Children's Home run by Children & Adolescents Placement Provisions Ltd in West Northamptonshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2594233 1 Registered provider: Children & Adolescents Placement Provisions Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned. It is registered to provide care for up to four children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager position has been vacant since 22 November 2022.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2594233 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/07/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 18/05/2022 Full Inadequate 15/06/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2594233 3

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improvement to be good

Children said that they like the staff. Local authority social workers report good relationships between staff and children. However, staff do not address children’s challenging behaviours well. Children’s care plans are not detailed. Some important areas are not included in their plans. Therefore, it is difficult for staff to know how best to work with children in all areas of their lives. A new format has just been created which is much clearer and combines several documents. Education provision has recently improved for two children. They now attend school each day on a reduced timetable. However, there is very little education provision for the other children. Staff do not organise educational activities with these children. As a result, their days are unstructured and they are not helped to learn. Children have individual key-work sessions with staff. Although the recording of these sessions is variable, children do have time to talk with staff. Children’s group

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improvement to be good

meetings are also held. These provide an opportunity for children to share their wishes and feelings. There is some damage to the environment. Repairs are made quickly; however, further damage is then done. One child’s bedroom is in a particularly poor state. This limits the attempts to provide a homely environment for the children. Children are encouraged to lead healthy lifestyles. They are offered many different activities, including some that involve exercise. These include gym sessions, walks in parks and playing basketball. Children are registered with local dentists, opticians and doctors. Children have regularly refused to attend appointments or take prescribed medication. Therefore, children are not always receiving the help they need.

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improvement to be good

Children’s risk assessments are not clear. There are several different documents that record and address risks, but risks have not always been accurately recorded. This makes it difficult for staff to identify and manage risks to children. Incident records are variable in quality. The use of computer software has enabled some improvements in reporting. However, there remains a lack of required detail. This limits the opportunity to learn from incidents regarding how to approach situations in other ways. Inspection report for children’s home: 2594233 4 Children’s allegations against staff are taken seriously. Relevant professionals are involved, and safeguarding procedures followed. As a result, children feel listened to and are helped to remain safe. Some children go missing from the home. There are clear procedures and policies in place that staff follow when children go missing, including searching for children and

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improvement to be good

liaising with police. This helps to keep children safe. Managers have not ensured that all information is obtained in line with regulations when recruiting new staff. There are some gaps in the records kept. The recruitment process does not fully ensure that staff are safe to work with children. Senior managers have installed electronic devices for the monitoring of children and staff but appropriate regulations are not being adhered to. Children receive support from external mental health specialists. There is also support from an in-house psychotherapist. She works with the children. She also works with staff to advise them on how to help each child, and she holds good reflective practice sessions with staff. This ensures that children receive appropriate help to improve their mental health.

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good

Since the last inspection, there have been several changes in the management of the home. The registered manager position has been vacant since November 2022. There have been different interim managers in post since. This has been a difficult time for staff and children. However, staff feel that leaders are approachable and supportive. The current interim manager also feels well supported by the responsible individual. The interim manager also manages another of the provider’s homes. The interim manager does not have thorough oversight of this home. Two deputy managers are currently leading the home. Quality assurance processes are not robust. This has led to some serious events not being notified to Ofsted. Managers were not aware of the details on a child’s current risk assessment or of advice in relation to the safety of a child. Records indicate that the advice was recorded incorrectly. Lack of oversight means serious risks could be missed or

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good

handled incorrectly. Team meetings take place regularly. Staff find them useful and informative. They include updates on children and safeguarding issues. They are also used to review staff practice, improvements and learning from recent events. These meetings are productive and develop teamwork and staff practice. Managers are not holding supervision with staff in line with the provider’s policy. Some staff have not been supervised for several months. This shortfall has been identified in several inspections. This does not give staff the opportunity to reflect, learn and develop their skills one-to-one with a manager. Inspection report for children’s home: 2594233 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, 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

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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to ensuring that risk assessments are accurate and any advice is followed. 5 June 2023

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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 ensuring that robust quality assurance and monitoring systems are in place, used regularly and recorded. 30 June 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only use devices for the monitoring or surveillance of children if—

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is for the purpose of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the child concerned, or other children; 5 June 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2594233 6 the child’s placing authority consents in writing to the monitoring or surveillance;

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Requirement Due date

so far as reasonably practicable in the light of the child’s age and understanding, the child is informed in advance of the intention to do the monitoring or surveillance;

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is no more intrusive than necessary, having regard to the child’s need for privacy. (Regulation 24 (1)(a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically refers to following the regulations prior to the use of the installed CCTV.

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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)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This has been restated twice and particularly refers to supervision of staff taking place in line with the organisation’s policy. 30 June 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

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 5 June 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2594233 7 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))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to incidents that management agreed should have been notified to the regulator.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff provide a nurturing environment that is welcoming and supportive, and which provides appropriate boundaries in relation to children’s behaviour. The home must also meet children’s basic day-to- day needs and physical necessities. Staff should seek to meet the children’s basic needs in the way that a good parent would, recognising that many children in residential care have experienced environments where these needs have not been consistently met – doing so is an important aspect of demonstrating that the staff care for the child and value them as an individual. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.7)  The registered person should recognise that, in some instances, a child may express wishes that are not always in their best interests or which may conflict with the views of other children in the home. In such circumstances, the

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Recommendations

responsible adults will have to balance the wishes of the child against what they judge to be in the best interests of the child and reach a reasonable view about the best way forward in the interests of all. The reasons for reaching any decision will need to be carefully explained to and understood by the child or children concerned. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.9)  The registered person should ensure that where children placed in a home are not participating in education because they have been excluded or are not on a school roll for some other reason, the registered person and staff 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

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Recommendations

suitable structured activities. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.15)  The registered person should ensure that expectations of standards of behaviour are high for all staff and children in the home. These standards should be clear and unambiguous. Children should be supported to develop understanding and empathy towards each other. Positive behaviour and relationships should be reinforced, praised and encouraged; poor behaviour should be challenged and discussed. The development of safe, stable and secure relationships with staff in the home should be central to the ethos of the home and support the development of secure attachments that, where appropriate, persist over time. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.11) Inspection report for children’s home: 2594233 8  The registered person should ensure that they maintain good employment

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Recommendations

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)

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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: 2594233 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Children & Adolescents Placement Provisions Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Barratt House Office G3a, Kingsthorpe Road, Northampton NN2 6EZ

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Inspectors

Shaun Caplis, Social Care Inspector Emma Dacres, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2594233 10 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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