Children's Home run by Your Chapter Limited in Tameside

Inspection report for children’s home: 2519592 1 Registered provider: Your Chapter Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is privately owned and can provide care for up to four children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There is no registered manager in post, and the interim manager has not submitted an application to register 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 or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded, and the care and experiences of children and young people are poor, and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Date of last inspection: 21 February 2023

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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: 2519592 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/02/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 15/11/2021 Full Good 15/10/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2519592 3

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inadequate

Children’s experiences are adversely affected due to the shortfalls in safeguarding practice and leadership and management at the home.

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inadequate

Since the last inspection, two children have moved out. Their moves were not positive as leaders and staff do not have the knowledge and skills to manage these moves well.

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inadequate

The home environment is not maintained to an acceptable standard. Children’s bedrooms are not personalised and need a general clean and redecoration. This does not help children develop a sense of belonging.

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inadequate

Staff do not have a good understanding of the children’s individual needs and experiences. Staff do not have the skills, nor do they know children well enough to support them to understand their care planning arrangements or contribute to decisions that affect their lives.

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inadequate

Children do not attend education. There are no educational activities or plans in place to support children’s learning and development. Children do not have positive routines or structures to their days. Inspectors observed that children stayed in their bedrooms without any encouragement from staff to engage in any formal or informal learning. Poor routines and sleep patterns negatively affect children’s well- being and progress.

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inadequate

Children’s health needs have not been appropriately identified or responded to. Children are not supported to access specialist health services relevant to their individual needs. For example, leaders and staff do not take sufficient action to help children understand the health and associated risks from smoking and vaping.

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inadequate

Staff promote children’s time with their families. Parents are complimentary about the significant support that staff provide to ensure that children can see their families.

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

Leaders and staff do not demonstrate that there is a strong and proactive response to managing risk. Leaders and staff do not identify when children may be at risk of harm. Consequently, effective action is not taken to reduce potential risks to children.

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

Staff spoken to do not demonstrate an understanding about their roles and responsibilities in keeping children safe. Children are vulnerable to harm, as staff do not know what action to take to keep them safe. Inspection report for children’s home: 2519592 4 Children’s risk assessments are not effectively updated, and the information recorded is confusing and conflicting. Leaders and staff do not ensure that risk assessments contain relevant or clear strategies to help staff know what actions to take in practice.

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

Children have missing-from-home plans in place, although these do not consider children’s individual needs. This compromises children’s safety when they are missing from home.

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

Leaders and staff do not demonstrate any professional curiosity when incidents occur. This means that there are missed opportunities for staff to take effective action to reduce the risk of harm to children.

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

Arrangements for managing and recording medication are not safe. Leaders and staff do not follow their own medication policies and procedures. Leaders and staff do not know one child’s specific health needs. This compromises his welfare and safety.

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

Arrangements to respond to and manage allegations are ineffective. Records in relation to allegations do not include management oversight. Leaders do not review and monitor allegations to understand how to support and protect children. As a result, opportunities to reflect and learn are missed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There is no registered manager in post. There is an interim manager in post. She has not submitted her application to register with Ofsted within the relevant timescales.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Management oversight of the home is poor. Leaders do not have effective monitoring and review systems in place. Several documents are not up to date, including the home’s statement of purpose. The statement of purpose has not been appropriately reviewed and does not give an accurate account of staffing details, experience and qualifications.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders do not monitor and review care practices. There is no evidence of learning from practice. This impacts on children’s experiences living in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Supervision does not take place in line with the home’s own policies and procedures. Therefore, there are missed opportunities for leaders to establish staff knowledge. Weaknesses in practice have not been appropriately identified. Staff with no previous experience and without sufficient support have been left alone to care for children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2519592 5 Leaders and staff have not demonstrated that they have taken sufficient action to address the shortfalls at previous inspections. This means that there are four requirements restated.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Due to the serious and widespread failings identified at this inspection, compliance notices have been issued under regulation 12, the protection of children standard, regulation 13, the leadership and management standard and regulation 23, the medicine standard. Inspection report for children’s home: 2519592 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 education standard is 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;

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Requirement Due date

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

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)).

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that children are encouraged to attend education. Children must be supported to complete informal learning when not receiving full-time education. 13 August 2023

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles. 13 August 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2519592 7 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

understand the child’s health and well-being needs and the options that are available in relation to the child’s health and well-being, in a way that is appropriate to the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

take part in activities, and attend any appointments, for the purpose of meeting the child’s health and well-being needs; and

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Requirement Due date

understand and develop skills to promote the child’s well- being;

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Requirement Due date

that each child has access to such dental, medical, nursing, psychiatric and psychological advice, treatment and other services as the child may require. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that children are supported to understand the impact of smoking and vaping. Children should be helped to access appropriate services to help improve health and well-being.

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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;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm; 13 August 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2519592 8 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 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 designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health; and

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Requirement Due date

that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(d)(e))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is restated. *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

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child; 13 August 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2519592 9 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.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is restated. 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

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority;

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed;

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Requirement Due date

that staff help each child to access and contribute to the records kept by the registered person in relation to the child. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(ii)(iii)(c)(f))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement will be restated. 13 August 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.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 16 (3)(a)(b)) 13 August 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2519592 10 *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

medicines kept in the home are stored in a secure place so as to prevent any child from having unsupervised access to them;

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Requirement Due date

a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child. (Regulation 23 (1) (2)(a)(c)) 13 August 2023

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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

If the registered provider appoints a person to manage the home, the registered provider must, without delay, give HMCI notice of

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person so appointed; and

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Requirement Due date

the date on which the appointment takes effect.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager should ensure the application to register with Ofsted is submitted within the relevant timescales. 13 August 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 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is restated. 13 August 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2519592 11 When conducting the review, the registered person must consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is restated. 13 August 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;

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Requirement Due date

uses 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

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably;

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Requirement Due date

provide to children personal items that are appropriate for their age and understanding. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(vii)(viii) 13 August 2023

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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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: 2519592 12

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Your Chapter Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Hobart House, 3 Oakwater Avenue, Cheadle Royal Business Park, Cheadle SK8 3SR

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Inspectors

Nichola Croft, Social Care Inspector Alexandra Pearson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2519592 13 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.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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