Children's Home run by High View Children's Services Limited in Staffordshire

Inspection report children’s home: 2655778 1 Registered provider: High View Children’s Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care and accommodation for up to three young people who have learning disabilities. A private company runs the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered with Ofsted in May 2022. The registered manager has been absent from the home since July 2022 and is due to leave his post in November 2022.

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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, and the care and experiences of children and young people are poor and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2655778 2

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inadequate

At the time of this inspection, two children lived at the home.

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inadequate

Staff fail to ensure that children’s health needs are met. Information about children’s health is not kept up to date, and staff do not always ensure that routine health appointments are booked for and attended by children. In addition, staff do not support children to understand the implications of certain actions on their health. For example, one child regularly uses a vape but she has not received support to understand what that may mean for her health.

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inadequate

Significant shortfalls were identified in the management of children’s medication in the home. Record-keeping is poor, with significant gaps in medication records, and it is not clear if children have received medication as prescribed. In addition, guidance from medical professionals is not being followed in respect of one child’s medication and records did not show the reasons for this. Managers have failed to identify these shortfalls as records have not been reviewed or audited. These failings compromise children’s health.

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inadequate

Children’s needs are not well understood by managers and staff. Children’s written plans do not capture all known information and do not evidence children’s progress. For example, one child’s sensory assessment has not been reviewed by the deputy manager or responsible individual, and so essential information about the most- effective ways to support the child to regulate her emotions are not being used effectively. Poor assessment and review of children’s needs compromises children’s experiences and progress.

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inadequate

Managers do not effectively assess the impact of new children coming to live at the home and fail to consider the skills and experience of staff. The staff team had reported challenges as a result of a lack of leadership and direction. This was not taken into account when the responsible individual admitted a new child to the home. Consequently, staff are struggling to meet children’s needs as they lack the necessary guidance and skills to do so.

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inadequate

Staff consult with children through house meetings, one-to-one conversations and general discussions. However, staff do not record all of these important conversations with children, and it is not always clear how children’s views are responded to. When children make complaints, they are looked into. However, the responsible individual responded to one child through a formal letter. The child told the inspector that she could not read. Subsequently, managers have not ensured that the child has understood the response. This lack of understanding does not help children to learn if their concerns have been taken seriously. Inspection report children’s home: 2655778 3 Children are supported by staff to attend education. Staff are committed to transporting children to school and ensuring that they arrive safely. However, a school report for one child stated that she was often tired and fell asleep in class.

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inadequate

There had been insufficient exploration about how the child’s bedtime routines could be impacting on her educational progress. Statutory educational documents are missing for another child. This means that staff may not be working towards the same plan as educational professionals.

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inadequate

The inspector observed some positive interactions between staff and children during the inspection. For example, one child enjoyed making a healthy snack with staff when she returned home from school. Another child sought out support from staff with ease when she felt unwell and was responded to with empathy and understanding. This helps children to feel important and cared for.

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inadequate

Most areas of the home are well maintained and welcoming. Children’s bedrooms are well furnished and there are photos of children displayed throughout the home.

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

There are serious and widespread failures in safeguarding practice. Managers have failed to respond appropriately to serious incidents and this has placed children at risk of harm.

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

Children are not always protected from harm because not all the staff are knowledgeable, trained and sufficiently experienced to manage children’s behaviours. As a result, there have been a number of serious incidents that have occurred in the home. Staff do not respond to children in line with the therapeutic philosophy and ethos outlined in the home’s statement of purpose. For example, in response to a child taking a vacuum cleaner from staff, sanctions, including the removal of important items from her room, were inappropriately used until she returned the item. On another occasion, staff told one child that if they continued to display challenging behaviours and run off from the home the child would end up homeless. These actions only serve to lessen the child’s sense of self-worth and self- esteem.

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

Risk assessments do not provide staff with sufficient guidance to keep children safe. They include contradictory information about staffing ratios for one child and fail to include all current and emerging risks. As a result, children’s risk assessments are of poor quality and do not help staff to understand how to keep children safe.

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

Children’s risk assessments state that children require one-to-one support. Despite this, staff fail to ensure that children are supervised as set out in their plans. Two children were left unsupervised upstairs in the home. As a result, a serious incident occurred. Consequently, preventable incidents have happened, leaving children vulnerable to harm. Management oversight of this incident was poor and failed to identify learning to prevent a further occurrence. Inspection report children’s home: 2655778 4 The children in this home have high levels of need and are particularly vulnerable and at risk when accessing the community. Risk management plans do not provide staff with guidance about what to do when children go missing from the home. In addition, records are confusing and it is unclear what steps staff have taken to safeguard children when they go missing from home or spend time in the community. The risks presented to children by being out in the local community

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

without sufficient staff supervision and support are not clearly identified or understood by staff.

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

Staff do not consistently follow safeguarding procedures. A senior member of staff did not explore concerns appropriately when a child told her she was being bullied at school. The staff member was due to be off work for four days following this disclosure. She did not share this information with the school and ensure that another member of staff was aware so that they could address this issue promptly. This impacts on children’s sense of safety and their protection.

