Children's Home run by CF Support Services Limited in Essex

Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2616993 1 Registered provider: CF Support Services Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately run home provides care for one child who cannot be cared for in mainstream residential care or foster care.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager since August 2022.

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Information about this children’s home

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

Following the full inspection in June 2022, two compliance notices were served in regard to the protection of children and leadership and management. At the monitoring visit on 26 July 2022, Ofsted found that the steps in both of the compliance notices were met. As a result , the overall inspection judgement was changed to requires improvement to be good.

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Information about this inspection

At this inspection, the inspector evaluated:

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Information about this inspection

 the care of children  the safety of children  the effectiveness of leaders and managers. Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, using the social care common inspection framework. This assurance 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’. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2616993 2

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Findings from the inspection

We identified the following serious and widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance inspection:

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Findings from the inspection

 Staff and managers have failed to ensure that all safeguarding incidents have been responded to in a manner that protects the child’s welfare.  The quality of managerial reviews and monitoring require improvement. Serious concerns from incidents and ineffective staff responses to risk have not been identified or responded to by the management team.  Managers have not ensured that the child’s risk assessment is accurate or provides proactive strategies for staff to follow to reduce risk.  Notifications to Ofsted of significant incidents do not always provide clarity about incidents or give enough information.  Supervisions for a new staff member have been delayed during a crucial time in their development.  Staff do not record information in a way that protects the child’s welfare and privacy.  The current recording system increases the risk of information being compromised.

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The care of children

This inspection was brought forward to address specific concerns received by Ofsted. At the time of the inspection, one child was living at the home.

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The care of children

The condition of the home requires immediate attention. The bathroom floor is warped and needs repair. The kitchen ceiling is stained from a water leak and has not been repainted. The study is unkempt and contains a bag of rubbish. The overall decor throughout the home is outdated and plans to redecorate have not been realised. Overall, the condition and general upkeep of the house does not provide a well-decorated home that is nurturing and meets the preferences of the child.

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The care of children

The staff understand the importance of the child’s education. The child successfully moved to a local school following a gap in education. The staff liaised effectively with the headteacher. The staff challenged education professionals to plan a move in the child’s best interest. Staff ensure that good routines are maintained, which supports the child’s reintroduction to school.

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The care of children

Staff support a range of activities that reflect the child’s interests and hobbies. These include an outing to London, trips to an aquarium, ice skating, the cinema and the zoo. The child gave positive feedback about how these experiences support their well-being. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2616993 3 The staff actively support the child’s primary health needs. The child has attended the dentist and received treatment that they had not previously been able to have.

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The care of children

Staff have established positive relationships with the child and provide planned one- to-one discussions. These discussions help the child to reflect on behaviours and express their feelings and views.

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The safety of children

The child is at significant risk of exploitation. The staff and managers have failed to ensure that safeguarding incidents have been responded to in a manner that protects the child’s welfare.

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The safety of children

On one occasion, staff failed to share information or contact the police after observing clear signs of exploitation between the child and unknown individuals. On another occasion, the staff failed to seek medical advice or take the child to hospital despite indications that the child was under the influence of a substance. The staff have failed to act effectively, and this has put the child at increased risk of harm.

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The safety of children

The child’s risk management plan is updated regularly. However, there is a lack of guidance for staff to reduce the risks to the child. Staff do not always follow agreed risk-reduction measures, and these measures are not reviewed after incidents to include proactive strategies. The risk assessment plan includes inaccuracies. The staff provide consequences that are not realistic or effective. As a result, the plans do not inform staff about practices to prevent further risky situations.

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The safety of children

The monitoring of fire doors in the home is not good enough. One door had been replaced in May 2022 and is missing the intumescent fire strips. This had not been identified by managers and increases the risk to the child and staff in the event of a fire.

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The safety of children

The child’s missing-from-home protocol is comprehensive, and staff have good awareness of the procedures. While recent incidents of the child leaving the home have increased, the staff have responded well and in line with agreed procedures. Staff actively search for the child and liaise with police and other professionals to ensure the child’s safe return.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

There has been no registered manager at the home since August 2022. In October 2022, a new manager was appointed and subsequently left the home without registering with Ofsted. A recruitment program to appoint a new manager is underway. In the interim, an operational manager and deputy manager are overseeing the day-to-day management of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

There are several shortfalls identified in regard to the effectiveness of the leadership and management of the home. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2616993 4 The quality of managerial reviews and internal monitoring require improvement. Serious concerns from recent incidents and ineffective staff responses have not been identified by the management team. The management team has failed to identify that the child’s risk management plan needed improvement. The maintenance logs and repair schedules are not monitored, making it unclear when repairs were identified. Consequently, opportunities to identify and action improvements have been missed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The information contained in one notification overlooked important details. One incident was not notified within the required timescales. This affects Ofsted’s capacity to monitor the home’s safeguarding arrangements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Some elements of the staff’s day-to-day recording systems fail to protect the child’s welfare and privacy. Staff record information on their personal mobile devices which increases the risk of information being compromised and is not in line with general data protection regulations.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Staff supervisions are child-centred and detailed. However, one new staff member without any prior experience in residential care did not receive any supervision for the first seven weeks. This does not provide the necessary support for this staff member during a crucial time in their development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Staff meetings are constructive, well attended and maintain a focus on the child. Staff access training to develop their skills and understanding of the child’s individual needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The management team has made an appropriate referral to an external support agency for additional support in reducing the child’s current risks of exploitation. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2616993 5

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/06/2022 Full Inadequate Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2616993 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 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

the plans for redecoration proceed at an appropriate pace. 27 January 2023

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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

that staff— 20 January 2023 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2616993 7 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;

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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 children effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1)(a) (2)(a)(iii)(vi)(b))

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Requirement Due date

review the information in the child’s risk assessment to ensure that it is accurate, contains all relevant details and states the actions that staff should take to reduce the risks;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that managers share the child’s risk assessment with staff and monitor to ensure that staff implement it;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff understand the risks to the child and take effective action to reduce these risks.

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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

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)(h)) 20 January 2023 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2616993 8 In particular, ensure that:

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Requirement Due date

managers thoroughly scrutinise and review records to ensure that they are good quality and that any issues relating to staff’s practice or issues with the home’s environment are identified and followed up with the staff concerned;

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Requirement Due date

all staff, particularly new staff, receive the support and supervision that they need, in line with the organisation’s policy, to ensure that they are equipped and able to provide effective and safe care;

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Requirement Due date

notifications to Ofsted are timely and contain relevant and accurate information about the incident and the actions taken by staff and managers in response to ensure the child’s safety;

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Requirement Due date

arrangements to record information are secure and do not breach confidentiality protocols and that time is given to staff to make appropriate records when they are not directly supervising the child.

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Requirement Due date

If the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005(a) applies to the home—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person must ensure that the requirements of that Order and any regulations made under it, except for article 23 (duties of employees), are complied with in respect of the home. (Regulation 25 (2)(b)) 20 January 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if—

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Requirement Due date

there is no registered manager in respect of the home. (Regulation 27 (1)(a)) 27 January 2023

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2616993 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: CF Support Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 11 Three Rivers Business Centre, Felixstowe Road, Foxhall, Ipswich IP10 0BF

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Joanne Henderson

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Inspector

Mark Anderton, Social Care Inspector Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2616993 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

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