Children's home run by I.M.P.A.C.T Children's Residential Care Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2624855 1 Registered provider: I.M.P.A.C.T Children’s Residential Care Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately run home provides care for up to four children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, two children were living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has not had a registered manager since February 2022. A new manager has been appointed but has not yet applied 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

Date of last inspection: 8 November 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:

The home was judged inadequate at the last full inspection. As a result, a notice to restrict accommodation was issued. Furthermore, five compliance notices were issued under regulations 12, 13, 27, 34 and 40. Inspection report for children’s home: 2624855 2 A monitoring visit was conducted on 15 December 2022. The inspectors found that satisfactory progress had been made in meeting the compliance notices. The provider also demonstrated that they had complied with the notice to restrict accommodation. The restriction of accommodation was lifted after this visit. Inspection report for children’s home: 2624855 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/11/2022 Full Inadequate 15/02/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2624855 4

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, the overall experiences and progress of children living at this home have been mixed. Although some children have been helped to learn to manage challenging behaviour, other children’s needs are not being met.

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improvement to be good

Children’s educational outcomes are variable. With staff encouragement and successful incentives, some children have increased their school attendance. However, despite staff’s best efforts, other children refuse to attend school. One professional described a child as ‘making great progress’. Another professional raised concerns that staff had failed to provide a child with the therapeutic support and education as set out in their care plan.

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improvement to be good

The children say they are supported by the staff, and they appear relaxed in staff’s company. They enjoy playing card games and dominoes around the kitchen table with staff. Children build positive relationships with staff, which helps them to develop trust and settle in the home.

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improvement to be good

Staff encourage children to lead healthy lifestyles. Children take part in community activities such as trampolining, basketball and golf, and they learn to cook healthy meals. However, children’s health needs are not consistently met. Their medication administration records do not demonstrate that staff consistently administer children’s medication as prescribed.

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improvement to be good

Although staff work hard to help children with complex needs and vulnerabilities keep safe, safeguarding practices are inconsistent. One child has become increasingly safer, and their risks have reduced. However, on occasion, certain staff have failed to respond effectively to reduce another child’s risk of self-harm. The responsible individual was quick to suspend the staff responsible.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not consistently follow the home’s allegation procedures. Weaknesses in staff’s and managers’ response to an allegation caused a delay in getting the alleged member of staff suspended and the incident investigated.

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improvement to be good

The children say that they feel safe. Restraint is rarely used, and incidents of children going missing from home are infrequent. When children do go missing, staff report incidents in a timely manner but do not follow the agreed police protocols, which can negatively impact on the police response times and place children at further risk. Inspection report for children’s home: 2624855 5 The home’s location risk assessment is not up to date. In particular, local neighbourhood risks have not been identified. Staff’s lack of professional curiosity and understanding of these risks undermine children’s safety in the community.

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improvement to be good

The children describe having general ‘chit chats’ with staff. However, there is limited evidence that staff provide children with regular, targeted one-to-one support as set out in their care plans. This means that children are not supported to understand their particular needs and risks.

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good

Since the last inspection, the provider has appointed a new responsible individual and a new manager. The responsible individual has a wealth of experience in children’s and young people’s residential services, including children with disabilities.

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good

The responsible individual has high expectations for the home. New staff have been recruited, and plans are in place to upskill the staff team with regular training. All staff are either enrolled on a suitable residential children’s home qualification or will be after completing their probationary period. There are gaps in some staff’s mandatory training.

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good

At the time of the inspection, the new manager had been in post for two weeks. She is quickly developing and improving the home’s systems and documentation. This includes an improved children’s guide, medication administration documents and staff handover sheets.

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good

Despite the responsible individual’s improvement plan, leaders’ and managers’ oversight and monitoring of the service and systems requires further improvement. This includes improving children’s case records and the administration of medication.

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good

Staff recruitment checks do not consistently record the reason for any gaps in staff’s employment history. The home’s statement of purpose is not accurate, and the children’s guide does not sufficiently detail the process for making a complaint. Inspection report for children’s home: 2624855 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

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are located so that children are effectively safeguarded. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that staff assess and understand each child’s risks and vulnerabilities and follow the strategies to reduce risk consistently.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must review the suitability of the location of the premises, taking into account any emerging risks. 31 May 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy which—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard children accommodated in the children’s home from abuse or neglect; and 31 May 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2624855 7 sets out the procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect.

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Requirement Due date

The procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect must, in particular—

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Requirement Due date

provide for liaison and co-operation with any local authority which are, or may be, making a child protection enquiry in relation to a child accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

provide for the prompt referral of an allegation about current or ongoing abuse or neglect in relation to a child to the placing authority and, if different, the local authority in whose area the home is located;

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Requirement Due date

provide for the prompt referral of an allegation about past abuse or neglect in relation to a child to the placing authority and, if different, the local authority in whose area the alleged abuse or neglect occurred;

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Requirement Due date

provide for records to be kept of an allegation of abuse or neglect, and the action taken in response;

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Requirement Due date

describe the measures which may be necessary to protect children following an allegation of abuse or neglect; and

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Requirement Due date

describe how and to whom staff are to report, without delay, any concern about abuse or neglect of a child. (Regulation 34 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that staff follow the provider’s allegation of abuse procedures.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (“the missing child policy”) setting out—

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Requirement Due date

the steps taken, and to be taken, to prevent children from being absent without permission; and

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Requirement Due date

the procedures to be followed, and the roles and responsibilities of persons working at the home, in relation to a child who is, or has been, so absent.

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Requirement Due date

Before implementing, or making an amendment which the registered person considers to be substantive to, the missing child policy, the registered person must— 31 May 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2624855 8 consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person; and

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Requirement Due date

have regard to any relevant local authority or police protocols on missing children. (Regulation 34 (4)(a)(b) (5)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that staff follow agreed police missing from home protocols.

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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; (Regulation 33 (4)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that staff undertake appropriate training to meet the needs of children living in the home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that records of staff training are kept up to date. 31 May 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular the registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

medicine which is prescribed for a child is administered as prescribed to the child for whom it is prescribed and to no other child; and

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Requirement Due date

a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child. (Regulation 23 (1) (2)(b)(c)) 31 May 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

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

keep the children’s guide and the home’s complaints procedure under review and seek children’s comments before revising either document. (Regulation 7 (1)(c) (2)(c)) 31 May 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2624855 9 In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that the children’s guide sets out clearly to children the home’s complaint procedures.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c)) 31 May 2023

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (3)(a)(b)) 31 May 2023

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Recommendation

 The registered should ensure that the recruitment of staff safeguards children and minimises the potential risks to them. In particular, they should ensure that there is a satisfactory written explanation of any gaps in employment. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)

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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: 2624855 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: I.M.P.A.C.T Children’s Residential Care Ltd

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Inspector

Victoria Jones, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2624855 11 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit

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Inspector

www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Inspector

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Inspector

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