Children's home run by Physis Quantum Limited in Shropshire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC443708 1 SC443708 Registered provider: Physis Quantum Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is privately owned by a small, limited company and provides care for up to five children. The home provides therapeutic care for children who have experienced, and/or are at high risk of, child sexual exploitation.

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Information about this children’s home

The previous manager, who was registered with Ofsted in July 2020, resigned, and left the company in April 2022. The new manager commenced their role in April 2022 and is in the process of applying to be registered with Ofsted.

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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

Date of last inspection: 28 September 2021

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC443708 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/09/2021 Full Good 25/02/2020 Full Good 17/10/2018 Full Outstanding 07/02/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC443708 3

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improvement to be good

At the time of the inspection, three children were living in the home. Since the previous inspection, two children moved into the home and four children moved out. While most children moved in and moved on in a planned manner, one child only spent a short time in the home and moved out very quickly and not in line with their care plan.

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improvement to be good

Children’s progress is varied. For example, most children’s risks have reduced, and children are making progress in education. However, managers did not suitably match one child’s needs with the needs of children already residing in the home. This poor decision led to some instability and, at times, the home has been unsettled. This compromised all children’s experiences.

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improvement to be good

Some staff have left the home which has meant that some important and meaningful relationships that were built with children came to an end. This created some instability in the home. For example, staff do not always provide consistent boundaries. Children told the inspector, ‘Not all staff are consistent with boundaries, and this does not help us, makes it harder for us to keep boundaries if staff are inconsistent.’ This prevents children from receiving the continuity of care that supports their needs.

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improvement to be good

In the main, the home is well decorated and the quality of the fixtures and fitting is to a high standard. However, one child’s bedroom was significantly untidy and unhygienic. The manager acknowledged that not all staff are proactive in supporting the child to keep their bedroom clean and tidy. This is a repeated requirement from the last inspection.

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improvement to be good

The quality of relationships between staff and children is inconsistent. Some staff build positive relationships with children, which has a positive impact on children’s progress. Children told the inspectors that they feel there are staff that provide a good quality of care and who support them, but others do not. Some children say they have not felt safe at times in the home.

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improvement to be good

Most children’s records contain the relevant information and it is recorded clearly and in a way which will be helpful to the child. However, some documents such as daily records do not always capture the child’s daily journey and experiences. This means that, if the child wanted to access their files in the future, this has the potential of limiting information and misrepresenting the child’s journey. Since the new manager came in post these have started to improve.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not always ensure that children have up-to-date pathway plans to support children when they move. For example, one child has not had their care plan reviewed and updated for a considerable time. Consequently, this meant the child Inspection report for children’s home: SC443708 4 was unsure about arrangements being made about them. When this was identified, the manager acted to address this oversight.

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improvement to be good

Children have very good school attendance and are doing well at school from their starting point. Staff have realistic expectations and aspirations for children. They support children well and communicate with professionals to formulate achievable and measurable targets.

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improvement to be good

Children’s health needs are consistently met to a good standard. Staff ensure that individual health assessments are in place and recommendations from health plans are reviewed and acted on. Children attend routine appointments with the dentist, general practitioner, optician and specialist services. As a result, children’s physical and emotional health are consistently promoted.

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improvement to be good

Children enjoy and participate in a range of activities. Staff support children to develop their hobbies and interests. For example, some children enjoy horse riding and one child attends dance competitions and going to college. Other children enjoy spending time with animals and go on visits to the local animal sanctuary.

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improvement to be good

Staff ensure that children spend time with those who are important to them. They work to develop positive relationships with family members. When appropriate, staff advocate on the children’s behalf, so that they can spend safe and enjoyable and memorable time with family. This provides children with a positive sense of identity and belonging.

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improvement to be good

One child had a poor experience of living in this home that did not promote their safety and well-being. Incidents occurred which impacted negatively on all children living in the home. Managers served notice to the local authority for one child to move out of the home. They extended this notice to give them more time to find a suitable home for the child, but when the local authority still had no plan for where the child could move to they returned them to the local authority offices. As a result, this child went missing from care. This put the child at risk.

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improvement to be good

Managers do not always ensure that staff have written guidance about how to manage risk. For example, risk assessments do not always accurately reflect the correct information. Two children’s risk assessments had not been updated to reflect up-to-date information about known risks. This shortfall has the potential to leave children and others vulnerable.

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improvement to be good

Staff lack curiosity about the safety of children in their care. For example, staff are not inquisitive enough about one child’s use of their mobile phone internet usage and do not attempt to undertake regular checks, despite there being a potential risk.

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improvement to be good

Staff are trained in the safe handling and recording of medication. Medication is stored safely. However, not all records are checked to identify any errors. For Inspection report for children’s home: SC443708 5 example, in one child’s medication record, staff had not followed the approved protocol for recording information.