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

Both children living in the home are vulnerable to risks when using the internet. However, managers and staff have failed to ensure that children are adequately educated about risks online. Staff have not received training relating to online safety to equip them with the knowledge and skills they need to support children well in this area. As a result, children have not received support and staff do not use their professional curiosity to explore children’s online worlds. In addition, there has been little consideration of how the home can use parental controls to safeguard children. As a result, not enough action is being taken to help to promote children’s safety when they are using the internet.

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

On occasion, physical restraint has been used as a last resort to keep children safe. It is not always clear which staff members have carried out a restraint, and children and staff are not spoken to about what has happened. In addition, on two occasions, staff have restricted children’s movement by locking and blocking internal and external doors as a method of managing children’s behaviours. On one occasion, this resulted in a door coming off its hinges when children became involved in a ‘tug of war’ situation with staff. Management oversight of records does not identify the shortfalls in safeguarding practice and record-keeping. This is a missed opportunity to reflect on and learn from incidents and develop better ways of supporting children.

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

Weekly health and safety checks, including fire alarm tests, have not taken place consistently. This shortfall has not been identified by managers. In addition, the effectiveness of window restrictors in place has not been adequately reviewed, despite children removing these each time they are put into place. This poor practice compromises children’s safety.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Since 12 July 2022, the registered manager has not been overseeing the home. The manager is due to leave his post on 30 November 2022 and it is unclear whether he Inspection report children’s home: 2655778 5 will resume his post prior to this date. In his absence, there has not been sufficient leadership. This has significantly impacted the quality of care provided to children. At the time of this inspection, plans for interim management arrangements are vague.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Management monitoring and oversight of records and the care children receive is weak. Internal monitoring is ineffective and managers have failed to ensure that safeguarding incidents are rigorously reviewed. In addition, managers have insufficient insight into the strengths and weaknesses of the home. This lack of effective oversight results in systems and practice that do not ensure or promote children’s welfare.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Insufficient support for staff has compromised children’s welfare. New staff do not always receive an adequate induction to the home. In addition, staff do not receive regular supervision that promotes their development and allows them to reflect on the care that they provide to children. For example, since the home opened in May 2022, the majority of staff have only had one supervision. This is not in line with the home’s supervision policy and leaves staff without essential support to ensure that they can discharge their responsibilities well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Managers have failed to ensure that all staff working with children have adequate training to meet children’s needs. Not all staff have received training in the home’s therapeutic model of care. This is limiting staff’s ability to understand children’s life experiences and provide therapeutic care in line with the home’s statement of purpose. Furthermore, staff have not had essential training that helps them to keep children safe. For example, they have not had training in bullying, online safety, self- harm, mental health and child exploitation. As a result, staff remain uninformed about how to respond safely and effectively to children’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Managers have failed to notify Ofsted of serious incidents that have occurred at the home. This lack of information-sharing, as required by regulation, does not enable Ofsted to evaluate the quality of practice and assess if the correct actions have been taken to safeguard children. Inspection report children’s home: 2655778 6

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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 children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

develop positive relationships with them;

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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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

help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child. (Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c )(2)(a)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that when children have the opportunity to express their views, wishes and feelings, these are responded to. In addition, when children make complaints, managers must ensure they are consulted appropriately about the outcome. 31 October 2022

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— 15 November Inspection report children’s home: 2655778 7 that staff help each child to—

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Requirement Due date

achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

understand the child’s health and well-being needs and the options that are available in relation to the child’s health and well-being, in a way that is appropriate to the child’s age and understanding. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that managers and staff are aware of children’s health needs and meet these needs effectively. In addition, managers must ensure that they have the relevant statutory paperwork to inform their care of the children.

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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 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

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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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

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ix)(xi)) 15 November

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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— 31 October 2022 Inspection report children’s home: 2655778 8 that staff—

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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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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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

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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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)(ii)(iii)(v)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that robust and up-to- date risk assessments are in place for each child and guidance is followed by staff. Staff must develop the skills needed to keep children safe. They must adhere to staffing ratios identified within children’s risk management plans and implement health and safety checks consistently well.

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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

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each 15 November Inspection report children’s home: 2655778 9 child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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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)(a)(c)(f)(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. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)) In particular, ensure that any plan for a new child to move in to the home carefully considers their needs alongside those of children already living at the home and staff’s skills and experience. 31 October 2022

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Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s homes premises; and

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Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child’s privacy and access to any area of the home’s premises—

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Requirement Due date

is necessary and proportionate. (Regulation 21 (a)(b)(c)(ii)) 31 October 2022

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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. In particular the registered person must ensure that— medicine which is prescribed for a child is administered as prescribed to the child for who it is prescribed and to no other child; and a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child. (Regulation 23 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c)) 31 October 2022

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Requirement Due date

ensure that each employee completes an appropriate induction.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (1)(a) (4)(b)) 15 November Inspection report children’s home: 2655778 10 This specifically relates to all employees receiving practice- related supervision. In addition, the registered manager must ensure that each staff member receives an induction into the home.

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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

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

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 effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure;

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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") has spoken to the user about the measure; and 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)(ii)(iv)(v)(vii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)) 31 October 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if — 31 October 2022 Inspection report children’s home: 2655778 11 there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(i))

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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: 2655778 12

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: High View Children’s Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 9 Lichfield Street, Wolverhampton, West Midlands WV1 1EA

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Inspector

Natasha Skinner, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2655778 13 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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