Children's Home run by Anchor Care and Education Ltd in Leicestershire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2637127 1 Registered provider: Anchor Care and Education Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is privately owned and provides care for up to four children with social and emotional needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has been without a registered manager since December 2021. A new manager is in post and is in the process of registering 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

The home was judged inadequate at the last full inspection in July 2022. A monitoring inspection took place on 31 August 2022, when further concerns were identified. In response, Ofsted issued a notice restricting accommodation on 2 September 2022. Inspection report for children’s home: 2637127 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/07/2022 Full Inadequate 15/03/2022 Interim Improved effectiveness 27/07/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2637127 3

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improvement to be good

Ofsted issued a notice restricting the admission of any new children on 2 September 2022. At the time of this inspection, there was one child living at the home. The child appears to have benefited from a period of being the only child in placement and is slowly settling and starting to engage with staff.

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improvement to be good

Staff carry out regular key-working sessions with the child. However, the quality of these varies. Conversations are not linked to the child’s care plan or needs. As a result, there is a lack of focus on some key areas that the child needs support with.

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improvement to be good

The child has been out of education for a significant period before arriving at the home in May 2022. The manager has recently identified a suitable school and is currently liaising with professionals to support the child back into education. As an interim measure, a home tutor was arranged. However, the child has not engaged in these lessons. Staff have failed to promote informal learning opportunities at the home. In addition, there is a lack of structure and routine in place. As a result, the child has spent long periods of the day in bed asleep or in his bedroom. These shortfalls have an impact on the child’s chances of engaging in meaningful activities and achieving his educational goals.

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improvement to be good

The manager has not ensured that staff document all important conversations or work that they are completing with the child. As a result, the progress described by staff was not clearly evidenced and the child’s journey is not reflected in the child’s records.

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improvement to be good

Despite recent changes in the staff team, the child receives care from a small, consistent group of staff. As a result, the child is starting to build trusting relationships with them. He is spending less time in his bedroom and has started to engage in activities outside of the home. He has recently discovered a skill and passion for go-karting, which is well supported by the staff team.

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improvement to be good

The child’s social worker was positive about the home and noted improvements since the changes in the management team. Communication between the home and the local authority has improved, and the child’s needs are better supported. This includes supporting the child to see family members that are important to him.

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improvement to be good

At times, staff have had to intervene to keep the child safe. On occasion, staff have been slow to respond to challenging or dangerous behaviours and, as a result, behaviours have escalated. Managers, however, have completed focused work with Inspection report for children’s home: 2637127 4 all staff to ensure that they are more confident and proactive in managing children’s behaviours.

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improvement to be good

Risk assessments are in place to help staff keep the child safe, but not all risk assessments are up to date, or contain all known information. However, staff are aware of the risks associated with the child.

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improvement to be good

Staff are frequently acknowledging the child’s achievements and recording praise. However, staff do not use consequences effectively to help the child to understand their negative and undesirable behaviour. These are missed opportunities to promote positive behaviour.

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improvement to be good

Incidences of children going missing from the home have reduced. There have been two incidences during this review period. Staff respond well when children go missing. Staff search for them and contact emergency services as needed. However, the independent return home interviews have not taken place within the required timeframes. This means that there is a delay in exploring risk with the child.

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improvement to be good

The manager has failed to ensure that staff maintain a full record of all medication dispensed to children. Staff are not signing to record when they have dispensed medication. This includes controlled medication, which is subject to strict regulations.

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improvement to be good

Managers have completed a detailed review of all staff recruitment following the last inspection. The shortfalls identified were rectified. However, the verbal verification of why individuals left their previous posts working with children or vulnerable adults have not been completed. This means that staff have not been suitably vetted to work with children.

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good

Since the monitoring visit in August 2022, managers have reviewed the home’s paperwork to improve monitoring and oversight of the home. These changes are in their infancy and yet to be fully embedded. Consequently, there are still shortfalls in some areas, such as training, medication administration, key working and other documentation within the home, including the home’s statement of purpose.

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good

On one occasion, managers failed to respond effectively to an allegation against a member of staff. As a result, this allegation has not been investigated. Managers did, however, inform relevant professionals, including Ofsted.

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good

There is a comprehensive range of training opportunities for staff. This includes essential courses such as first aid and safeguarding. It also includes more specialised training, such as understanding self-harm, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder awareness training and internet safety. However, some staff have not completed key training that would help them in their roles; this includes bank staff. This raises concerns regarding the staff’s ability to meet the specific needs of the Inspection report for children’s home: 2637127 5 child they look after. Managers have, however, delivered workshops to staff on the home’s therapeutic model, and further training is planned.

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good

The home’s workforce development plan requires updating so that it details the necessary management and staffing arrangements, staff experience and qualifications, processes for staff supervision, induction and training and how staff performance will be addressed.

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good

Despite the shortfalls identified, staff told the inspector that they feel supported in their roles and things are improving under the new management arrangements. The staff receive regular supervision, and reflective practice sessions have recently commenced.

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good

Managers are aware of the shortfalls and have put in place an action plan to drive forward changes and improve the quality of care provided to children. The new management team has not been in place long enough to address all of the shortfalls and embed all the desired improvements. However, they are confident that they can achieve this.

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good

Following this inspection, Ofsted agreed to lift the notice restricting accommodation to allow further admissions to the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2637127 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 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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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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

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(v)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that children’s risk assessments and plans are updated and accurate. It also refers to staff working with children to help them understand their risks. Finally, it refers to ensuring that robust investigations take place when there are concerns regarding staff practice. 5 December 2022

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

promotes their welfare. 5 December 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2637127 7 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 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

This specifically relates to ensuring that staff have the skills and experience required to meet the needs of the children they are caring for. It also relates to ensuring that quality assurance systems are used to monitor the quality of care in the home and improve professional practice.

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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 (3)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically refers to providing Ofsted with an updated statement of purpose within the required timeframes. 5 December 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. (Regulation 23 (1))

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Requirement Due date

This specially relates to ensuring that staff maintain an accurate record of all medication dispensed to children. 5 December 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children ("a quality of care review") at least once every 6 months. 5 December 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2637127 8 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; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review ("the quality of care review report"). (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (3))

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Requirement Due date

This is made in relation to reviewing the quality of care provided, the impact and effectiveness of care and the improvements and outcomes of the children every 6 months.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they consult with any relevant persons to inform the location risk assessment review. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 63 paragraph 15.1)  The registered person should ensure that children who are not in full-time education are supported and provided with informal learning opportunities to sustain or regain their confidence in education. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 27 paragraph 5.15)  The registered person should ensure that the workforce development plan meets the requirements of the regulation. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)  The registered person should ensure that full schedule 2 checks are completed for all new staff. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality

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Recommendations

standards’, page 60, paragraph 13.1) Inspection report for children’s home: 2637127 9

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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: 2637127 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Anchor Care and Education Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Ensors Accountants Llp, Moseleys Farm Business Centre, Fornham All Saints, Bury St. Edmunds IP28 6JY

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Inspector

Debbie Holder, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2637127 11 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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