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improvement to be good

Children’s needs are considered sufficiently by staff when things are not going well. Children receive support from the qualified and experienced in-house therapist, who works closely with staff in the home to tailor a bespoke package of care for individual children. For example, staff work with the therapist to review children’s progress, and the therapist provides specialist advice and guidance that informs the care that children receive. As a result, most children make good progress in supporting their emotions as well as positively responding to routines.

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improvement to be good

Staff have improved how they consult with children through regular key-work sessions and house meetings. This support helps children to express their views and feelings. Staff have important and sensitive discussions with children to help them talk about their feelings, to help them understand the impact of their behaviour on themselves and others, and to maintain positive mental health.

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improvement to be good

Staff are knowledgeable and skilled in supporting children with any behaviours that may challenge. Restraints are rare, but when used these are proportionate when there is a risk or serious concern for children or staff.

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improvement to be good

When children go missing from home, staff respond well and know how to follow children’s missing-from-care protocols. Staff act quickly to escalate concerns by working in partnership with professionals to ensure that children return home as soon as possible.

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good

The leadership and management of the home has not been stable. The registered manager and responsible individual have resigned from their posts since the last inspection. A new manager was appointed and has been in post for four months. The manager is now in day-to-day charge of the home. A new responsible individual is also in post. In addition, there has been a high turnover of staff. This instability has impacted on some of the child’s experiences when these changes occurred.

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good

Inconsistent leadership, and ineffective monitoring and oversight, mean that managers do not always identify and act quickly on shortfalls to improve children’s safety, progress and experience. However, the new manager is now quickly identifying weaknesses and is starting to implement positive changes. The manager has an action plan to address the shortfalls.

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good

Managers have not ensured that some of the core staff have the skills and training to meet the needs of the children. For example, some staff have not received important training in child exploitation and online protection, radicalisation and extremism, equality and diversity, complaints, and supervision. This has the potential to limit the staff knowledge and skills to keep children safe and to progress. The new manager is starting to address this shortfall. Inspection report for children’s home: SC443708 6 The internal monitoring systems used by the managers are not effective. For example, managers do not always ensure they consistently review and update children’s risk assessments. Furthermore, managers do not always provide oversight on safer recruitment processes to ensure that all staff working in the home are suitable. For example, one staff member’s overseas reference had not been adequately checked.

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good

Staff said that the new manager provides them with a good supportive environment for them to learn and develop. The new manager is building positive relationships with the staff team. However, although some staff receive regular and practice- related supervision, others do not. For example, new staff do not receive fortnightly supervision in line with the company’s policy.

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good

Effective oversight of the independent person’s reports by managers is inconsistent. These reports do not always contain feedback from children and professionals. This leaves the regulator without the full information and opportunity to review the manager’s own assessment of the quality of care. The new manager acknowledges this shortfall and has a plan to address this.

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good

The current manager has written an in-depth quality of care review of the home and has submitted this to Ofsted. This report focuses on the care provided by staff, the experiences of children, and the impact the care is having on outcomes and improvements for the children. However, this report does not contain feedback from children and professionals.

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good

Out of the four requirements made at the last inspection, one has been met. Progress has been made in respect of the other requirements, and there is an action plan in place to address the outstanding areas for improvement. Inspection report for children’s home: SC443708 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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 and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(i)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to the registered person ensuring that that children’s bedrooms are kept clean and tidy, and that all aspects of the home are welcoming.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the previous inspection and is restated. 14 October 2022

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child; 14 October 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC443708 8 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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to the registered person and staff ensuring that children’s risk assessments are up to date and contain known risks.

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Requirement Due date

Also, this relates to staff ensuring that they support children to keep safe.

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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;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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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)(d)(e)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to the registered person ensuring that 14 October 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC443708 9 staff have a consistent approach to support children’s behaviours.

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Requirement Due date

It also relates to the registered person ensuring that all staff receive role-specific training.

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Requirement Due date

It also relates to the registered person ensuring that they use internal monitoring systems more effectively.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the previous inspection and is restated. The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3)

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the manager ensuring that relevant safer recruitment checks on core staff are fully completed. 14 October 2022

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of this regulation, "the appropriate person" is the registered person, an officer of HMCI, an officer of the local authority in whose area the home is located or a police officer.

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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 (3) (4)(b)

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the manager ensuring that all staff receive regular reflective supervision. 14 October 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which— 14 October 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC443708 10 are kept up to date; and

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

This relates to staff ensuring that all children’s records are updated.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the independent person makes a rigorous and impartial assessment of the home’s arrangements for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraphs 15.5)  The registered person should ensure that the quality-of-care review captures feedback from children and stakeholders. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraphs 15.2)  The registered person should ensure that accurate records must be kept of the administration of all medication. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraphs 7.15)  The registered person should ensure that looked-after children are regularly consulted about the child’s relevant plans by the local authority. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 57,

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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: SC443708 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Physis Quantum Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: DPC, 55 Stone House Road Business Park, Stone Road, Stoke-On-Trent, Staffordshire ST4 6SR

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Inspector

Patrick McIntosh, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC443708 12 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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