Children's Home run by Genesis CTE Limited in Gloucestershire

Inspection report for children’s home: 1277861 1 Registered provider: Genesis CTE Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is registered to provide care for up to five male children and young people. The provider states in its statement of purpose that the home supports children and young people who have sexually harmful behaviours in a unique therapeutic environment.

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Information about this children’s home

The current manager is not yet registered with Ofsted but has submitted their application.

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Information about this children’s home

Four children were living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1277861 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/05/2021 Full Good 26/02/2020 Full Good 21/11/2019 Full Inadequate 31/07/2018 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: 1277861 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children who live in the home make very good progress in all areas. Children’s emotional well-being is fully supported by a skilled and knowledgeable staff team. Staff show they are proud of the children’s achievements and have high expectations for them. This helps children to build trusting relationships with staff and see them as adults who keep them safe.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide significant support to children when they are planning to move into the home. This process is child-led, enacted at a pace that works for them and takes account of their views. There is extensive consideration given to how the needs of all the children will be managed. Records of this are impressive and worthy of further dissemination to improve practice in other provisions. Similarly, plans are child-focused when children move on from the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is well presented and is generally in good order. There are a variety of indoor and outdoor spaces for adults and children to relax, spend time together or have time alone. Everyone in the home respects each child’s personal space while also ensuring that the environment is clean, homely and safe. However, the upstairs office requires redecoration.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The support that children receive at the home is strongly underpinned by psychological expertise and knowledge. This is seamlessly woven into every aspect of their care. Communication between the staff, therapist and children provides understanding and learning to create a bespoke plan for each child. Staff know children’s needs well. They recognise their triggers and react swiftly to help children through challenges.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children at the home attend school or college and are making progress. One child, before living in the home, was repeatedly excluded from school, and their attendance was poor. Now they attend every day, and their behaviour is positive. Children have aspirations that are underpinned by clear plans about their educational future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children’s relationships with their families and friends. Leaders and managers challenge the local authorities when arrangements are not working for the children.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Since the last inspection, there has been one incident where a child was restrained by staff. This was to keep the child from injuring themselves or others. The record of this incident was insufficiently detailed. This means that it is not easy to understand exactly where the incident took place or all the behaviours leading to the restraint. Inspection report for children’s home: 1277861 4 There is evidence of management oversight, but the ability to fully reflect and learn from incidents is hampered by unclear records.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff have positive discussions with children when they wish to share their concerns or experiences. Children feel comfortable sharing their worries with staff and talking about difficult things. Staff respond effectively to these discussions. However, records do not show the follow-up actions that staff take when safeguarding concerns are raised by children during these talks. Furthermore, children’s views are not consistently recorded.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The home has safe recruitment practices. This helps managers to employ the most suitable adults to work at the home and support the children.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

There are detailed policies in place to promote good health and safety practices. Staff receive thorough safety training before working in the home. However, this knowledge is not always tested out once the staff begin caring for children. For example, at the time of the inspection, one new member of staff had been working in the home for two months but had not experienced a fire drill. This was carried out the following day once it was highlighted by the inspectors.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Children have not gone missing from home since the last inspection. There are detailed missing-from-home procedures in place. Staff are knowledgeable about how to respond if children do go missing.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff support children in taking age-appropriate risks. These are based on detailed risk assessments and monitoring of how well children manage extended boundaries. Children are supported to take part in activities that reflect those of their peers while considering their safety and the safety of other children.

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good

The previous registered manager left the home in November 2022. A new manager was appointed shortly before, and a handover phase occurred. However, staff told inspectors that they have found this transition to be challenging. Leaders and managers acknowledge that previously, there had been an insufficient sharing of responsibilities with the staff team. Staff do not have the confidence and knowledge to take on more-responsible roles in the manager’s absence. This has led to weaknesses in the team.

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good

Leaders and managers have not ensured that records are accurate, or that challenges made to the local authority are clearly recorded or consistently undertaken. One child’s situation has changed significantly, but there is no clear plan in place to assess whether it is in their best interest to remain living at the home. There is a lack of clarity regarding the progression of assessments for one child, including who is responsible for the assessments and what actions have been taken. Staff struggled to present a coherent understanding of this as the records were poor. Inspection report for children’s home: 1277861 5 Management oversight of children’s plans is weak. Some risk assessments and children’s plans are not consistently updated and reviewed. For example, despite there being no concerns at night for a significant period of time, there has been no review of the need for staff to be awake all night.

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good

Some staff have not received regular supervision. Staff report that when they do have supervision, it is reflective and useful in improving their practice and supporting their well-being. Records of supervision are inconsistent as some are detailed accounts while others are brief.

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good

The home does not currently track children’s progress well. There is no routine procedure to measure the progress that children are making and understand if they are reaching their full potential.

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good

Leaders and managers respond effectively to allegations made against adults working in the home. Referrals to external safeguarding agencies are swift, and internal investigations are thorough.

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good

Leaders understand that there are weaknesses in management, and they identified and discussed the shortfalls with inspectors. Plans are beginning to be put in place to address these issues. The weaknesses that were identified are not undermining the safety of the children in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 1277861 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

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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to managers ensuring that there is continual and regular review of children’s plans and that this leads to changes to improve the care that children receive. 11 April 2023

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Requirement Due date

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; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b)(c)) 11 April 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 1277861 7 In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs;

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans; and

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Requirement Due date

seek to develop and maintain effective professional relationships with such persons, bodies or organisations as the registered person considers appropriate having regard to the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the children’s home is to provide care and accommodation. (Regulation 5 (a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to ensuring that other agencies engage swiftly in adapting plans for children when it is in their interests to do so. 11 April 2023

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Requirement Due date

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority the registered person must —

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Requirement Due date

ensure, by means of fire drills and practices at suitable intervals, that persons working at the home and, so far as reasonably practicable, children are aware of the procedures to be followed in case of fire. (Regulation 25 (1)(d)) 11 April 2023

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that children’s views are routinely sought about their care planning, and that these views are recorded. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 21, paragraph 4.5)

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Information about this inspection

Inspection report for children’s home: 1277861 8 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: 1277861 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 2/3 The Hawthorns, Hawthorn Lane, Staunton, Gloucestershire GL19 3NY

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Inspectors

Penelope Kutz, Social Care Inspector Janet Jauregui, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1277861 10 regulates and inspects 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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