Children's home run by Embrace Care Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2686253 1 Registered provider: Embrace Care Limited Full inspection 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 provider to provider care for up to two children. The home provides care for children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

A manager has been appointed but is not yet registered with Ofsted.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement

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requires improvement

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement

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requires improvement

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

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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requires improvement

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2686253 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Not previously inspected. Inspection report for children’s home: 2686253 3

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improvement

Children live in a well-maintained home that is nicely furnished and decorated. Children are encouraged to personalise their bedrooms, and this creates a sense of belonging.

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improvement

Positive interactions between the child currently living in the home and staff were observed during the inspection. The child described the staff as ‘helpful and caring’.

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improvement

Children are supported to maintain and improve relationships with their families and significant people in their lives. Staff understand that positive and well-supported contact with parents and family members can form the basis for the development of positive relationships that will be helpful to children in the future. One parent expressed her gratitude to staff for their support and hospitality, and the efforts that they had made to ensure that contact arrangements were positive experiences for all concerned.

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improvement

The registered manager failed to adhere to the agreed transition plan for one child’s return home to their family. This resulted in confusion for both the child and her family and undermined the partnership working between the home and the local authority.

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improvement

While key-working sessions occur regularly, they are often unstructured and appear unplanned. The absence of proactive and prepared sessions means that children’s goals are not addressed. Recordings of key-working sessions are of variable quality and are not conducive to the needs of children who may wish to access their records at some stage in the future.

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improvement

Educational progress and attainment are not prioritised in line with children’s care plans. Children do not engage in structured activities during school hours and staff do not creatively use everyday situations as opportunities for learning. For example, one child has not accessed education as per their plan, and the registered manager has not challenged this with the education provider. The lack of challenge means that the child has had limited access to a formal education timetable.

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improvement

The inspector found shortfalls in the standard of practice relating to safeguarding and in the actions taken by leaders and managers to address these weaknesses.

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improvement

One child had left the home without the knowledge of staff due to a defective alarm system. The registered manager failed to ensure that this was remedied in a timely manner, placing children at continued risk. Inspection report for children’s home: 2686253 4 The assessment that considers risks in the location of the home area does not identify the environmental factors which may present as a risk to children, for example the proximity to a river, railway station, main roads and bridges.

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improvement

Risk assessments do not clearly identify all the risks to children. Plans for the management of risk do not consistently identify clear strategies for reducing the potential for children to experience harm. Some staff do not yet have the skills to fully comprehend the impact of the life experiences of children in the home on their perception of risk and sense of self-value. This leads to a more reactive than proactive approach by some staff.

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improvement

The registered manager has failed to notify Ofsted about a number of serious incidents in relation to one child. This reduces the ability of the regulator to monitor the service effectively.

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improvement

The registered manager had not identified the lack of appropriate consents, placing children at considerable risk of harm should emergency medical treatment be required.

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improvement

Health and safety checks are up to date. Fire safety measures are routinely applied, and fire drills are held regularly. Staff and children are aware of what to do in the case of an evacuation. The registered manager has not fully addressed some shortfalls which were highlighted in the annual fire safety assessment. This compromises children’s safety.

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improvement

Despite the shortfalls identified at this inspection, the child living in the home said she feels that the staff look after and keep them safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement

The registered manager has recently left the organisation and a new manager has been appointed. She has begun to identify and address weaknesses in the quality of the service provided and has been proactive in taking steps to remedy these.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement

Managerial failures in the monitoring of the service have resulted in significant shortcomings. Monitoring systems are ineffective and leaders and managers have had poor oversight of the service and a limited understanding of its weaknesses. Monitoring processes have not identified the shortfalls found in this inspection. Six- monthly reports on the quality of care prepared by the registered manager do not provide a meaningful evaluation of the impact which the service has on children’s lives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement

External monitoring does not provide an impartial and robust assessment of the service. The shortfalls demonstrated during this inspection had not previously been identified. External monitoring reports do not provide a useful evaluation of the service. Inspection report for children’s home: 2686253 5 The records of staff supervision are sparse and do not show that staff supervision is child-focused or reflective. Issues raised in supervision, important to the quality of care being provided, have not been addressed. The identified failures and shortfalls in the running of the home did not emerge during the registered manager’s own supervision sessions. This includes the significant safeguarding issues in the home at the time. The records of his supervision meetings are brief, with little evidence of discussion relating to the children’s needs and how he ensures that the staff meet these needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement

