Children's Home run by Greenfields Adolescent Development Limited in Herefordshire

Inspection report for children's home: 1271587 1 Registered provider: Greenfields Adolescent Development Limited 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 is registered to provide care for up to five children who have experienced adverse childhood experiences that have led to associated trauma and complex behaviours.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager of the home has yet to register 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

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: 1271587 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/04/2021 Full Good 12/11/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 23/10/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 1271587 3

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improvement to be good

Two children currently live in the home. Since the last inspection, five children have moved into the home and five children have left. Two children were able to return to their family homes, one child requested to move and two children left following managers making the decision to end their placements.

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, the home has experienced significant changes to the leadership, management and staffing of the home. This has resulted in a lack of consistency for children, and their relationships with staff have not been maintained. Children have felt unsettled by the changes and say they have had to get to know everyone again.

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improvement to be good

The staff team is relatively new to residential care. Its lack of experience has hindered how staff have supported children during periods of crisis and unsettled behaviour. This lack of experience and that staff are still getting to know children have meant that they have not always noticed early signs to defuse situations. As a result, incidents that could have been avoided occurred and escalated. For some children, this meant managers had to make the difficult decision to end their time living at the home.

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improvement to be good

Despite these challenges, children have shown resilience and made some progress. Staff have encouraged children to attend their educational setting. Creative plans have been put in place for children who struggle in the traditional classroom setting. One child who had not been in education for some time is now attending regularly, enjoying their studies and feeling aspirational about their future.

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improvement to be good

Staff are creative in making sure children experience a variety of social opportunities. Staff consider children’s interests and tailor activities to their likes, such as fishing, going to theme parks and having holidays in locations requested by children. Staff encourage children to continue with activities they already participate in, to do voluntary work and to try new activities. As a result, children enjoy and find new interests, maintain friendships and make new friends.

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improvement to be good

Moves into and from the home are planned. Even when children leave at short notice, staff give as much information as possible to the child. For one child, this meant a temporary move to foster care before a more permanent move. Staff supported the child in the temporary foster placement to ensure that the move was a positive experience for the child.

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improvement to be good

Children are encouraged by staff to be as independent as possible, depending on their age and development. They start with keeping their rooms tidy, bringing down the washing, making drinks and snacks, then progressing to having bank accounts, Inspection report for children's home: 1271587 4 shopping, budgeting and preparing meals. Consequently, children are prepared for the next stages of their lives.

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improvement to be good

Professionals and families spoken to by the inspector were positive about the care given at the home. One professional said, ‘They have been one of the best homes I have had the pleasure of working with.’

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improvement to be good

There have been several serious incidents at the home. This is because staff have not been able to effectively support children and de-escalate incidents. The staff’s inexperience meant that they did not notice the early cues and intervene quickly to safeguard children. The manager has acknowledged this shortfall and put plans in place to improve practice.

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improvement to be good

Children living at the home have complex behaviours due to trauma in early childhood. Staff incorporate the risks from these behaviours into children’s risk assessments and behaviour plans. When incidents occur, staff usually update these plans. However, on one occasion, a child’s plan was not updated for several weeks. Managers had verbally shared information with staff but not made sure the plan was updated. This oversight has the potential to result in staff not having the most up- to-date information to manage risks.

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improvement to be good

Due to significant damage, the home is going through a programme of redecoration and repair. Some areas are clean, tidy and homely. However, other areas, including unused children’s bedrooms, need work. The general cleanliness of the home could be improved, and rubbish and broken items need to be removed from the garden. One child was unhappy with the cleanliness of the home and pointed out all the shortfalls to the inspector. This does not create a safe and homely home that children want to live in.

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improvement to be good

New children moving into the home are assessed for compatibility with other children. However, on one occasion, the impact assessment was not completed until after the child moved in. As a result, staff did not have all the relevant information they needed to care for children when the child moved in.

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improvement to be good

Managers have responded to allegations and concerns appropriately. All have been reported to the relevant people, and investigations have been undertaken. When needed, managers have made the decision to dismiss staff due to poor practice. Consequently, children feel listened to and valued.

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improvement to be good

Children do, on occasion, go missing from the home. Staff have developed missing- from-care plans, which staff follow. When concerns are raised about who children may be in contact with when away from the home, this is reported to the relevant professionals, and risk assessments are updated so that staff are better informed of the actions they need to take to safeguard children. Inspection report for children's home: 1271587 5

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good

Since the last inspection, there have been changes to the leadership and management of the home. These changes have meant children and staff have not had a consistent manager or clear direction. In addition, managers have not been proactive in improving the quality of care provided. This has caused children to become unsettled at times. There have been significant incidents and, reluctantly, managers have taken the decision to end children’s placement at the home.

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good

The current manager started in December 2022. He has previously worked in and managed children’s homes in Wales. He has begun to develop plans to improve the home and develop the staff team.

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good

Following several significant incidents, managers have yet to undertake a full review to consider if there was anything else that could have been done to prevent the incidents happening and to identify learning. As a result, they are yet to take action to reduce the risk of such incidents happening again.

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good

On three occasions, managers did not make sure notifications of serious incidents were sent promptly to Ofsted. Two were sent a month after the incident. As a result, the regulator does not have all the information they need to monitor the safety and well-being of children living at the home.

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good

Staff do not receive regular opportunities to reflect on their practice. Staff do not have access to supervision in line with company policy. As a result, they are not supported to consider how they can improve their practice.

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good

Managers provide staff with induction and training that are both online and face to face in a variety of topics. However, managers’ records are not complete and do not clearly show which staff have done what training. As a result, managers are unclear on whether all staff members have all the skills and knowledge they need to care for children.

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good

Managers’ oversight and monitoring of the home have not always been as robust as they could be. For example, some records are not promptly updated, managers do not proactively chase missing documents such as education, health and care plans, and there are some minor errors in children’s plans. This has the potential for confusion and inconsistency in approach from staff when caring for children.

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good

Managers have undertaken a review under regulation 45. However, managers have not sent a copy of the review to Ofsted since autumn 2021. This does not enable the regulator to monitor the service.

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good

Managers have updated the home’s statement of purpose several times since October 2022 with staff changes. However, managers have not forwarded a copy to Ofsted. As a result, the regulator is not always aware of changes at the home. Inspection report for children's home: 1271587 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 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 the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that action is taken to address the cleanliness and decoration of the home. 10 March 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

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; 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)(c)(f)(h)) 10 March 2023 Inspection report for children's home: 1271587 7 In particular, ensure that the managers’ oversight and monitoring of the home are improved. Specifically, ensure that all relevant documents relating to children are available and that records such as children’s plans and staff training records are up to date and accurate. Ensure that leaders and managers review previous incidents holistically to identify areas of improvement.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child —

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that managers send notifications without delay. 10 March 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed. (Regulation 45 (1) (4)(a)) 10 March 2023 Inspection report for children's home: 1271587 8

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure they develop and keep under review a statement of purpose (regulation 16 and schedule 1), and when it has been reviewed, a copy is sent to the regulator. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.5)  The registered person should ensure that a record of supervision is kept for staff, including the manager. The record should provide evidence that supervision is being delivered in line with regulation 33 (4)(b). (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.3)

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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: 1271587 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Greenfields Adolescent Development Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Caretech Community Service Ltd, Metropolitan House, 3 Darkes Lane, Potters Bar, Hertfordshire EN6 1AG

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Inspector

Debbie Bond, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 1271587 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 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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