Children's home run by Care 4 Every Child Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2679026 1 Registered provider: Care 4 Every Child Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care for up to four children who may require support with their social, emotional and behavioural needs. The home is owned and operated by a private organisation.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager post is currently vacant.

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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 requires improvement to be good

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good

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

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good

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2679026 2

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Recent inspection history

Not previously inspected Inspection report for children’s home: 2679026 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff team shows a genuine commitment towards supporting children. The children have very positive relationships with staff. This helps children to settle in following their move to the home and gets them on track to make progress. The good relationships children have with staff also support children to feel safe. One child said: ‘I want to stay here until I am 18. I feel safe; the staff are calm with me.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy living at the home. They receive good care and support, and they enjoy many positive experiences. Children are regularly encouraged to access a range of activities in the local area and beyond. This enables children to develop and grow in confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to express their wishes and feelings. This takes place through regular children’s meetings. However, children’s comments about their care are not always being used in the development of the home. Additionally, children’s feedback is not always captured and their views are not always evident in records. This limits the children’s participation in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are well known and met by staff. Staff work with a variety of involved health professionals. Staff understand the complexities of each child. There is a good therapeutic approach. This helps to maintain children’s health and emotional well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff support children to attend education. Staff work hard to motivate children to learn and experience different things. As children become older, staff support them to prepare for adult life. This helps children to engage with their learning and development and make progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A recent fire at the home led to a child having to temporarily move out of the home. While this was unsettling for him, the child received support and has settled back into the home well.

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improvement to be good

The safeguarding of children is not yet good. Leaders are making improvements but these need to be better established and embedded. Safeguarding incidents are not a regular occurrence in the home, but when they happen, they are not always dealt with effectively.

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improvement to be good

Children’s risk assessments and care plans lack clarity in some areas. Additionally, they are not consistently updated when children’s circumstances change. This makes it difficult for staff to know what strategies they should follow to reduce risks to children. On some occasions, following incidents, appropriate immediate steps have Inspection report for children’s home: 2679026 4 not been taken by staff and complacency has developed. However, the interim manager is taking steps to address this.

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improvement to be good

There has been an isolated instance where staff were not diligent about the storage of prescribed tablets, resulting in a child being able to take their prescribed tablets. Staff were held to account in line with the home’s disciplinary procedures. Lessons are being learned but need to be embedded.

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improvement to be good

Recruitment records do not show attention to detail. This particularly relates to pre- employment checks of references and a lack of oversight on employee files. Consequently, there is a risk that unsuitable staff may be employed at the home to care for children.

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improvement to be good

Children have trusting relationships with the manager and team. Children know they will be listened to and taken seriously. This reflects the staff’s ability to manage and support children through their anxieties or worries. Consequently, children have the stability they need to keep them safe.

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improvement to be good

Staff complete the required safeguarding training. The training topics are centred around the children’s needs. Safeguarding is discussed in each staff member’s one- to-one meeting with their manager. Safeguarding matters are also discussed in team meetings. This supports staff to develop their knowledge and understand their role.

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good

There is currently no registered manager. There has been a vacancy since September 2022. However, the home has an acting manager who has applied for Ofsted registration. The acting manager has already started the process of gaining a qualification in leadership and management.

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good

The home is run in accordance with its statement of purpose. The acting manager has started to improve monitoring in the home, but this is not yet fully effective. The new processes are not yet embedded to ensure that all aspects of children’s care are monitored and shortfalls are responded to.

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good

There has been a recent fire in the home. There was no harm to anyone and appropriate action was taken immediately. The fire authority is complimentary about the fire procedures which were in place at the time and have praised leaders for their investment in fire safety measures and procedures. The manager is working hard to make sure all actions are finished and risk assessments are completed. This will take time and needs to be embedded.

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good

The interim manager is visible and approachable. Staff are supported in their day-to- day practice. They have regular supervision sessions, which helps them to reflect on the needs of the children. However, where opportunities for staff to improve on their practice are identified, these are not always clearly recorded in supervision records. Inspection report for children’s home: 2679026 5 Team meetings take place and have a focus. Staff also receive support and guidance from therapeutic services. However, there is a lack of identified actions from the discussions. As a result, they have not yet been used effectively to shape practice in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2679026 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 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

This specifically relates to ensuring that all records are reviewed and monitored by the manager. 21 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—

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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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that plans and assessments are updated regularly, including following any incidents, and that lessons learned are embedded. 21 November

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who— 28 November Inspection report for children’s home: 2679026 7 take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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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

ascertain and consider each child’s views, wishes and feelings, and balance these against what they judge to be in the child’s best interests when making decisions about the child’s care and welfare;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to express views, wishes and feelings;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child;

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Requirement Due date

regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home’s care. (Regulation 7 (1)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to supporting children to contribute on all aspects of their care.

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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

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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,

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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)) 28 November Inspection report for children’s home: 2679026 8 This specifically relates to ensuring that all employment checks on staff members are completed.

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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: 2679026 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Care 4 Every Child Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Library Chambers, 48 Union Street, Hyde SK14 1ND

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Inspector(s)

Thirza Smith, Social Care Inspector Louise Copping, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2679026 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 looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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