Children's Home run by Inspire Care (UK) Limited in Staffordshire

Inspection report children’s home: 1271234 1 Registered provider: Inspire Care (UK) Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is one of three in the organisation. It is registered to provide care for up to three children who have had adverse childhood experiences.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has recently left. Although he was working his notice period, the registered provider agreed an earlier departure date and the manager left the home four days before the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The deputy manager is now the acting manager, while permanent arrangements are decided.

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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 are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded, and the care and experiences of children poor and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1271234 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/03/2022 Full Good 09/11/2021 Full Inadequate 18/12/2019 Full Good 28/11/2018 Interim Declined in effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: 1271234 3

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inadequate

Since the last Ofsted inspection in March 2022, four children have left the home and three children have moved in. At the time of this inspection, one child lived at the home.

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inadequate

The home environment is extremely poor. Repairs to damaged items are not carried out promptly. The fridge that was damaged over six months ago has not been replaced and blinds in the lounge are still broken.

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inadequate

Children’s bedrooms are bare. A child was given a desk when they arrived that was already broken. The dining room is out of use and so children are not able to sit and eat meals at a table. The television does not work and has not done so since a child moved into the home six weeks ago. The child told the inspector that they would like to be able to watch television rather than have to access a video sharing website via their games console. The poor home environment does not show children that they are cared about and valued.

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inadequate

Managers do not fully assess the risk and impact of children moving into the home. Impact risk assessments do not contain all information provided by the local authority to inform staff about the children’s needs and risks. For one child, there is no internal care plan to provide guidance to staff on how to care for the child or how to keep them safe. Poor care planning leaves children vulnerable to the risk of harm.

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inadequate

Despite shortfalls found during this inspection, children make some progress. They develop some positive relationships with the adults who care for them. One child informed the inspector that he knows who his key workers are and can approach them if he is worried. A child who recently left the home has written a thankyou card to the team for helping to look after her and her guinea pigs.

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inadequate

Staff support children to attend and engage in education. When children face barriers to learning, managers call meetings with professionals to discuss the way forward and look for solutions to help children in school.

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inadequate

Children take part in activities in the local area. The inspector observed one child being encouraged to take part in physical exercise in the local park near the home. Staff also support children to remain in contact with people they care most about. Staff provide children with the means to video call family members in-between visits to them. This supports children to continue to have positive experiences with their family and friends. Inspection report children’s home: 1271234 4

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

Risk management is inadequate. The inspector found that risk assessments for each of the children who lived at the home over the inspection period were identical and had been copied from one to the other. Staff are not provided with guidance to meet the individual needs of children to protect them from harm.

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

Staff do not restrain children in accordance with children’s behaviour management plans, and the recording of restraint incidents is poor. One child has been restrained using holds that staff are not trained to use. For example, they have been restrained on the floor. Not all records clearly describe the restraint techniques that are used by staff. Furthermore, staff who are involved in the restraint have signed off their own records as appropriate.

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

Aspects of staff recruitment practice are poor. One member of staff has been working at the home for three months and lone works with a child. Their Disclosure and Barring Service check was issued in 2015. Despite this, managers have not undertaken a check on the update service to ensure that there are no new concerns about this individual’s suitability to work at the home. This lack of due diligence in staff recruitment compromises children’s safety.

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

Managers are unsure if allegations made by children have been investigated. Records relating to allegations against staff are missing. Managers do not know if children are made aware of outcomes of the allegations and there is no evidence of follow-up actions taking place. Managers have failed to notify Ofsted of all allegations made against staff. This lack of due diligence does not promote children’s safety and welfare.

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

Children take part in regular fire drills to ensure that they know how to safely evacuate the home in case of such an emergency. However, managers have failed to ensure that all actions from the fire risk assessment have been completed. Emergency lighting has not been serviced for over a year, despite this needing to be completed at least annually. Shortfalls in health and safety at the home do not protect children from the risk of harm.

