Children's Home run by Hillcrest Children‟s Services (2) Limited in Staffordshire

Inspection report children’s home: SC437128 1 SC437128 Registered provider: Hillcrest Childrens Services (2) Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home provides care for up to three children whose adverse childhood experiences and trauma can lead to them exhibiting complex behaviours. A large national provider operates this home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2019.

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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 and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC437128 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/06/2021 Full Good 15/01/2020 Full Good 27/02/2019 Full Outstanding 13/11/2017 Full Outstanding Inspection report children’s home: SC437128 3

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inadequate

Leadership and management and safeguarding arrangements at the home are inadequate. Consequently, this has had a negative impact on the overall experiences and progress of children. As a result of this inspection, Ofsted has issued compliance notices under regulation 12, the protection of children standard, and regulation 13, the leadership and management standard.

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inadequate

Three children were living at the home at the time of the inspection. Since the last inspection, two children have moved into the home and one child has returned to foster care. Two of these transitions were well planned and supported by staff. However, one child moved into the home at a time when the home was not fully staffed and there were three vacancies in the team. New and inexperienced staff lead the care of children and make decisions about how best to safeguard children. These staff are not consistently supported by more experienced colleagues from other homes in the organisation or recruitment agencies. Poor planning by the registered manager has had a negative impact on children’s day-to-day experiences.

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inadequate

Overall, staff support children’s health needs and administer medication correctly to children. However, during the inspection, inspectors observed medication that had been left unsecured on a desk in the office. Children were seen entering the office during the inspection. This lack of due diligence compromises the safety of children.

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inadequate

Despite the shortfalls identified, children make some progress. For example, the number of incidents for one child has significantly reduced. In addition, this child has been supported by staff to develop their independence and social skills. This has resulted in the child securing employment and making friends outside of the home. This means that the child has grown in confidence, which is essential for their sense of self-worth.

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inadequate

Staff support children to engage with education, employment and training. Two children are in full-time education and one child is working at a local tourist attraction. This means that children learn valuable life skills and make some progress with their learning.

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inadequate

Staff support children to maintain relationships with their friends and family. Staff also take action to resolve issues to ensure that children continue to share family time with loved ones. One external professional said that staff provide ‘fantastic support’ for one child and ‘worked well with the family’ following a bereavement in the child’s family. This demonstrates that staff recognise the importance for children of sharing and maintaining positive relationships with family and friends. Inspection report children’s home: SC437128 4

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

On several occasions, allegations made by children have not been reported to the appropriate authorities in a timely manner. This has hindered other agencies’ ability to act on the concerns. In addition, the provider has not carried out an internal investigation into an allegation made by a child in September 2021. Therefore, leaders have failed to demonstrate that timely action and necessary measures have been taken to keep children safe.

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

Staff do not assess risk effectively or follow strategies in place to safeguard children. For example, on five separate occasions staff have failed to follow strategies identified in risk assessments. This meant that on two occasions, staff failed to supervise children, and this resulted in children making allegations against other children. These inadequate supervision levels leave children vulnerable and compromise their safety.

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

On another occasion, staff were made aware that a child was distressed while on family time. However, staff failed to carry out a visual welfare check to satisfy themselves that the child was safe. Consequently, when the member of staff was further alerted to concerns and did eventually act, the child was found to be under the influence of alcohol and in a life-threatening situation. This lack of professional curiosity exposes children to the risk of harm.

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

Staff do not consistently safeguard children from being harmed by other children in the home. For example, during the inspection, inspectors observed an older child physically assault a younger child and attempt to repeat this on another occasion. During another incident, the same child damaged a watch belonging to the younger child, which had been purchased only a few hours earlier. The child who had been the victim of the assault informed the inspector that he did not like living at the home.

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

Staff do not always respond appropriately to support children when they are in distress. For example, during incidents with one child, staff have blocked doors and stairways without just cause, which prevented the child from leaving the home. In addition, they made reference to the child’s family time not taking place in a misguided attempt to de-escalate the incident. This led to the child becoming further distressed and resulted in staff then needing to restrain the child to keep him safe. Staff have escalated situations rather than de-escalate them due to their inexperience and lack of skills in managing challenging behaviour.

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

During the same incident, staff physically restrained and escorted a child back into the home when the child said that they were planning to run away. Furthermore, staff physically removed the child’s phone from them, when they said that they wished to make a complaint about staff to the registered manager and the police. However, staff failed to record these measures as sanctions. The registered manager failed to identify these safeguarding concerns and shortfalls in staff practice in her reviews of the incidents. As a result, poor staff practice is not always addressed or Inspection report children’s home: SC437128 5 challenged. This means that leaders fail to provide staff with adequate guidance and learning to support them in keeping children safe.

