Children's Home run by Care Haven (UK) Limited in Stockport

Inspection report for children’s home: SC065374 1 SC065374 Registered provider: Care Haven (UK) Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a private children’s home that provides care for up to five children. The home’s statement of purpose states that children living in this home may have a range of social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered in August 2005. The home is currently operating without a registered manager. The area manager has been overseeing the home, with the support of the responsible individual. Senior managers are actively recruiting a new manager.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

On 3 August 2022, Ofsted carried out a visit to the home to monitor a compliance notice that was served under regulation 12 following the home’s full inspection on 22 June 2022. The inspector found that suitable action had been taken to meet the compliance notice. Inspection report for children’s home: SC065374 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/06/2022 Full Inadequate 02/11/2021 Full Good 10/03/2020 Full Requires improvement to be good 18/07/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC065374 3

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improvement to be good

At the time of the inspection, one child was moving out the home to semi- independence accommodation and another child had moved out to independence accommodation a few weeks earlier. The inspector was able to speak to both children to gather their views about the care they received. Children said that their relationships with the staff team had improved. Children felt they could talk to staff and trusted them again. Consequently, the children’s last few weeks of living in the home have been more settled and happier.

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improvement to be good

One child made progress in their education, achieving positive exam results, and obtained a place on their desired college course. One child struggled to sustain continuous education or training placements. The staff team has worked with the local authority to support the child to access education. However, the staff team has not explored well enough the child’s barriers to learning . Consequently, there has been an impact on the child’s attendance and engagement in education.

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improvement to be good

Children do not have up-to-date care plans or pathway plans from their placing authorities. One child’s pathways plan was significantly overdue when he moved out of the home. In some cases, managers have raised their concerns with social workers, team managers and commissioning officers. However, these actions have been ineffective. Managers have failed to further escalate their concerns with the relevant professionals, to ensure that plans were in place to support children’s moving on from the home to semi-independence provisions.

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improvement to be good

Parents and commissioning officers reported that children have made some progress while living in the home. Children’s positive relationships with staff have helped them to develop their confidence and self-esteem. Children have regular quality time with their families, and have been supported to sustain part-time jobs in the summer holidays.

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improvement to be good

Children feel listened to, and their views considered. Children’s meetings have improved, with children receiving personalised feedback from managers in relation to their requests. Key-work sessions evidence regular reflective discussions between staff and children in relation to meeting their individual needs and developing their independence skills. Furthermore, children have been well supported by the staff team to prepare them for independence, including visits to their new home and colleges.

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improvement to be good

The home environment has improved, particularly children’s bedrooms. Children’s bedrooms have been decorated and individually personalised, and new furniture purchased. Children told the inspector that they were happy with the improvements, and they had reached a compromise with the staff team about how they would be supported to keep their bedrooms clean and tidy. Inspection report for children’s home: SC065374 4

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improvement to be good

On two separate occasions, staff have suspected that children were under the influence of cannabis. They have acted and implemented regular welfare checks throughout the night with each child. However, staff have not followed children’s risk assessments, as they failed to seek medical advice from appropriately trained medical professionals to ensure that children are kept safe and well.

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improvement to be good

The deputy manager who is currently supporting the operation of the home, has not completed all mandatory training. This specifically relates to safe administration of medication and child protection training. As the deputy manager is a senior member of staff overseeing the home and providing guidance to the staff team, this training is required to ensure that she understands how to safeguard children, recognises signs that children are at risk of harm and is able to safely manage medication.

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improvement to be good

The home’s safe area risk assessment fails to measure the identified risks in the local area or the potential severity of their impact on children. This means that specific risks are not effectively risk assessed in relation to each child living in the home. Additionally, children’s views about the location of the home are not included in the report, and feedback from external local safeguarding professionals has not been obtained to provide a thorough assessment relating to the safety of the local area.

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, children have not been reported missing from the home, they have not been involved in any serious incidents and there has been no use of restraint. Children said that the home has been a calmer place to live. The staff team has supported children to manage their behaviour effectively and worked with them to make safer choices, for example reducing their substance misuse.

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improvement to be good

Senior managers have made improvements to incident and restraint records, to ensure that staff are provided with clear guidance relating to the reporting and recording of significant incidents. Risk assessments are kept up to date and reflect the reduction in relation to children’s risk-taking behaviour.

