Purple Heart Project - Children's Services

Inspection report for residential family centre - monitoring visit: Purple Heart Project – Children’s Services 1 Purple Heart Project – Children’s Services St. Chads Vicarage, Ragpath Lane, Stockton-on-Tees TS19 9JN

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this residential family centre

This service is privately run and is registered to provide parenting assessments for up to three families. At the time of this inspection, families were not living at the centre.

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Information about this residential family centre

The registered manager has been in post since the registration of this service in August 2021.

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Information about this residential family centre

Date of previous inspection: 25 January 2023

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This monitoring visit

This residential family centre was judged inadequate at the full inspection on 25 and 26 January 2023. At that time, the inspectors found significant and widespread failures with regard to the safety and protection of children. As a result of that inspection, Ofsted issued a notice suspending the registration of the service and a notice proposing to cancel the registration of the service and the manager. In addition, Ofsted issued five compliance notices under regulation 12, 13A, 15, 17 and 21A.

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This monitoring visit

The purpose of this monitoring visit was to review the progress and actions taken to meet the compliance notices and the notice suspending the registration. This monitoring visit included the review of documents and discussions with the manager. The inspectors concluded from this monitoring visit that all of the steps set in the compliance notices with regard to regulation 12, 15 and 17 were unmet. One of the two steps in the regulation 13A notice is unmet and two of the three steps in the regulation 21A are unmet. All of the mentioned notices have been reissued as a result of this inspection. Inspection report for residential family centre - monitoring visit: Purple Heart Project – Children’s Services 2 There are currently no support staff employed at the setting. Steps had been taken by the manager to recruit staff at the time of the last inspection, but no candidates have been appointed while the registration is suspended. Consequently, there are no

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This monitoring visit

staff in post to support the operation of this service.

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This monitoring visit

At the time of the full inspection, child protection concerns had not been responded to effectively. When a serious incident occurred and a baby had been harmed, staff did not take immediate steps to safeguard the baby. The baby was left in the parent’s care despite the risks increasing. There was evident delay in staff informing the manager of safeguarding concerns. In addition, when a parent reported safeguarding concerns about the welfare of another baby in the centre, the manager failed to fully investigate or document the action taken. Evidence has since been provided to show how the manager did make a child protection referral to inform relevant professionals. This evidence has come from the child’s local authority as the manager has no record of this referral being made.

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This monitoring visit

At the time of the full inspection, staff were not provided with adequate advice or practice guidance to ensure that they assessed risks and took the necessary steps to safeguard children. The manager and the staff did not confidently or competently recognise or respond to incidents when a baby was at risk of harm. The delay in responding resulted in a baby not being safeguarded effectively. At this monitoring visit, the inspectors found that although in-house safeguarding training was planned, the content of this training had not yet been created. Also, there are currently no support or senior support workers employed to receive the training.

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This monitoring visit

A further revision of the safeguarding policies and procedures still fails to provide staff with the necessary guidance to identify and respond to safety and welfare concerns about children and families. The leadership team cannot provide the staff with clear instruction about the protection of children as all support workers, senior support workers and childcare leads have been made redundant.

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This monitoring visit

Steps have been taken to appoint a registered social worker. However, assessments are still not carried out in a manner that is consistent with guidance in ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018’. The assessments submitted to the placing local authorities continue to lack sufficient detail. Assessments fail to draw on the family’s historical evidence, patterns of behaviour and parental commitment to change. This means that families do not receive a robust, fair and evidence-based assessment.

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This monitoring visit

Management oversight and scrutiny in the centre is ineffective. The manager has not devised a system to ensure effective and prompt oversight of all serious incidents. The manager does not demonstrate the necessary professional curiosity and insight into child protection issues or signs of abuse. The manager’s lack of oversight of significant records, such as body maps for babies and incident reports, impact on the overarching insight into the experiences of families, in particular the protection of children. Inspection report for residential family centre - monitoring visit: Purple Heart Project – Children’s Services 3 The centre does not operate in line with the ethos of the statement of purpose. The manager had not updated or created policies and procedures to ensure staff, before being made redundant, understood and adhered to professional expectations and good conduct. This blurs boundaries. The manager’s response to poor practice is not

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This monitoring visit

evident within staff records, and she did not implement any plan to better provide staff with clear guidelines of expected behaviour. Internal leadership disputes mean that the manager is not able to hold staff to account for significant practice shortfalls.

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This monitoring visit

At the full inspection, inspectors could find no evidence that formal supervision sessions were routinely undertaken with staff or that their performance was formally reviewed annually. All support workers, senior support workers and the childcare lead have been made redundant, and no additional records were provided at the monitoring visit to evidence how the manager has reviewed or appraised staff practice.

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This monitoring visit

At the full inspection, families had not been monitored sufficiently. The manager has created a questionnaire system to test the staff’s knowledge of closed-circuit television (CCTV). However, the surveillance policy still does not provide staff with the necessary guidance on practice and recording expectations. The policy does not guide staff to ensure that monitoring and recording of CCTV footage is consistent and in accordance with each family’s needs.

