Children's Home run by Amicus Residential Care Ltd in Reading

Inspection report for children's home: SC059221 1 SC059221 Registered provider: Causeway Care Homes Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This small, privately owned home provides care for up to three children aged between 12 and 16 years on admission, for either short- or long-term placements. The children may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in August 2021.

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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: 11 October 2022

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

A restriction of accommodation notice was issued on 17 October 2022, with an end date of 8 January 2023.

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

A compliance notice in relation to regulation 13 was issued on 25 October 2022, with an end date of 20 November 2022. A monitoring visit took place on 23 November 2022, at which it was decided that the compliance notice had not been met. Inspection report for children's home: SC059221 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/10/2022 Full Inadequate 16/02/2022 Full Good 06/01/2020 Interim Sustained effectiveness 07/10/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: SC059221 3

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improvement to be good

Children enjoy some strong and nurturing relationships with staff. They are beginning to make more progress as a result of engaging in more prearranged activities with them. Children feel listened to. Any issues or ideas that they raise in children’s meetings or directly to staff are responded to. Staff are thoughtful when explaining why something cannot happen. Children have chosen new decor and furniture for their bedrooms, which is helping them to take pride in their rooms and keep them tidy.

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improvement to be good

Children are learning independence skills, with staff support. The recently implemented programme identifies key areas for independence and skills for adulthood. While this is still being embedded in practice, progress is demonstrated in many areas already. Staff are keen, however, that this does not replace the need for children to be cared for and parented effectively.

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improvement to be good

Joint working with education professionals and social workers means that both the children living in the home are engaged in education. Each attends a mix of formal and alternative education, with structured activities to fill their timetables. Children generally engage well, and staff are consistent in waking them in the mornings and ensuring that they are ready to learn.

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improvement to be good

Children are helped to remain in touch with their family and friends, with staff supporting meetings when needed. Children have free time in the community to see friends and staff know who they are meeting and where they live. Staff help children to understand how to behave in their friends’ homes and ensure that they are appropriately respectful.

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improvement to be good

Children’s health and well-being needs are well met and the home has close links with a specialist nurse. Children are now up to date with their immunisations and routine health checks. A specialist private dentist has been sought for one child who particularly struggles with going to the dentist. Consequently, they are now having the treatment that they require.

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improvement to be good

There have been no serious incidents or safeguarding concerns since the last inspection. The manager has reviewed the serious incidents noted as concerns at the last inspection and the staff practice. Staff have been shown how to record incidents in the future, and they spoke confidently about this to the inspector.

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improvement to be good

Health and safety practices in the home have improved. The managers and staff have implemented acceptable food hygiene standards. Guidance for staff on how to Inspection report for children's home: SC059221 4 store food safely is now clear. Staff are encouraging children to enjoy meals together, with some degree of success. Children’s bedrooms are checked daily to ensure that they are free from potential hazards. Children now have an incentive programme to encourage them to keep their rooms clean and safe. Children have taken part in fire drills and shortfalls identified in the fire risk assessment have been remedied.

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improvement to be good

Safer recruitment practice is being followed for new staff. The main maintenance contractor, who is related to the registered manager, now has an up-to-date Disclosure and Barring Service certificate. A policy has been devised to provide staff with guidance on how to report any safeguarding or conduct concerns that they may have about staff who work in the home and are related to others in the home.

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improvement to be good

Children are confident in their home and approach staff with worries or concerns. Staff have a good understanding of the risks that children face in the community and have good links with the local police. Staff know each child’s vulnerabilities and support them to recognise risks themselves. Staff know the processes to follow should they be worried about a child’s safety or well-being and how to escalate concerns with the local authority.

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good

Staff say that they feel supported by the management team. There is a new responsible individual in post who neither staff nor children had met at the time of this inspection. The oversight of the home is improving, but the changes are yet to be fully embedded in practice. The registered manager has not yet evaluated the impact on the quality of care of the changes to approaches in the home.

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good

Staff say that they have the skills and support that they need to meet children’s needs. The manager has completed a full training audit to help identify gaps in learning. However, the plan only focuses on training and not the other skills that staff bring to the role. Staff with specific responsibilities linked to fire safety have had training in this area. When staff have completed training, their knowledge and understanding are tested and reviewed in staff supervisions.

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good

The quality of children’s plans has improved. Plans now give all staff clear guidance on how to safely manage each child’s needs. Information about daily routines and children’s likes and dislikes is now readily available for staff, alongside more in-depth goals and targets. These plans are relatively new but are updated at least every month. The process has been reviewed to ensure that all staff know from the day that children arrive what they are safe to do, including in relation to any free time in the community.

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good

The provider is supporting staff to understand the home’s ethos and how to provide care in line with the statement of purpose. Staff meetings have been used to refresh staff’s understanding of their roles and to devise new ways in which to improve consistency. Staff, including those who work part time, say the new processes Inspection report for children's home: SC059221 5 ensure that they have the time to catch up on what has happened since they were last in the home. The ‘read and sign’ log means they know of any changes. These measures improve consistency across the staff teams but need to be further developed and embedded in practice.

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good

The registered manager has improved the referral process for considering if children’s needs can be met by staff. No children have been placed since the last inspection, due to the restriction notice in place. The management team has evaluated the needs of the children currently living in the home and is considering their needs against those of any new children who may move in. They recognise the importance of the right mix of children living together and of making sure that this is right. A full review has identified where there have been previous failings and what now needs to be in place for any new child moving into the home.

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good

The manager is reviewing the quality of the information provided by the independent visitor, given that they had not identified the gaps and shortfalls found at the last inspection. Oversight in general remains an area for development. The requirements and recommendations set at the last inspection have been met. Inspection report for children's home: SC059221 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 the staff work as a team where appropriate;

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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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(f)) 10 February 2023

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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)) 10 February 2023 Inspection report for children's home: SC059221 7 A responsible individual must—

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Requirement Due date

have the capacity, experience and skills to supervise the management of the home, or the homes, in respect of which the responsible individual is nominated. (Regulation 26 (7)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, a responsible individual should be appointed who has the capacity to supervise the management of the home. 10 February 2023

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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: SC059221 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Causeway Care Homes Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 118B Oxford Road, Reading RG1 7NQ

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Inspector

Jennie Christopher, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC059221 9 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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