Children's Home run by Eventus Achieves Limited in Wirral

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2575842 1 Registered provider: Eventus Achieves Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is owned by a private company. It provides short breaks for up to four children with learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager resigned in May 2021.

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This monitoring visit

The purpose of this monitoring visit was to monitor and review the actions taken by the provider to meet the two compliance notices that were issued following the inspection on 3 May 2022, under regulation 13 (the leadership and management standard) and regulation 27 (appointment of manager). At the time of the visit, four children were staying on short breaks at the home.

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This monitoring visit

Since the last inspection, there have been further changes to the management structure. There has not been a registered manager in the home since May 2021. The interim manager in post at the last inspection is intending to change her role to become the responsible individual and the quality control manager. The responsible individual and solo director intends to apply to Ofsted to register to become the manager. They will be the home’s fifth manager since it registered in July 2020.

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This monitoring visit

Since the last inspection, children have been restrained. Managers were unable to provide a clear record of how many times restraint had been used. The records did not demonstrate that restraint is used in accordance with the legislative framework to protect the children and those around them. Not all incidents are reviewed, recorded or monitored and when children have sustained injuries this is not followed up in line with safeguarding procedures. Senior team leaders who have been involved in a restraint had evaluated the incident and deemed that it was acceptable Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2575842 2 practice, with no independent oversight. As a result, this exposes children to the potential of harm. A requirement is repeated in relation to this shortfall.

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This monitoring visit

No written evidence was provided during the visit to demonstrate that all staff have received training to ensure that they can safely care for children. The manager confirmed that not all staff have attended training in safeguarding, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, physical intervention and Makaton, a unique language programme that uses symbols, signs and speech to enable children to communicate. This does not demonstrate that all staff currently have the skills and knowledge to safely care for children. `

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This monitoring visit

Managers were in the process of changing the format and content of risk assessments. However, the risk assessments reviewed do not currently contain sufficient details about children’s known vulnerabilities. This means that staff are not always provided with clear guidance and appropriate strategies on how to keep children safe.

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This monitoring visit

Systems and processes in place to protect children are ineffective. Managers accepted that further work is required to improve the current systems. The manager was unable to identify the exact number of safeguarding incidents that had taken place. Therefore, it was not possible to evaluate how safeguarding concerns were being managed. A requirement is made to address this shortfall.

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This monitoring visit

Rotas were requested to obtain an accurate picture of the staff and managers working in the home. Managers were unable to produce the rotas during the visit. This is not safe and accountable practice for staff or children. A requirement is made to address this shortfall.

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This monitoring visit

Despite the shortfalls identified, the provider had made changes to the interior of the home. New curtains have been purchased for the patio window and artificial turf had been laid in the garden. Work was still ongoing during the visit, with door locks being fixed and the medicine cabinet being secured to the wall in the office.

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This monitoring visit

Managers had identified improvements that were required to documentation but had not yet had time to embed these changes into practice.

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This monitoring visit

Following the visit, it is Ofsted’s view that the provider has failed to meet the steps in the compliance notices issued under regulation 13 (the leadership and management standard) and regulation 27 (appointment of manager).

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/05/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2575842 3 15/12/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 29/07/2021 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2575842 4

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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

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (2)(c)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that a new blind is fitted in the bathroom and that repairs are carried out to paintwork around the bath. 17 June 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.

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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

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)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, managers should continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them, including the steps that staff will take to manage any assessed risks on a day-to-day basis. 5 August 2022 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2575842 5 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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 17 June 2022

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Requirement Due date

have the capacity, experience and skills to supervise the management of the home, or the homes, in respect of which the responsible individual is nominated. (Regulation 26 (7)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 17 June 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if—

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Requirement Due date

there is no registered manager in respect of the home; and

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Requirement Due date

is not, or does not intend to be, in day-to-day charge of the home.

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Requirement Due date

If the registered provider appoints a person to manage the home, the registered provider must, without delay, give HMCI notice of—

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person so appointed; and 17 June 2022 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2575842 6 the date on which the appointment takes effect. (Regulation 27 (1)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii) (2)(a)(b))

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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

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 (3)(a)(vii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 17 June 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c)) 17 June 2022

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Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4; 5 August 2022 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2575842 7 ensure that the records are kept up to date; and

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Requirement Due date

retain the records for at least 15 years from the date of the last entry. (Regulation 37 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to ensuring that the rotas include the hours worked by the manager.

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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;

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Requirement Due date

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").

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Requirement Due date

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; and

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Requirement Due date

make a copy of the quality-of-care review report available on request to a placing authority, if the placing authority is not the parent of a child accommodated in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (3) (4)(a)(b) (5)) 17 June 2022 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2575842 8 This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. In particular, that risks should be individualised to each child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)  The registered person should ensure that they notify Ofsted and other relevant persons if one of the situations specified in regulation 40(4)(a)-(d) occurs, or if there is an incident relating to the protection, safeguarding or welfare of a child living in the home which the registered person considers to be serious. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.10)

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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: 2575842 9

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Inspector

Michelle Edge, Social Care Inspection Manager Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2575842 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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