Children's Home run by Radical Services Limited in Westmorland and Furness

Inspection report for children’s home: SC476083 1 SC476083 Registered provider: Radical Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is run by a private organisation and is registered for up to three children. Two children were living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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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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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected and the care and experiences of children and young people are poor and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC476083 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/06/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 05/10/2021 Full Good 11/03/2020 Full Outstanding 15/01/2019 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC476083 3

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inadequate

There are shortfalls in the safeguarding of children, care planning and management oversight of the care provided to children. Consequently, children’s progress and experiences have been limited and their safety has been compromised.

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inadequate

Since the last inspection, three children have moved out and two children have moved in. The manager has agreed for children to move in who have a higher level of need than the staff have the skills to care for. Consequently, incidents have occurred and children have then moved out at short notice.

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inadequate

Not all external professionals are positive about the support children have received from staff. One child was being supported by the organisation’s psychologist. However, this support was not in place following a significant event. In relation to this, the child’s social worker said, ‘This was the time when [name of child] really needed the wraparound support.’

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inadequate

One child is accessing an online tutor for a short period of time each week. Other than this, staff are not engaging the child in structured or educational activities. Staff have implemented little structure to the child’s week. As a result, the child spends a lot of time in their bedroom, with little engagement with staff.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

There have been a number of serious incidents since the last inspection. However, management evaluation of incidents does not always lead to staff being informed of what they need to do going forward in order to reduce the risk to children. This means that staff are not clear on what is expected of them to keep children safe.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

When serious incidents have occurred, managers and staff have not always been clear on what to do in response. In relation to this, one staff member said, ‘We have struggled to keep children safe.’

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

Responses to allegations have not always been appropriate. Following an allegation by a child, staff were unclear about what they needed to do. There were delays in the police and children’s placing authorities being contacted. This puts children at risk of harm.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

Managers and staff have made decisions for children that are outside their agreed care plan. One child was allowed to have an extended overnight stay with a family member. The child subsequently went missing. Managers and staff are making decisions without the agreement of placing authorities, which places children at risk. Inspection report for children’s home: SC476083 4

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The home has not had a registered manager since June 2021. The manager currently in post has not submitted a full application to register with Ofsted. They were not present at the inspection. The leadership and management of the home are ineffective. At the last inspection, three requirements were made. However, none of these requirements have been met. In addition, the updated statement of purpose has not been sent to Ofsted. Management oversight of the home is ineffective. Managers have not always acted on recommendations made by the home’s independent person. In addition, the manager’s review of the quality of care has not been carried out. This means it is not clear what actions leaders and managers intend to take to improve the quality of care provided to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Out-of-hours support to staff from managers is not always available. Staff informed inspectors that it took two days to get a response from the manager and senior managers following a serious incident. As a result, there were significant delays in appropriate action being taken to safeguard children effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Managers are not ensuring that staff training is prioritised. Staff report that they have had to cancel training in order to come into the home and care for children. This means that there are missed opportunities to ensure that staff are appropriately trained to meet the needs of the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Recording in the home is of poor quality and lacks management oversight. Documentation sampled during the inspection used institutional and subjective language when referring to children. This means that children’s records are not child-friendly. Inspection report for children’s home: SC476083 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, The 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

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

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

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)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This is a repeat requirement. 10 July 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 promotes their welfare. 10 July 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC476083 6 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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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)(a)(c)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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

manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed;

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Requirement Due date

that the child’s placing authority is contacted, and a review of that child’s relevant plans is requested, if—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person considers that the child is at risk of harm or has concerns that the care provided for the child is inadequate to meet the child’s needs. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(ii)(c)(e)(i)) 31 July 2023

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children; 31 July 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC476083 7 use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to —

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Requirement Due date

meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this includes removing or disabling locks on internal doors that could restrict children from accessing all areas of their home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if—

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Requirement Due date

there is no registered manager in respect of the home; and

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Requirement Due date

is not, or does not intend to be, in day-to-day charge of the home. (Regulation 27 (1)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager must apply to register with Ofsted. 31 July 2023

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that the registered person should ensure that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans; 31 July 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC476083 8 support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

the expectations in the child’s relevant plans; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child has access to appropriate equipment, facilities and resources to support the child’s learning. Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that when children are not accessing education, staff provide them with educational activities.

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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 the case of a qualifying school, the Secretary of State.

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and 31 July 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC476083 9 notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e) (3)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep a record in the form of a register showing in respect of each child—

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Requirement Due date

the date of the child’s admission to the children’s home;

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Requirement Due date

the date on which the child ceased to be accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

the child’s address immediately before being accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

the child’s address on leaving the home;

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Requirement Due date

the statutory provision (if any) under which the child is accommodated. (Regulation 37 (1)(a)(b)) 31 July 2023

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Requirement Due date

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. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that the quality of care review is evaluative in nature and should identify learning from the past six months. This should then be carried forward to create an action plan with clear, measurable goals. 31 July 2023

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice. Inspection report for children’s home: SC476083 10

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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: SC476083 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Radical Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 2 The Calls, Leeds LS2 7JU

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Inspectors

Rob Neild, Social Care Inspector Andrea Foreman, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC476083 12 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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