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

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC437128 1 SC437128 Registered provider: Hillcrest Children Services (2) Limited

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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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This monitoring visit

This children’s home was judged inadequate at the full inspection that took place on 9 and 10 August 2022. As a result of that inspection, Ofsted issued compliance notices in relation to regulations 12 and 13 of the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 with an end date of 25 September 2022.

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This monitoring visit

On 30 August 2022, Ofsted received concerns from a child’s placing authority relating to the safeguarding arrangements for children. In response to these concerns, Ofsted carried out this monitoring visit. The purpose of this visit was to ensure that the provider had taken all the necessary steps to ensure that children were protected from harm.

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This monitoring visit

The monitoring visit found that there continue to be widespread concerns and failures in relation to the safeguarding arrangements for children and the leadership and management of the home. As a result, a notice to suspend registration has been issued and a further compliance notice has been issued in relation to regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(c) of The Children Home (England) Regulation 2015.

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This monitoring visit

Children have been placed with other children who present a risk to them. The inspector found that a child living at the home has a significant history of sexually harmful behaviour. Information provided to leaders and managers regarding this Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC437128 2 child informed them that the child presented a serious risk to young children. Despite having this information, leaders and managers admitted a young child to the home in March 2022. In addition, they did not consider the risks to both children and did not put in place any guidance to safeguard them. As a result, one child has exhibited highly sexualised behaviour towards the young child, causing them significant harm.

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This monitoring visit

The inspector found that the registered person’s oversight of the safeguarding arrangements for children is inadequate. There have been significant incidents of harmful sexualised behaviour being displayed by one child towards another and recent incidents of physical aggression and self-harm by a child who had used a ligature on themselves. However, the registered manager’s review of the children’s risk assessments shows that she still considered the risk level to be low. This demonstrates a poor understanding of children’s risks and the adverse impact that these risks can have on children if not managed safely.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers have lacked professional curiosity and failed to act on concerns regarding children’s welfare. The registered manager did not explore the histories of children living in the home or the cause of an increase in recent incidents involving children. Their reviews of these incidents failed to capture any lessons learned to inform staff practice. As a result, they failed to identify that children were experiencing harm and did not take effective action to safeguard them.

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager does not have the necessary skills, experience and training to keep children safe and meet their needs. This is because they have not had sufficient training in managing children who display physically aggressive behaviour or harmful sexualised behaviour and who self-harm. The registered manager told the inspector that they have completed an online course but did not feel that this equipped them to manage children’s self-harm and harmful sexualised behaviour.

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This monitoring visit

The staff are inexperienced and do not have all the training necessary to meet the needs of children. This is because not all staff have undertaken training in supporting children who display sexually harmful behaviours or those who self-harm. The majority of staff have only been working in the home since April 2022. Only two members of staff employed at the home have been working there for more than six months. The inexperience of the staff team and lack of sufficient training means that managers and staff do not have the confidence or capability to care for the children and keep them safe.

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This monitoring visit

There are insufficient numbers of staff to safely care for the number of children the home is registered for. As a result, the responsible individual and the registered manager have worked a significant number of hours on shift with children. This means that they have not had the necessary oversight of children’s care and experiences in the home to ensure that they are protected and their welfare is promoted. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC437128 3 None of the requirements issued at the previous inspection were reviewed during this monitoring visit and they have therefore been restated. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC437128 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/08/2022 Full Inadequate 16/06/2021 Full Good 15/01/2020 Full Good 27/02/2019 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC437128 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; 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 the signs and impact of bullying at the home. 25 September Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC437128 6 This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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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

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 and leaders’ understanding and implementation of the home’s child protection procedures and the action to take when a child is alleged to have been harmed by an adult in a position of trust.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 25 September

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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. 25 September Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC437128 7 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))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders must make adequate arrangements to deliver the day-to-day care arrangements for children to protect them from harm.

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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 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 25 September Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC437128 8 experienced staff to work with children and protect them from harm.

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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 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

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. 25 September

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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)) 25 September Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC437128 9 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.

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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

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.

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Requirement Due date

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

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 25 September

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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.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 25 September

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy ("the behaviour management policy") which sets out— 25 September Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC437128 10 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

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 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC437128 11 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.

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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 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 actions that the registered person may take to improve the quality of care received by children in the home.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 25 September

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Requirement Due date

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.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 25 September

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC437128 12

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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

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: SC437128 13

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Hillcrest Children Services (2) Limited

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Children’s home details

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

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Nicholas Collins

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Inspector

Sam Dulay-Kainth, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC437128 14 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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