Children's Home run by Radical Services Limited in Westmorland and Furness

Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 1249264 1 Registered provider: Radical 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 home is operated by a private company. It provides care for up to four children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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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: 1249264 2

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Findings from the inspection

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

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Findings from the inspection

 Staff were unable to safeguard children.  Leaders and managers had poor oversight of incidents.  Pre-admission processes for children are not robust.  Children’s relevant plans are not up to date.  Leaders and managers do not consistently submit relevant reports to the regulator regarding safeguarding concerns.  Staff do not consistently have supervision or appraisal with their manager.

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The care of children

This inspection took place following a period of instability for children and staff. This involved damage to the home and a high turnover of staff.

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The care of children

Since the last inspection, children’s experiences and progress have been inconsistent. Staff previously struggled to develop positive and trusted relationships with children. Children have moved out as staff could not keep them safe.

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The care of children

The standards of care and support provided at this home mean that children’s safety and emotional well-being needs have not been adequately met. The lack of coordinated placement planning to support children effectively has placed children at risk of harm.

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The care of children

Previous managers did not consistently have access to children’s relevant plans when children moved into the home. This means that managers were unable to fully assess children’s needs before they moved into the home. As a result, some children’s placements have ended prematurely.

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The care of children

In recent weeks, two new children have moved into the home. Children say that they feel listened to and like living at the home.

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The care of children

Staff now act quickly to ensure that children can access education and health services shortly after they move into the home. As a result, children are making progress with their education and health. However, there is a need to ensure that there is an effective timetable that provides children with the necessary structure during normal school hours.

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The safety of children

The home is large and spacious, with several communal areas for children to relax in. However, some areas of the home need to be repaired and decorated following damage that was caused by children who previously lived at the home. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 1249264 3 Previously, there was a high turnover of staff. Staff did not have the skills to manage children’s behaviour in the home. Children moved into the home without a full assessment of their risks. This resulted in poor outcomes for some of the children. Staff did not take immediate action to keep children safe, and they did not consistently follow children’s care plans and risk assessments. This left children at risk of harm. However, since children have moved on from the home, staff are now better informed of children’s risks and know what action to take to keep children safe.

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The safety of children

There have been no incidents of staff using physical interventions with children in recent months. However, managers did not consistently review previous incidents of physical intervention. This affects the ability of staff to learn from incidents and protect children from harm.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The previous manager has resigned, and a new experienced manager has been identified. The responsible individual is embedding a range of new management processes to ensure that leadership and management of the home improve. One member of staff said, ‘The home has improved 1,000% in the last month.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The continuity of care for children was affected in previous months by a high turnover of staff. Managers are continuing to recruit staff, and the team is now much more stable. Managers now include children in the recruitment process.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Reports that have been completed by the manager and independent person were not submitted to Ofsted in the required timescale. Furthermore, leaders and managers failed to submit notifications of serious events. As a result, leaders and managers did not keep the regulator informed of serious issues or how they were being managed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Leaders and managers are continuing to make improvements to ensure that all staff receive regular supervision and support. Some staff had not received regular supervision or appraisal since the previous inspection. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 1249264 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

24/05/2022 Full Good 22/06/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 28/04/2021 Full Inadequate 27/11/2019 Full Outstanding Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 1249264 5

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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, the 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 that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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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

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to 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)(b)(c)(d)(e)(h)) 28 February 2023

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. 28 February 2023 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 1249264 6 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home;

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Requirement Due date

manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority;

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that children’s relevant local authority plans are available when they move into the home, and that children only move in if their needs can be met. Additionally, children’s plans should be reviewed on a regular basis to ensure that their needs are met.

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was 28 February 2023 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 1249264 7 used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii) (c)(iv))

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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

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review (“the quality of care review report”). 28 February 2023 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 1249264 8 The registered person must—

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

make a copy of the quality of care review report available on request to a placing authority, if the placing authority is not the parent of a child accommodated in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (3) (4)(a)(b) (5))

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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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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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

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(vi)) 28 February 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)) 28 February 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month. 28 February 2023 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 1249264 9 The independent person must produce a report about a visit (“the independent person’s report”) which sets out, in particular, the independent person’s opinion as to whether—

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Requirement Due date

children are effectively safeguarded; and

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Requirement Due date

the conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person’s report to—

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Requirement Due date

HMCI. (Regulation 44 (1) (4)(a)(b) (7)(a))

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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)) 28 February 2023

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans; 28 February 2023 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 1249264 10 understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(x))

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that all areas of the home provide a homely and domestic environment that meets the needs of the children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 1249264 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Radical Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 2 The Calls, Leeds LS2 7JU

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Inspector

Mark Woodbridge, Social Care Inspector Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 1249264 12 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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