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

Systems in place for staff to record medication administered to children are poor. Because of this, records are unclear, which increases the risk of mistakes being made.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Management oversight and monitoring of the home are weak. Existing monitoring systems have failed to identify shortfalls in the quality of care provided to children and safeguarding practice. For example, managers have failed to improve the home environment, review incidents and take safer recruitment seriously. This lack of insight and oversight has adversely affected children’s experiences and welfare. Inspection report children’s home: 1271234 5 Staff have not received relevant training to help them to support children’s needs well. For example, they have not completed specific training relating to online safety and managing risks related to child sexual exploitation and child criminal exploitation. In addition, managers have failed to ensure that all staff have completed training in relation to children who go missing from home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The home now has five support workers to care for children. However, only one member of the support team holds the required diploma qualification. High levels of staff turnover and significant use of agency staff mean that children do not always receive consistent care from adults who know them well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Managers do not notify Ofsted of all serious incidents in line with regulation. This prevents the regulator from having oversight of practice in the home to help ensure that children are sufficiently safeguarded. Furthermore, although the registered manager has completed a six-monthly review of the quality of care in the home, he has not sent this to Ofsted.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff enjoy working at the home and are positive about the support they receive. Staff report that they find supervision helpful and that it provides a forum to discuss development opportunities. However, the effectiveness of staff support and supervision on improving children’s experiences and safety is limited. Inspection report children’s home: 1271234 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 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 homes statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)((c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that children are provided with a clean and undamaged homely environment. 20 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— 20 November Inspection report children’s home: 1271234 7 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

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that individualised risk assessments are completed and reviewed regularly in relation to each child, providing staff with relevant information to keep children safe from harm.

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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’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child; 20 November Inspection report children’s home: 1271234 8 understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c)(e)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that children are provided with consistent care from a stable staff team, that those staff are provided with the relevant skills and experience to meet the needs of each child, and that managers implement effective systems to review and make improvements to the quality of care for children.

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Requirement Due date

*The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to children receiving carefully planned care in the home and managers assessing the impact effectively. 20 November

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Requirement Due date

Restraint in relation to a child must be necessary and proportionate. (Regulation 20 (2))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to staff using the correct physical intervention holds that they are trained to use and are the least restrictive as necessary. 20 November

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and 20 November Inspection report children’s home: 1271234 9 disposal of medicines received into the children’s home. (Regulation 23 (1))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the recording of newly received medication in the home and updating documents when medical professionals advise to change dosages.

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Requirement Due date

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

ensure, by means of fire drills and practices at suitable intervals, that persons working at the home and, so far as reasonably practicable, children are aware of the procedure to be followed in case of fire. (Regulation 25 (1)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that actions highlighted in the fire risk assessment are completed within required timescales 20 November

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Requirement Due date

An individual may only carry on a children’s home if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (5).

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

the individual is mentally and physically fit to carry on the home.

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Requirement Due date

satisfy the requirements in paragraph (5)(a) to (c); and

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Requirement Due date

have the capacity, experience and skills to supervise the management of the home, or the homes, in respect of which the responsible individual is nominated. (Regulation 26 (1) (2) (5)(a)(b)(c)(d) (7)(a)(b)) 22 December

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Requirement Due date

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 20 November Inspection report children’s home: 1271234 10 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,

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Requirement Due date

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

in particular, ensure that Disclosure and Barring Checks are up to date.

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must prepare and implement a policy which—

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Requirement Due date

sets out the procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect.

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Requirement Due date

The procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect must, in particular—

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Requirement Due date

provide for records to be kept of an allegation of abuse or neglect, and the action taken in response. (Regulation 34 (1)(b) (2)(d))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that clear records are kept about any investigation into an allegation and that children are informed about the outcome of any investigation into an allegation they have made. 20 November

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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

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; and 20 November Inspection report children’s home: 1271234 11 within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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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.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 35 (3)(a)(iv)(vii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that incidents of physical intervention are recorded clearly in line with regulation.

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Requirement Due date

he registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there. (Regulation 40 (4)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that the registered person informs Ofsted of any serious incidents and allegations made in the home and that notifications to Ofsted are provided without delay. 20 November

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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.

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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”).

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Requirement Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed. (Regulation 45 (1) (3) (4)(a))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that the registered person completes a quality of care review at least every six months and provides a copy to Ofsted within 28 days. 22 December Inspection report children’s home: 1271234 12 * These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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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: 1271234 13

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Inspire Care (UK) Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 263 Nottingham Road, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire NG7 7DA

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Inspector

Kev Brammer, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1271234 14 to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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