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This monitoring visit

At the full inspection, family support plans did not provide staff with clear guidance about the level of supervision that families require. Support plan reviews failed to report and reflect on changes to supervision levels, including the use of CCTV monitoring. This meant that staff did not have up-to-date information about children and families’ risks and vulnerabilities. The manager has not provided any evidence of how she would adapt her oversight and development of these plans. Inspection report for residential family centre - monitoring visit: Purple Heart Project – Children’s Services 4

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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, Residential Family Centre Regulations 2002 and the national minimum standards. The registered person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Requirements Due date

The registered person shall compile in relation to the residential family centre a written statement (in these Regulations referred to as “the statement of purpose”) which shall consist of a statement as to the matters listed in Schedule 1. (Regulation 4 (1)) 19 March 2023

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Requirements Due date

The registered person shall ensure that—

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Requirements Due date

all parts of the residential family centre to which residents have access are so far as reasonably practicable free from hazards to their safety. (Regulation 11 (4)(a)) 19 March 2023

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Requirements Due date

*The registered person shall prepare and implement a written child protection policy which—

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Requirements Due date

is intended to safeguard children accommodated in the residential family centre from abuse or neglect.

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Requirements Due date

The procedure under paragraph (1)(b) must in particular provide for—

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Requirements Due date

the prompt referral to the local authority in whose area the residential family centre is situated, of any allegations of abuse or neglect affecting any child accommodated in the residential family centre;

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Requirements Due date

written records to be kept of any allegation of abuse or neglect, and of the action taken in response; and

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Requirements Due date

consideration to be given in each case to the measures which may be necessary to protect children in the residential family centre following an allegation of abuse or neglect. (Regulation 12 (1)(a) (2)(b)(d)(e)) 7 May 2023

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Requirements Due date

*The registered person must ensure that the parents’ capacity to respond to the children’s needs and to safeguard 7 May 2023 Inspection report for residential family centre - monitoring visit: Purple Heart Project – Children’s Services 5 their welfare is monitored or assessed by a suitably qualified person in accordance with the requirements of this regulation.

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Requirements Due date

The methods of assessment or monitoring must be capable of evaluating the parents’ capacity to change.

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Requirements Due date

The registered person must ensure that conclusions or recommendations are made as a result of the assessment or monitoring and that—

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Requirements Due date

such conclusions or recommendations are objective and based on verifiable evidence. (Regulation 13 A (1) (3) (4)(a))

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Requirements Due date

*The registered person shall ensure that there is, having regard to—

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Requirements Due date

the statement of purpose of the residential family centre, its size and the numbers and needs of its residents; and

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Requirements Due date

the need to safeguard and promote the health and welfare of residents,

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Requirements Due date

a sufficient number of suitably qualified, competent and experienced persons working for the residential family centre. (Regulation 15 (a)(b)) 7 May 2023

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Requirements Due date

*The registered person must operate a disciplinary procedure which, in particular—

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Requirements Due date

provides that the failure on the part of an employee to report an incident of abuse, or suspected abuse of a child accommodated in the residential family centre to an appropriate person is a ground on which disciplinary proceedings may be instituted.

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Requirements Due date

The registered person shall ensure that all persons employed by him—

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Requirements Due date

receive appropriate training, supervision and appraisal; and (Regulation 17 (2)(b) (5)(a)) 7 May 2023

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Requirements Due date

The registered person shall maintain in respect of each family accommodated in the residential family centre a record which— 19 March 2023 Inspection report for residential family centre - monitoring visit: Purple Heart Project – Children’s Services 6 includes the information, documents and other records specified in Schedule 3 relating to the members of the family; and

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Requirements Due date

the registered person shall also maintain the records specified in Schedule 4 in respect of the residential family centre. (Regulation 19 (1)(a)(b) (3))

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Requirements Due date

*Subject to paragraph (6) and any requirements for electronic monitoring imposed by a court under any enactment, the registered person must ensure that electronic or mechanical monitoring devices for the surveillance of residents are not used in a residential family centre, except for the purpose of—

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Requirements Due date

safeguarding their welfare, or that of other residents accommodated in the centre.

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Requirements Due date

The registered person must ensure that staff at the residential family centre are appropriately trained and understand the requirements imposed by this regulation before they use any such devices. (Regulation 21A (1)(a) (4)) 7 May 2023

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Requirements Due date

The registered person shall establish and maintain a system for—

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Requirements Due date

the quality of care provided at the residential family centre.

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Requirements Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (1) must provide for adequate consideration of matters raised under regulation 18 by persons working at the residential family centre. (Regulation 23 (1)(a) [1A]) 19 March 2023

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Requirements Due date

*These requirements are subject of a compliance notice. Inspection report for residential family centre - monitoring visit: Purple Heart Project – Children’s Services 7

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that families receive robust, fair and evidence-based assessments that are carried out by a registered social worker in a manner consistent with guidance in Working Together to Safeguard Children. (Residential Family Centre National Minimum Standards 1.2)

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the residential family centre since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for residential family centre - monitoring visit: Purple Heart Project – Children’s Services 8

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Residential family centre details

Registered provider: VKYB Enterprises Limited

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Residential family centre details

Registered provider address: St. Chads Vicarage, Ragpath Lane, Stockton-on- Tees TS19 9JN

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Inspectors

Jennifer Fenlon, Social Care Inspector Catherine Heron, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for residential family centre - monitoring visit: Purple Heart Project – Children’s Services 9 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 .

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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