Children's Home run by Trax MX Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2635351 1 Registered provider: Trax MX 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. It is registered to provide care for up to six children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

Each child has their own staffed lodge on a large site. The provision includes a school operated by the same provider. The inspectors only inspected the social care provision.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, five children were living in the lodges.

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Information about this children’s home

The post for a registered manager is vacant.

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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

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: 2635351 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/05/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 02/02/2022 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: 2635351 3

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inadequate

Managers and staff are not delivering good-quality care in line with children’s complex needs and plans. Ineffective leadership and management and poor safeguarding practice affect children’s experiences and progress.

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inadequate

Leaders and managers assess children’s needs before children move into the home. However, they fail to put in place strategies to support a safe and positive move for children. For example, staff have not received the required training to safely care for one child. This does not promote children’s safety and welfare.

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inadequate

Staff do not know or understand the children’s individual needs. They do not have access to local authority care plans. This does not provide staff with clarity to meet the children’s needs. This means that children are not receiving well-planned care that addresses their vulnerabilities.

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inadequate

Staff fail to support children in managing positive relationships with each other. On one occasion, a child was struggling to live with other children. The placing authority agreed to the child’s temporary move to alternative accommodation. This accommodation did not provide enough space or privacy for the child and staff. The child moved to suitable accommodation during this inspection.

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inadequate

Children’s health needs are not being consistently met. One child has benefited from accessing private health services to support a diagnosis. However, a delay in registering one child with a local doctor has prevented them from receiving timely support to meet their health needs.

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inadequate

All children have improved attendance in education. Children learn skills that increase their chances of gaining employment. Children speak proudly about their achievements in education. Education staff oversee a range of positive opportunities and activities for children.

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inadequate

One child told the inspectors that they can speak to staff if they have a problem. Staff responses are not consistent, and they sometimes fail to act on concerns. This does not show that staff always listen to children.

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

Relationships between children can be changeable. Staff are not effective in managing incidents of bullying. Staff do not support children to understand the impact of this behaviour. They fail to support children who experience bullying. This does not demonstrate an understanding of the impact of bullying on children’s emotional health and well-being. Inspection report for children’s home: 2635351 4 Leaders and managers have failed to manage allegations in line with safeguarding procedures. Safeguarding information has not been shared with agencies. This has prevented a thorough investigation into the concerns raised.

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

Children are at risk of harm due to poor practice in relation to the assessment and management of risk. Risk assessments do not include enough information to support staff to manage risk.

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

Staff do not understand their roles and responsibilities in keeping children safe. Staff do not understand the potential risks to children. Due to this lack of knowledge and appropriate action from staff, children are at risk of harm.

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

Staff fail to manage risks to children who smoke electronic cigarettes and cannabis. Staff practice is not consistent. Staff fail to take preventative action, such as searches of children’s bedrooms. In addition, staff do not educate children on the harmful effects of cannabis and electronic cigarettes.

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

Staff promote positive behaviour through praise and rewards. Consequences are also used. The use of consequences fails to provide opportunities for children to reflect and learn from their behaviours.

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

Staff have used restraint as a method of behaviour management. Records are poor and do not include details required under legislation. This means that it is unclear if staff use restraint as a last resort. Managers have not ensured that complaints have been managed in line with the provider’s complaints policy. This was identified when a child made a complaint following an incident of restraint.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leadership and management of the home are ineffective. There is no registered manager. Current management arrangements do not ensure robust oversight of the quality of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Since the last inspection, a significant number of staff have left the home, including the responsible individual and the manager. The changes to the staff team have affected the continuity of care for children. Improvements seen at the last inspection have not been sustained.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Managers do not have sufficient oversight of safeguarding incidents. They do not scrutinise incidents to identify and address weaknesses in safeguarding practice. This fails to ensure an adequate response to reduce risks.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff lack training to meet children’s diverse and complex needs. This does not equip staff with the skills needed to work with vulnerable children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff do not receive regular supervision in line with the home’s statement of purpose. Supervision fails to support staff following incidents and does not enable staff to reflect on and improve their practice. Inspection report for children’s home: 2635351 5 Stakeholders say that the staff are very committed to the children. They say that leaders and managers are creative in providing stability for children and are resilient in the face of behavioural challenges.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Following this inspection, Ofsted issued a notice restricting accommodation at the home. This is to prevent the admission of further children. Ofsted will monitor the home and carry out further visits. Inspection report for children’s home: 2635351 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 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;

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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

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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that risks to children are clearly assessed. Staff must be provided with clear strategies to reduce risks to children and must follow children’s respective plans in response to safeguarding incidents. 19 July 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2635351 7 Furthermore, the registered person must ensure that staff respond effectively to incidents of aggressive and bullying behaviours.

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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;

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

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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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)(c)(e)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that staff have the skills and experience to meet children’s needs.

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Requirement Due date

Further to this, they must have effective oversight of the children’s records and significant incidents. 19 July 2023

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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

that arrangements are in place to— 19 July 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2635351 8 ensure the effective induction of each child into the home;

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(i)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that the relevant plans for children are followed.

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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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children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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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

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

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Requirement Due date

that each child is registered as a patient with a general medical practitioner and a registered dental practitioner. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to ensuring that children’s health needs and diagnoses are understood and that children have access to primary healthcare services as soon as required. 23 August 2023

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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

that staff— 23 August 202 Inspection report for children’s home: 2635351 9 meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child’s age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful;

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help each child to develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship;

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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;

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de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children;

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Requirement Due date

understand and communicate to children that bullying is unacceptable; and

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to recognise incidents or indications of bullying and how to deal with them. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(vi)(vii)(x)(xi)(xii)(xiii))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (“the behaviour management policy”) which sets out—

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Requirement Due date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the behaviour management policy under review and, where appropriate, revise it. 23 August 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2635351 10 The registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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a description of the measure and its duration;

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details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure. (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b) (2) (3)(a)(ii)(iv)(v)(vii)(viii))

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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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there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(c)(e)) 23 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: 2635351 11

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Inspectors

Emma Thornton, Social Care Inspector Caroline Bertram, Regulatory Inspection Manager Inspection report for children’s home: 2635351 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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