Children's Home run by Orchard Children Homes Ltd in Derbyshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2680525 1 Registered provider: Orchard Children Homes Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately run children’s home provides care for up to three children who have emotional and social needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is led by a qualified and registered manager.

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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 inadequate

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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: not previously inspected

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2680525 2

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Recent inspection history

Not previously inspected Inspection report for children’s home: 2680525 3

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improvement to be good

Overall, children are making progress. However, some areas of the home requires improvement to be good. Management oversight is not yet fully effective. For example, quality assurance systems are not effective, and safer staff recruitment processes and approaches to conducting searches of children’s rooms are not yet good. Some areas of safeguarding children are not yet of a sufficiently good standard, such as children’s access to the internet and social media. Some children are not fully involved in daily living at the home and require more support in this area.

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improvement to be good

The children are making progress from their starting points from when they first moved to the home. The staff work hard to develop good relationships with children and their families. Family members are positive about the care that their children receive. However, the manager does not make it clear with staff when parents or carers have expressed views about their children’s care and when these views should be acted on. As a result, the care provided to children is, at times, inconsistent.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to attend education at local schools. The communication between the staff and school professionals is good. This ensures that children receive consistent support to enable them to learn and make progress.

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improvement to be good

Staff encourage children to develop their independence. However, they do not support children to get involved in community activities. Additionally, staff do not encourage children to leave their bedrooms or eat meals communally. As a result, children do not receive support to improve their confidence and self-esteem or to develop positive relationships.

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improvement to be good

Children have not made any formal complaints. However, children have shared some concerns with staff, but staff do not always acknowledge these concerns. For example, one child expressed a concern that was not escalated to a complaint as it should have been.

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improvement to be good

When children tell staff about their previous medical history, staff do not consult with the placing local authority to ensure they have the required information about the children’s health needs. This prevents staff from having the skills and knowledge to ensure that children’s health plans are followed. However, overall, children’s health needs are met, and they are generally healthy. Inspection report for children’s home: 2680525 4

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improvement to be good

Staff do not fully understand children’s needs and risks. The manager was unable to confirm the arrangements for keeping children safe when they have access to the internet and social media. The manager was not confident that the parental controls for the internet were sufficiently strong. As a result, the manager disabled access to the home’s internet to all, including children and staff.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not always undertake appropriate room searches when they have concerns. This does not safeguard children. The manager has not ensured that the reasons for room searches are documented. On one occasion, a room search took place at night without documented clarity on why this was required. There has been poor management oversight of room searches, and staff practice has not been challenged by the manager. Additionally, learning and development of staff have been hampered because there have been no debriefs with staff.

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improvement to be good

At times, staff have used judgemental language when speaking to children. As a result, children are not given opportunities to have conversations with staff where they feel safe to express themselves fully.

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improvement to be good

If children go missing from care, there is a coordinated multi-agency response. However, the manager has not ensured that a representative from the placing authority completes a missing-from-care or statutory visit to children when they return. This is a missed opportunity to learn where children have been and who they have associated with.

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improvement to be good

External and involved professional agencies are positive about the help and support children receive to manage their behaviour. They state that communication with staff and managers at the home is good. One child said, ‘I am happy and want to stay until I am 18.’

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improvement to be good

Staff work closely with a psychotherapist who works in the home. This supports staff to understand children’s vulnerabilities. Children’s lives have improved because of the support they receive from staff and the therapist. For example, one child has started to talk about his past, and this helps the child to receive the support he needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders have not ensured that new staff are recruited in accordance with safer recruitment protocols. For example, there was a poor evaluation of references in the pre-recruitment vetting for a member of staff. The manager does not always consider the staff’s ability when recruiting them to more-senior positions. As a result, not all staff have the required skills and knowledge to undertake more-senior positions. This has resulted in inconsistency in children’s care. Inspection report for children’s home: 2680525 5 The staff have undertaken safeguarding training. This training provides staff with the knowledge that is required to safeguard children. Staff supervision takes place on a regular basis. However, some supervisions are limited in their content, and this minimises opportunities to discuss staff practice and set targets for development. The manager does not provide additional support or monitoring when there are

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

concerns about staff practice. This prevents opportunities for reflection, development and learning.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There are weaknesses in the manager’s monitoring and oversight of risks, which has led to shortfalls. At times, the verbal accounts provided by the manager did not match the written information. There is a lack of rigour with internal monitoring systems. Staff do not always receive the support they need to improve their practice. This prevents staff from learning and improving their practice, which could better support children. The manager acknowledges that improvement is needed. However, the plans that are designed to drive improvement forward are not yet in place.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff feel supported by the manager and have a positive working environment. This is endorsed by other external professional agencies, who report that there is good communication and supportive partnership working to help children make progress. Inspection report for children’s home: 2680525 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

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))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically refers to leaders ensuring that robust quality assurance and monitoring systems are in place, used regularly and are supported by good recording practices. 1 June 2023

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

develop positive relationships with them;

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children's care and welfare and their lives.

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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

ascertain and consider each child’s views, wishes and feelings, and balance these against what they judge to be in 1 June 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2680525 7 the child’s best interests when making decisions about the child’s care and welfare;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to express views, wishes and feelings;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child;

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Requirement Due date

regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home’s care;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how the child’s privacy will be respected and the circumstances when it may have to be limited;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to prepare for any review of the child’s relevant plans and to make the child’s views, wishes and feelings known for the purposes of that review;

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Requirement Due date

make each child aware of and, if necessary, remind them of each of the matters in sub-paragraph (d)(i) to (iii);

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Requirement Due date

is enabled to provide feedback to, and raise issues with, a relevant person about the support and services that the child receives;

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Requirement Due date

has access to the home’s children’s guide, and the home’s complaints procedure, when the child’s placement in the home is agreed and throughout the child’s stay in the home;

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Requirement Due date

is given appropriate advocacy support. (Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(b)(i)(ii)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to inconsistencies with room searches and consulting and involving children in this process.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that is Inspection report for children’s home: 2680525 8 helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that they maintain good employment practice. They must ensure that recruitment, supervision and performance management of staff safeguard children and minimise potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)  The registered person should ensure that, in line with their individual health plans

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Recommendations

and the ethos of the home, children are offered advice, support and guidance on health and well-being. Staff should have the relevant skills and knowledge to be able to help children understand, and, where necessary, work to change negative behaviours in key areas of health and well-being. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.18)

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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: 2680525 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Orchard Children Homes Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 2nd Floor, 118 Calais Road, Burton-on-Trent DE13 0UW

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Inspector

Corline Parker, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2680525 10 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 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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