Children's Home run by Rite Directions Limited in Derbyshire

Inspection report for children's home: 2616704 1 Registered provider: Rite Directions Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a private company. It provides care for up to three children with emotional and social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has a new manager who was appointed in September 2022. The manager is not yet 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: 12 January 2022

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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: 2616704 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/01/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2616704 3

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improvement to be good

Overall, the staff and children have positive relationships. However, there are some inconsistencies in staff practice which can affect children’s progress. There have been several incidents which have impacted on the trust that children have with staff. As a result, some children have not received the support and encouragement they need to do well and not all the children have positive experiences of living at the home.

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improvement to be good

One child has minimal education provision. The interim manager has raised and escalated her concerns to the responsible local authority. Although children participate in a variety of educationally focused activities, the child continues to receive little in the way of formal education. As a result, their learning and development is being hampered through a lack of identified education provision.

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improvement to be good

Children’s progress is monitored by the manager and staff. However, there is a lack of analysis to provide key insights which might help staff to support children better. Children’s plans are repetitive and lack development. This means the impact and effectiveness of care on children’s progress is not understood or developed further. This fails to support effective planning or help children to make progress.

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improvement to be good

Children’s wishes, feelings and views are not informing their individual plans or the wider development of the home. Although staff speak to children regularly and ask for their views, their participation in the wider decision-making is limited. Children’s wishes and feelings are not captured or recorded. This limits opportunities for children to fully participate or have their voices heard and responded to in a manner that makes them feel valued.

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improvement to be good

Arrangements are in place to support children to spend time with their families and those close to them. For example, staff have supported a child in building their relationship with their family. A parent said: ‘Can’t praise them [staff] enough. It is a nurturing home from home.’

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improvement to be good

Children are regularly encouraged to access a range of activities in the local area and beyond. Children are supported to explore their interests and hobbies. One child talked about going ‘cold water swimming’. They very much enjoyed this. This supports children to build their confidence and self-esteem. Additionally, these positive experiences serve as a reminder of the good times children have experienced while living in the home. Inspection report for children's home: 2616704 4

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improvement to be good

There have been several safeguarding incidents. This has, at times, left children vulnerable. Although staff have responded to incidents, they have not always been able to ensure the safety of the children. Failures in safeguarding practices mean that the way that children are safeguarded is not yet good.

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improvement to be good

Children’s risk assessments are not consistently amended with up-to-date information. They lack clarity and guidance for staff about how to reduce risk and prevent harm. Improvements are being made, but these need time to become embedded in practice.

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improvement to be good

Staff do use physical intervention at times in response to difficult behaviour. However, on some occasions, records are incomplete. Records fail to describe what took place. They do not include the views of children or the manager’s evaluation of the incident. This limits the capacity to learn lessons that improve the care practice of staff or ensure that the restraint was needed and carried out in line with protocols.

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improvement to be good

Staff are trained in safeguarding. The training meets the needs of the children placed at the home. However, safeguarding is not always routinely discussed in one- to-one staff supervision sessions. This does not provide staff with the opportunities to reflect and develop their practice. The interim manager has plans in place to improve these meetings with each staff member.

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improvement to be good

Team meetings do take place. However, these meetings do not yet have safeguarding children as a standard agenda item. This prevents staff from discussing specific and wider safeguarding issues. Additionally, team meetings do not yet act as a vehicle for staff development or a shared understanding of roles and responsibilities within the team.

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improvement to be good

The recruitment practice for new staff coming to the home is safe. However, the recording of documents and information for agency staff does not provide clarity. There has also been some information from the employment agency that is not clear or detailed. These relate to employment references and photo identification and employment history having gaps.

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good

There is currently no registered manager. There has been a vacancy since July 2022. The acting manager has been in post since September 2022 and they understand the importance of registration. The acting manager has begun to make progress and is taking steps to address shortfalls. However, shortfalls remain in several areas, and these have the potential to obstruct children’s progress and safety. Inspection report for children's home: 2616704 5 Staff complete the required mandatory training. The team is not yet fully trained in the preferred model of therapeutic care. However, training is taking place and is also strategically planned. This is steadily becoming embedded into staff practice.

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good

There are some management systems in place to review the quality of care provided. However, not all records have management oversight, for example gaps in medication files, physical intervention records and consent forms. Monitoring does not provide oversight or demonstrate understanding about the impact and effectiveness of care. As a result, continuous improvement is not made.

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good

Staff do not yet receive regular professional supervision. This means they do not have the opportunity to share concerns about practice with their supervisor or receive professional guidance to develop their care practice. This fails to equip staff with an understanding of their duties and responsibilities. One-to-one supervision meetings are now planned. The interim manager is aware of this and has started to address the shortfall.

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good

There are shortfalls in some staff members’ practice, and there have been occasions when their responses to children have been poor. This is evident in some records and complaints. The interim manager understands this and demonstrates a commitment to addressing the concerns identified. Inspection report for children's home: 2616704 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

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 work as a team where appropriate;

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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)(b)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that the manager reviews all children’s records and that the team works together effectively. 20 December

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs;

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each 09 January 2023 Inspection report for children's home: 2616704 7 child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

seek to develop and maintain effective professional relationships with such persons, bodies or organisations as the registered person considers appropriate having regard to the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the children’s home is to provide care and accommodation. (Regulation 5 (a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This is in relation to securing education and health services for children.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person, 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

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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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 name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

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 20 December Inspection report for children's home: 2616704 8 confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This is specifically in relation to ensuring that physical interventions are completed accurately, reviewed and monitored in a timely manner.

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Recommendations

 The registered person must ensure that prescribed medicines are only administered to the individual for whom they are prescribed. Medicines must be administered in line with a medically approved protocol. Records must be kept of the administration of all medication, which includes occasions when prescribed medication is refused. Regulation 23 requires the registered person to ensure that they make suitable arrangements to manage, administer and dispose of any medication. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.15)  The registered person must ensure that children are consulted regularly on their views about the home’s care, to inform and support continued improvement in the quality of care provided. Due consideration should be given to the child’s cognitive ability in the development and implementation of any consultation processes. Children should be able to see the results of their views being listened

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Recommendations

to and acted upon. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.11)  The registered person must have systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. Professionally qualified staff employed by the home, e.g. teachers or social workers, should be provided with relevant professionals or clinical supervision by an appropriately qualified and experienced professional. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)  The registered person should ensure that the use of external agency staff can be a positive choice to complement the skills and experiences of the permanent workforce. Any external agency staff should meet the requirements in regulation

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Recommendations

32(4) regarding mandatory qualifications and the registered person should consider their skills, qualifications and any induction necessary before they commence work in the home. The use of agency staff should be carefully monitored and reviewed to ensure children receive continuity of care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.16) Inspection report for children's home: 2616704 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: 2616704 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Rite Directions Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Tan Y Marian, Constitution Hill, Penmaenmawr, Gwynedd LL34 6BA

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Inspectors

Thirza Smith, Social Care Inspector Kathryn Hurley, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2616704 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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