Children's Home run by Northamptonshire Children’s Trust Limited in West Northamptonshire

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2616670 1

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Northamptonshire Childrens Trust Limited

Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a children’s trust on behalf of a local authority. It is a residential home for children with autism spectrum disorder and moderate to severe learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspectors were aware during this inspection that serious child protection allegations have been investigated by the police. Although these investigations have been concluded, disciplinary and legal processes are ongoing. The staff involved are not currently working at the home.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit was carried out to review concerns received by Ofsted about the health and welfare needs of the children living in this home. This was a focused visit and so the recommendations made at the previous inspection were not reviewed. Therefore, these have been carried forward to the next inspection.

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This monitoring visit

Children attend all their health reviews and consultations, such as appointments with the dentist and opticians, and annual health medical assessments. They have access to children’s mental health services and the specialist community nursing team. However, when a child presented with a cough, there was an unacceptable length of time before staff sought medical attention. The child’s family and her school repeatedly said that the child had a cough, which, as time progressed, they believed became a chesty cough. The staff in the home monitored the health of the child but did not seek medical attention until the child presented with symptoms more regularly. The child attended a doctor’s appointment three weeks after the cough was first reported, and it was then a further four weeks before they went again, where she was prescribed medication as a precaution. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2616670 2

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This monitoring visit

Maintenance work is slow to be completed. Children’s bedrooms are currently being refurbished. This means that a child has moved out of their bedroom into vacant bedroom that is closer to a child who struggles to sleep at night. This child has had their sleep disturbed, which may impact on their emotional well-being.

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This monitoring visit

Children have enjoyed a range of activities during the summer holidays. However, activities after school, in the community, tend to be routine, usually including a trip to the shops, a walk, or drive out in the home’s vehicle. Children have limited time out so that staff can ensure that all the children go out. Staff are starting to think about taking the children swimming, bowling or trampolining, but these activities have not yet occurred on a regular basis and have been infrequent to date. Children’s medical appointments also impact on the frequency of activities in the community. There are not enough staff to enable children to go out regularly, partake in activities of their choice, stay out for longer if they wish to, or allow children to go further afield to experience a wider range of activities that they may enjoy more.

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This monitoring visit

Staff are working with other agencies to help them to better understand autism and what this means for the children living in the home. It is hoped that this work will ensure that there is a more consistent approach to children. For example, one child likes staff to be playful with her. This helps to build positive relationships with the child and reduces her anxiety and self-harming behaviour. This approach is not yet fully embedded.

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This monitoring visit

There is a new manager who is in the process of applying for registration. The manager seems to have a good understanding of the current issues and has plans to address them. He has started working closely with other agencies to ensure that children receive better care.

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This monitoring visit

External professionals say that communication between staff and them is changeable. Currently, they say that communication has improved. They also believe that staff could do more activities with the children and respond to health concerns quicker.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 17/05/2022 Full Good 24/02/2022 Interim Declined in effectiveness 23/06/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2616670 3

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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

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

meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, complete the refurbishment of children’s bedrooms quickly to lessen the impact on the emotional well- being of children. 20 December 2022

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services, and support in relation to their health and well-being;

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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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 staff help each child to take part in activities, and attend any appointments, for the purpose of meeting the child’s health and well-being needs. 20 December 2022 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2616670 4 (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, seek appropriate healthcare for children without delay.

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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

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that there are enough staff on duty to enable children to take part in a wider range of activities outside the home, and that children can go out more regularly and for longer if they wish. 31 March 2023

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that practice supervision for staff allows them to reflect on their practice as well as the needs of the children assigned to their care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. This includes ensuring that all activities in the community are well planned and risk assessed to ensure that children are not put at undue risk of harm. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that any child who has been restrained is given the opportunity express their feelings about their experience of the restraint as soon as is practicable, ideally within 24 hours of the restraint incident, taking the age of the child and the circumstances of the restraint into account. In some cases, children may need longer to work through their feelings, so a record that the child has talked about their feelings should be Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2616670 5 made no longer than five days after the incident of restraint. Children should be encouraged to add their views and comments to the record of restraint. Children should be offered the opportunity to access an advocacy support to help them with this. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 50, paragraph 9.60)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all staff in a care role, including external agency or bank staff, have the qualification in regulation 32(4) within the relevant timescale listed in regulation 32(5). The registered person may extend the time period if the member of staff has not worked in the role for a prolonged period, such as sick leave or maternity leave, or if it is not reasonable to expect the member of staff to complete in this timescale due to the nature of the hours they work. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.12)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the oversight of incidents is strengthened. They should ensure that all staff involved in incidents are debriefed and any issues raised are formally addressed. Debrief forms should be signed by the person being debriefed to demonstrate that it is a true record and managers involved in the incident should not complete debriefs of staff involved in the same incident. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2616670 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Northamptonshire Childrens Trust Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: One Angel Square, Angel Street, Northampton, Northamptonshire NN1 1ED

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Inspector

Joanne Vyas, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2616670 7 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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