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

Children rarely go missing from the home. There has been one incident since the last inspection. Staff responded appropriately to find the child, and these actions resulted in the child returning safely to the home. A return home interview was completed by an independent person. These actions help to ensure that incidents remain low.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Management’s oversight and monitoring of the home are inadequate. Monitoring systems used by leaders and the registered manager have failed to identify the wide-ranging shortfalls in the quality of care provided at the home. Furthermore, external monitoring by the home’s independent visitor has failed to make the necessary recommendations to improve the home. Ineffective monitoring systems do not support the protection of children or improve the quality of care that children receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Some staff do not have the skills, experience or knowledge to manage children’s anxieties and behaviours consistently. Due to staffing shortages and a high turnover of staff since the last inspection, inexperienced staff have been required to lead shifts at the home. Also, there are agency staff and staff from other homes in the company working on most shifts. One non-permanent staff member told the inspector that they had not had a chance to read children’s risk assessments before working with children. As a result, they were unsure of the strategies to adopt to safeguard children. A lack of diligence by leaders in ensuring that children receive care from experienced staff, who know them well, has left children vulnerable to harm.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders do not ensure that training is used effectively to improve staff’s safeguarding practice. For example, staff have not completed recording and reporting training and safeguarding refresher training, which had been identified as actions from an internal investigation. In addition, staff have not completed training to care for children who misuse substances or who are perpetrators or victims of bullying. These issues are specific to the needs of the children living at the home. This means that staff are not always provided with the skills and knowledge to keep children safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The registered manager has not ensured that all staff complete the qualification required to work at the home within the compulsory timescales. This has the potential to have an impact on the quality of care received by children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The registered manager has failed to notify Ofsted within regulatory timeframes of significant incidents involving children. For example, when children have made allegations against staff, the registered manager failed to notify Ofsted of all incidents. This means that the regulator is unable to carry out its monitoring Inspection report children’s home: SC437128 6 function to ensure that appropriate action is taken by the provider to safeguard children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The home’s statement of purpose does not contain sufficient detail in relation to the staffing structure and qualifications held by staff working at the home. This does not ensure that accurate information is available to children, their families or other professionals. This means that they are not always aware of the support they should expect.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The home is led by a suitably qualified and experienced registered manager. However, the level of management oversight she can provide has declined because she is covering staff shortfalls and trying to support inexperienced staff. While staff feel supported, the effectiveness of the management of the home is weak because children have not always been helped and protected well. In addition, the oversight of the management of the home by the responsible individual has not been good enough to support the manager at what has been a challenging time. Senior leaders in the organisation have recently become more involved in the day-to-day running of the home. They produced an action plan during the inspection to reassure the regulator that action will be taken to improve the care that children receive. Some action has been taken to safeguard children. However, it is too early to see the impact of this. Inspection report children’s home: SC437128 7

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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; 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)(xiii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that staff understand and have the knowledge to be able to identify both the signs and impact of bullying at the home. 25 September 2022 Inspection report children’s home: SC437128 8 *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

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(iv)(vi)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that staff understand children’s risk assessments and implement the correct strategies to keep children safe. This includes when identifying and addressing the risks in relation to self-harm, suicide and bullying.

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Requirement Due date

This also refers to staff’s and leaders’ understanding and implementation of the home’s child protection procedures and the action to take when a child is harmed by an adult in a position of trust. 25 September 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

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)(b)) 25 September 2022 Inspection report children’s home: SC437128 9 In particular, leaders must make adequate arrangements to deliver the day-to-day care arrangements for children, which protect them from harm.

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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

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child; and

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c)(d)(e))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders must ensure that the home’s child protection and safeguarding policies are followed in the home. Managers must also have clear monitoring and review systems in place to improve practice and understand children’s progress.

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Requirement Due date

This also relates to staffing arrangements at the home and ensuring that the home has sufficient and suitably experienced staff to work with children and protect them from harm. 25 September 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

promotes their welfare. 25 September 2022 Inspection report children’s home: SC437128 10 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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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; and

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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)(f)(h)

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Requirement Due date

This relates to the manager’s oversight and monitoring of significant incidents at the home. It further relates to the manager’s oversight of staffing at the home.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement ("the statement of purpose") which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1.

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (1) (3)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders must ensure that the home’s statement of purpose accurately reflects the home’s staffing structure and details of the staff working at the home. 25 September 2022

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Requirement Due date

Restraint in relation to a child is only permitted for the purpose of preventing—

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Requirement Due date

injury to any person (including the child);

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Requirement Due date

serious damage to the property of any person (including the child); or

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Requirement Due date

a child who is accommodated in a secure children’s home from absconding from the home. 25 September 2022 Inspection report children’s home: SC437128 11 Restraint in relation to a child must be necessary and proportionate. (Regulation 20 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, staff may only physically restrain children when the threshold for justifying physical intervention has been met.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular the registered person must ensure that-

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Requirement Due date

medicines kept in the home are stored in a secure place so as to prevent any child from having unsupervised access to them. (Regulation 23 (1) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that all medications are stored in a secure place to prevent children from having access to them. 25 September 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 specifically relates to the responsible individual’s oversight and monitoring of the home and ensuring that the home’s child protection policies are followed. In addition, the responsible individual should ensure that systems are in place to support the registered manager in reviewing significant incidents with children at the home. 25 September 2022

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the behaviour management policy under review and, where appropriate, revise it.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that— 25 September 2022 Inspection report children’s home: SC437128 12 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

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure ("the user"), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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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

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result 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)(b) (2) (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii) (b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders must ensure that all sanctions issued to children are recorded. Also, it relates to the manager’s oversight of incidents requiring physical intervention with children at the home and the need to ensure that the effectiveness of each measure is reviewed. Inspection report children’s home: SC437128 13 The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there. (Regulation 40 (4)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders must ensure that all allegations made by children against adults are notified to the regulator in a timely manner. 25 September 2022

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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

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) (5))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the independent person’s report must provide robust actions that the registered person may take to improve the quality of care received by children at the home. 25 September 2022

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that all staff in a care role, including external agency or bank staff, must have the qualification in regulation 32(4) within the relevant timescale listed in regulation 32(5). The registered person may extend the period if the member of staff has not worked in the role for a prolonged period, such as sick leave or maternity leave, or if it is not reasonable to expect the member of staff to complete in this timescale due to the nature of the hours they work. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.12)

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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: SC437128 14

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Hillcrest Childrens Services (2) Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Atria, Spa Road, Bolton BL1 4AG

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Nicholas Collins

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Inspectors

Dean Wilton, Social Care Inspector Sonia Sullivan, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC437128 15 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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