external auditing and monitoring systems. Deficits and shortfalls are detected quickly and addressed by the manager. Inspection report children’s home: 2651405 5 This supports staff to maintain good standards of care in line with the children’s home regulations and other supporting legislation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home does work positively with a number of outside agencies and professionals. However, in recent months there have been communication shortfalls between the staff and the placing authority. This is not helpful to the future planning of care for the child in placement. Inspection report children’s home: 2651405 6

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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 persons must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person should implement the care planning standard. To ensure 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

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that each child’s relevant plans are followed

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Requirement Due date

that the child’s placing authority is contacted, and a review of that child’s relevant plans is requested, the child requests a review of the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(c)(e))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, that the home requests and receives up-to-date children’s plans and documentation, including education, health and care plan, pathway plan and review minutes. 28 September

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all staff have an understanding of children’s capabilities and needs. Children’s homes staff should make a contribution children’s pathway planning process. They should actively seek to make the fullest contribution, working with other relevant persons. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations including the quality standards,’ page 17 paragraph 3.28)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that Regulation 5 is met. This regulation is an overarching requirement that runs across all of the Quality Standards. The registered person should evidence what they have done to achieve engagement, including any actions taken to escalate concerns, in particular looking into the communication deficits and anomalies, and meeting with the involved social worker, commissioning officer and independence reviewing officer to address the Inspection report children’s home: 2651405 7 communication shortfalls. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations including the quality standards,’ page 11 paragraph 2.3)  The registered person should have a workforce plan which can fulfil the workforce related requirements of regulation 16, schedule 1 (paragraphs 19 and 20) In particular, more specialist training should be provided to staff in child development and child trauma. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations

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Recommendations

including the quality standards,’ page 53, paragraph 10.8)

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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: 2651405 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Advanced Adolescent Care Solutions Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 38 Sherwood Road, Worksop S80 1QW

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Inspector

Debbie Foster, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2651405 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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