Children's Home run by Central and Southern Homes Limited in Cornwall

Inspection report children’s home: 2652096 1 Registered provider: Central & Southern Homes Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home’s statement of purpose states that it provides care on a long-term basis for up to four children who have experienced trauma. The home was registered with Ofsted in October 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

This is the first time that Ofsted has inspected the home. The home currently does not have a registered manager.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, no children were living at the home. One child had moved out a few days earlier.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

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

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2652096 2

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Recent inspection history

Not previously inspected. Inspection report children’s home: 2652096 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home has experienced significant changes since it was first registered on 29 October 2021. The care that the child received when they first entered the home was inadequate. There was a lack of positive boundaries and guidance. The child was allowed to eat an unhealthy diet without challenge, leading to noticeable weight gain. They were given medication that was not prescribed and was not recorded appropriately. Despite child plans with clear strategies to respond to the child’s behaviour being in place, staff were advised by the registered manager not to follow them. This led to the child being increasingly distressed and staff sustaining injuries during incidents in the home. When concerns were raised, they were not acted on.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The recruitment of an experienced responsible individual led to the whistle-blowing procedure being used effectively and a full investigation being undertaken. The provider dismissed the registered manager and deputy manager. Two members of the original staff team remain working at the home. The management team has undertaken a complete overhaul of practice and paperwork since the concerns came to light.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is a beautiful house that is decorated in a contemporary way. It feels like a large family home. The gardens are well presented and provide lovely spaces for children to play and relax. Children’s and staff’s bedrooms are homely and welcoming.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has made positive progress in their social and emotional well-being. They have developed trusting relationships with staff. This has enabled them to visit theme parks, attend college taster days and go to the shop, despite not being able to spend time out of home prior to living at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff fully support the child’s sensory needs. They ensure that noise-cancelling headphones or ear defenders are always available to the child when noise disruptions cause issues. They provide sensory boxes full of items requested by the child to help them to relax or focus. These are used both in the home and the community when the child feels overwhelmed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have supported the child to develop age-appropriate independence skills. They have access to a smart phone and the internet, and understand the risks of online exploitation. Staff have frank discussion with the child about sexual health and relationships. The child is able to do laundry, shopping and cooking. The child successfully moved to semi-independent accommodation a few days before the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff prepared the child for their moves in to and from the home. They got to know the child and gave them lots of information about their new home. They have continued to support the child since their move, and this has helped them to settle Inspection report children’s home: 2652096 4 well. However, the home’s children’s guide is not a child-friendly document as it is very lengthy and wordy.

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improvement to be good

Children’s plans are detailed documents that provide staff with strategies to respond to the child’s behaviour effectively. The views of the child are embedded in every document. However, they have not consistently been kept up to date with changing information. For example, when it was not safe for staff to enter the child’s room alone, this was shared at the team meeting but not updated on the plan. Children’s plans also contain language that is overly complicated and does not help staff to understand the behaviours of the child.

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improvement to be good

The impact risk assessment, to assess whether the home can meet the child’s needs effectively, is a detailed document. It clearly identifies the skills of the team and how they can respond effectively to the child. However, this document has continued to be updated since the child moved to the home, so it is unclear whether the risks and needs of the child were fully understood from the outset.

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improvement to be good

Incidents are now recorded accurately and in detail. Staff respond effectively to the child to help de-escalate behaviours and help them to recognise the impact of their actions. When restraint is used it is proportionate. Recordings are clear and there is good use of reflections by management to ensure that lessons are learned.

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improvement to be good

Incidents of self-harm are managed sensitively, and recordings are clear and detailed. Staff know the child well and adapt their responses appropriately according to the child’s behaviour. Staff listen to the child and help them to express their emotions during incidents to better understand why they are distressed. There is evidence that the number and severity of incidents has steadily reduced.

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improvement to be good

The child has been subject to deprivation of liberty restrictions through a court order. This has been followed since October 2021 without robust review. The most- recent court order was not in the child’s file, so staff could not be certain that they were following up-to-date instructions. However, there was evidence of correspondence between the home and the children’s Cafcass Guardian and local authority social worker discussing the levels of supervision.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home does not currently have a registered manager. However, the responsible individual is an experienced manager who is providing exceptional oversight to the team. Staff respect them and feel supported by them. They have made significant positive changes to the care that the home provides since concerns were raised.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

When concerns were raised by a new member of staff, senior leaders and managers responded swiftly and methodically. This ensured that a thorough investigation was Inspection report children’s home: 2652096 5 initiated. The safety and welfare of the child were prioritised during this period. A lack of professional curiosity prior to this led to poor practice not being challenged.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have access to good, quality reflective supervision. This supports their well- being and professional development. The home does not currently have a clinical psychologist to underpin the therapeutic support that the home requires. This has not negatively impacted staff morale or the quality of care that the child received. However, leaders and managers understand the importance of such support and are searching for a suitable practitioner to join the team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have developed positive relationships with external agencies. This has ensured that the care the child received once the concerns were raised was consistently good despite the difficulties the team were facing. Managers sustained open and honest discussion with the local authority and safeguarding agencies to provide reassurance that the home was able to continue providing appropriate care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have reflected on practice and procedures since the recent investigation concluded. The whistle-blowing process has been reviewed and the inspector’s discussions with staff demonstrate that they know how to respond and who to speak to if they have concerns.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

External professionals speak highly of the home. The child’s social worker told inspectors that the child received excellent support from staff when they moved to their new home. Another local authority professional said that leaders and managers stepped in and turned things around rapidly when it was identified that practice was not as expected. Inspection report children’s home: 2652096 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 registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that any deprivation of liberty order relating to the child is in the child’s file and is used to determine the care that the child receives. 29 December

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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

In particular, impact risk assessments should remain a static document and only be updated when another child moves to the home. 29 December Inspection report children’s home: 2652096 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

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

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Requirement Due date

In particular, when new strategies are implemented to help safeguard the child and staff, these should be updated on the behaviour management plans and risk assessments. 29 December

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Recommendations

 The registered persons must ensure that staff record information on an individual child in a non-stigmatizing way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third- party information. It should be recorded in a way that is helpful to the child. In particular, staff should avoid the use of jargon words that do not assist staff in understanding the child’s behaviour. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: 2652096 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Central & Southern Homes

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Pitmaston House, Malvern Road, Worcester, WR2 4LL

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Inspector

Penelope Kutz, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2652096 9 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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