The quality of record-keeping in the home is inconsistent and chaotic. Staff do not have access to some key documents relating to children’s needs. This means that staff are not fully prepared when dealing with significant aspects of children’s behaviour. The decision-making process is not always obvious and records in the home do not always reflect children’s views, wishes and feelings. Records will not be easily interpretable by children now or in the future.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement

The home’s statement of purpose does not meet requirements and does not, for example, clearly set out the range of needs of the children for whom the home is intended, and does not provide accurate information about the support provided.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement

The registered manager did not ensure a full investigation of two complaints made by a local authority social worker. The social worker said that she has received no acknowledgment or outcome to her complaints.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement

The organisation provides a comprehensive training programme for staff. Staff have accessed this and report that they have found this extremely useful. There are, however, some gaps in relation to the training provided, for example supporting children who are at risk of particular types of self-harm. Inspection report for children’s home: 2686253 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 positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(x))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, that staff are provided with supervision that enables them to reflect on their practice and the impact this has on children. 1 May 2023

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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; 1 May 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2686253 7 have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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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

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm;

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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;

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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)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(vi)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to the development of detailed risk assessments for each child that clearly outline all of the risks to children, including the strategies to be used by staff to reduce the risk of significant harm.

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Requirement Due date

This also relates to ensuring that remedial actions are taken to reduce risks to children in a timely manner.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, ensure that risk assessments take into consideration the location of the home and risks which this may pose to a child, for example proximity to rivers, railway stations and bridges.

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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— 1 May 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2686253 8 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

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement (“the statement of purpose”) which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must provide a copy of the statement of purpose to HMCI and make a copy of it available upon request to—

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Requirement Due date

a child, or a child for whom accommodation in the home is being considered;

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Requirement Due date

a parent of a child, or a parent of a child for whom accommodation in the home is being considered.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to ensuring that the statement of purpose includes a description of the range of needs of the children for whom the service is intended in addition to an accurate description of the range of support services provided by the staff. 1 May 2023

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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 (19)(20) in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are kept up to date. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In, particular, ensure that children’s records contain copies of relevant signed consents and that these are accessible to all staff in the home working with the children living there. 1 May 2023

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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

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious.

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Requirement Due date

A notification made under this regulation—

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Requirement Due date

must include details of— 1 May 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2686253 9 the matter;

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Requirement Due date

the other persons, bodies, organisations (if any) who or which have been notified; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions taken by the registered person as a result of the matter.

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Requirement Due date

must be made or confirmed in writing. (Regulation 40 (4)(e) (5)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(b))

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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.

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Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

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Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires; and

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Requirement Due date

to inspect the premises of the home and such of the home’s records (except for a child’s case records, unless the child and the child’s placing authority consent) as the independent person requires.

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Requirement Due date

A visit by the independent person to the home may be unannounced.

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Requirement Due date

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’s report may recommend actions that the registered person may take in relation to the home and timescales within which the registered person must consider whether or not to take those actions. (Regulation 44 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3) (4)(a)(b) (5))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to the robustness of the independent visitor’s investigations and recording of their findings. 1 May 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2686253 10 Inspection report for children’s home: 2686253 11 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”).

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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

In particular, the quality of care review report must consider the impact of the care provided on the lives of the children and their outcomes. The report must relate to one children’s home only and should be produced on a six-monthly basis. 1 May 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2686253 12

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11)  The registered person should ensure that when children placed in a home are not participating in education because they have been excluded or are not on roll for some other reason, the registered person and staff must work closely with the placing authority so that the child is supported and enabled to resume full-time education as soon as possible. In the interim, the child should be supported to sustain or regain their confidence in education and be engaged in suitable structured activities. If no education place is identified by the placing authority, the registered person must challenge them to meet the child’s needs under Regulation 5. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality

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Recommendations

standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.15)  The registered person should ensure that the complaints procedure is followed and that records indicate if the complainant is satisfied with the response. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 23, paragraph 4.1)

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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: 2686253 13

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Embrace Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 17 White Friars, Chester CH1 1NZ

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Inspector

Jacqueline Georghiou, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2686253 14 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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