Children's Home run by Gloucestershire County Council in Gloucestershire

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC415400 1 SC415400

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Gloucestershire County Council

Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by the local authority. It provides a short-breaks service for up to six children aged up to 18 years with learning and/or physical disabilities. One child was present when the inspectors arrived.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since November 2020.

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This monitoring visit

This home was judged inadequate at the full inspection on 24 and 25 October 2022. At that time, serious and widespread shortfalls were found in relation to safeguarding practice, behaviour management and ensuring that staff have the skills required to meet the needs of the children in their care and can identify and act on concerns about children’s welfare. In addition, records were disorganised, and leadership and management oversight was weak. Six requirements were made at the last inspection. This visit was carried out to review action taken in response to the shortfalls found at the full inspection and to ensure that children’s welfare is being protected.

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This monitoring visit

Following the full inspection, the provider took urgent action to review records for all of the children visiting the home for short breaks. Immediate action was taken to share information with social work managers as necessary. The inspectors were advised that the review did not identify that any children were unsafe or that there were any unresolved safeguarding concerns. Staff are completing refresher training in safeguarding, and the registered manager and deputy manager are due to attend level 3 child protection training. Further training in safeguarding children with disabilities is arranged for January 2023, and further multi-agency training is scheduled for February 2023. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC415400 2 The bumps and bruises book in use at the full inspection has been replaced by a safeguarding and concerns form that staff are now using. These forms provide a

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This monitoring visit

better record of the concerns raised, the action taken and the subsequent outcome for children. Records reviewed during the visit were supplemented with clear evidence of emails and correspondence with parents and other agencies, records of meetings, and the actions arising from these. The improved safeguarding practice needs more time to embed so that systems can be put in place to allow leaders and managers to monitor the concerns effectively and to ensure that all available information is used to inform children’s plans.

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This monitoring visit

Records are now being typed and are being held electronically. Children’s files have also been reviewed since the last inspection to ensure that they are more orderly. Those seen by inspectors had been updated since the last inspection and provide clear guidance to staff on how to meet the children’s needs and include detailed daily support plans. The requirement to ensure that children’s records are signed, dated and include information as required by regulations has therefore been met.

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This monitoring visit

While behaviour management plans and children’s risk assessments have also been reviewed and updated, more detail is required to ensure that staff know specifically how to respond should a child be at risk of harm to themselves or present a risk of harm to others. The behaviour management policy and procedure has been reviewed, and while it reflects the home’s ethos in relation to positive behaviour management, there remains insufficient information to ensure that staff are clear about how and when restraint should be used. Antecedent, behaviour and consequence charts have been introduced for all children; however, more time is needed for themes and trends to be identified, which will make these records useful to staff and fully inform the children’s plans.

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This monitoring visit

Action has been taken to review quality assurance and monitoring practice, policies and procedures, and children’s records. Systems have been put in place to support the manager and the provider to keep the quality of the home under review. Good progress is being made to meet the requirements made at the last inspection. However, this progress is in the early stages and the full action plan is still to be completed. The remaining requirements made at the last inspection will remain in place and will be reviewed at the next inspection.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 24/10/2022 Full Inadequate 17/11/2021 Full Good 10/04/2019 Full Good 04/06/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC415400 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 positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 11 (1)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)) 6 December 2022

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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;

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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 6 December 2022 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC415400 4 are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm;

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Requirement Due date

that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(e))

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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

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;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; 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)(f)(g)(i)(h)) 6 December 2022 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC415400 5 The registered person must ensure that all employees —

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b)) 6 December 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (“the behaviour management policy”) which sets out—

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Requirement Due date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the

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Requirement Due date

the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the behaviour management policy under review and, where appropriate, revise it. (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b) (2)) 6 December 2022

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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: SC415400 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Gloucestershire County Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Shire Hall, Westgate Street, Gloucester GL1 2TG

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Inspectors

Kerry Fell, Social Care Inspector Gary Turney, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC415400 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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