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improvement to be good

Children have not made any recent complaints about their care. New records for reported allegations and complaints have been introduced. They ensure that appropriate safeguarding procedures are followed and prompt any required notifications to Ofsted. The system in place is clear and allows information or action taken to be tracked.

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good

The area manager’s oversight of the home has provided stability to the operation of the home, and support to the deputy manager and to the staff team. Consequently, there have been some improvements to the quality of care and the protection of children. However, a manager has not yet been appointed and there are still no Inspection report for children’s home: SC065374 5 permanent arrangements in relation to the leadership and management of the home. Senior managers recognise that this is a priority and they have been working to fill this position with an appropriately skilled and experienced person.

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good

The home’s workforce development plan does not reflect an up-to-date account of the training that staff have completed. Additionally, the staff team does not have all the necessary training to understand and support children’s individual needs. Specifically, training in relation to children’s trauma-led behaviour has not been provided to staff. This was a requirement at the last inspection and has been restated. Allegation management and attachment training was identified as a training need for staff at the last inspection. However, there are no clear plans in place for this to be delivered.

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good

The manager’s review of the quality-of-care report does not include feedback from staff, children’s families, or relevant professionals. Therefore, there is not a thorough overview of the quality of care provided to children.

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good

The deputy manager and area manager use their monthly monitoring to review all files and compile action plans with recommendations about how to improve the operation of the home. This monitoring process requires further embedding by managers to ensure that it is effective in identifying shortfalls and action taken to improve the areas of concern.

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good

The independent visitor reports do not consistently obtain feedback from children, staff, or children’s families. This means that there is no full scrutiny of the care provided to children living in the home.

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good

Staff say that there have been improvements to the support they receive from managers. They enjoy their roles once again and the staff team morale is improving. Staff acknowledge that there has been positive change under the new management oversight and, because of this, there has been no further staff turnover. Staff feel that they have more ownership in their roles, they feel listened to, and they are encouraged to develop their skills in their roles.

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good

All staff are now provided with regular practice-related supervisions. Supervisions incorporate a mix of training tasks, a formal review of staff’s practice and an overview of their understanding of children’s needs. The deputy manager’s supervisions are facilitated by the area manager and are heavily focused on monitoring, auditing and improvement. Team meetings take place monthly. They are purposeful, as they address identified shortfalls and discuss ideas to improve practice, including changes to records and ensuring that staff understand them. Inspection report for children’s home: SC065374 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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, managers should ensure that all children have up-to-date local authority care plans or pathway plans. If these plans are not provided within suitable timescales, they should be obtained through effective challenge or escalation to the relevant person in the placing authority. 3 November 2022

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being. (Regulation 10 (1)(b)) 3 November 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

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, senior staff who are overseeing the home and are responsible for the monitoring of children’s safety and protection must be trained in safe administration of medication and child protection. 3 November 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC065374 7 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

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)) 3 November 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. Regulation 27 (1)(a)) 3 November 2022

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Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

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Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires. (Regulation 44 (2)(a)) 3 November 2022

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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.

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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 (2)(a)(b) (5)) 3 November 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children’s home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c) (the protection of children standard). 3 November 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC065374 8 When conducting the review, the registered person must consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person. (Regulation 46 (1) (2))

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that for some children who have experienced severe trauma, have mental health difficulties or have been out of education for significant periods, it may be necessary to address and work through their past experiences and present needs before they can positively participate in learning activities and formal education. Staff in children’s homes will play a key role in supporting these children. Specifically, staff should identify and understand children’s barriers to learning to help reintegrate them back into education. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 26, paragraph 5.3)  The registered person should ensure that the workforce development plan should detail the experience and qualifications of staff currently working within the staffing structure and any further training required for those staff, to enable the delivery of the home’s statement of purpose. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes

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Recommendations

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

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, using the ‘Social care common inspection framework’. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. Inspection report for children’s home: SC065374 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Care Haven (UK) Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Westminster House, 10 Westminster Road, Macclesfield, Cheshire SK10 1BX

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Patricia Swallow

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Inspectors

Cheryl Field, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC065374 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 who are 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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