Children's Home run by iMapcentre Limited in Cheshire West and Chester

Inspection report for children’s home: 2613341 1 Registered provider: iMapcentre Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is run by a private provider. It provides care for up to six children with learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted on 23 August 2022. There were two children living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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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 their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded. 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: 15 November 2022

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2613341 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/11/2022 Full Good 04/05/2022 Full Inadequate 03/11/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 16/06/2021 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: 2613341 3

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inadequate

There are serious and widespread concerns with regard to the manager’s oversight, care planning and the safeguarding of children. This means that children are not receiving good enough care, and their well-being is not being promoted.

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inadequate

Since the last inspection, one child has left the home. Preparation work to support the child to understand the changes planned in their life was not completed. Consequently, the child’s experiences of moving on from the home were not positive.

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inadequate

There are currently two children living at the home. One child, who recently moved into the home and has been in hospital, was reported during the inspection to be staying with their family. A plan is in place for the other child to return to their home area, as they are 18 years old. However, staff have not supported this child to develop self-care and independence skills and have not completed sufficient preparation work for the planned move.

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inadequate

The children who live at the home have sensory and communication needs. The home benefits from a clinical team to support plans. However, for some children, input from specialists is not reviewed to ensure that the manager and staff team are working in the child’s best interests. Additionally, not all staff have the necessary training to understand and promote each child’s needs.

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inadequate

Children do not have sufficient access to activities outside of the home to build on their confidence and self-esteem. This also does not provide them with the same opportunities as their peer group.

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inadequate

The home is a large, detached property in a rural setting. However, the home does not look or feel homely. There are locks on internal doors and cupboards that restrict children’s access to areas of their home. Carpets in the home are stained in places, including in one child’s bedroom. There are outstanding maintenance issues, including the removal of soiled items. This does not provide children with a clean and safe environment to live in.

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

Managers and staff do not fully understand their roles and responsibilities in relation to safeguarding children. The home environment has not been maintained to a hygienic and safe standard.

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

Physical restraints are rare. However, the use of medication that is prescribed for when children are agitated to help them calm has been administered as part of their usual routine or without clear reasons as to why. The guidelines have not been Inspection report for children’s home: 2613341 4 agreed as part of a multi-agency team or included in relevant plans. The manager has failed to identify or evaluate the use of this medication. Staff have also administered daily prescribed medication incorrectly. This put one child at risk and had not been identified by the manager.

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

Children do not receive debriefs following incidents. This means that the staff do not actively try to obtain children’s views, wishes and feelings in a way that is meaningful for children.

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

Children’s plans state that they are supported with high staffing ratios. However, one child is often left in his bedroom. The manager and staff have stated that this is in preparation for a reduction in staff support when the child moves out of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has been registered since August 2022. The manager’s monitoring systems are ineffective and have not identified serious shortfalls in staff practice, which has left children at risk of harm.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager received significant concerns from a parent of a child who lived at the home. However, he failed to see these concerns as a complaint, and as such, he did not follow procedures for this, including appropriate recording and oversight. In addition, the regulator was not made aware of these concerns, which reduces transparency and oversight of the care provided to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager is not leading a team that is aspirational for children. Children’s views, wishes and feelings are not appropriately sought or considered consistently. The manager’s views regarding the possibilities for children with autism spectrum disorder were limiting how children were being consulted with and involved in their care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager does not routinely use feedback from children and other stakeholders to look at how he can make continued improvements to the quality of care provided to children. The manager does not have a workforce plan that includes the procedure for addressing staff performance.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The home’s statement of purpose does not provide sufficient or accurate information. The document has also not been sent to the regulator when changes have been made. Inspection report for children’s home: 2613341 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

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

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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(d)) 4 July 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2613341 6 *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

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

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

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

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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)(e)(f)(g)(i)(ii)(h)) 4 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. 18 July 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2613341 7 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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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. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

This relates specifically to children being prepared as much as they can be, and in a way they understand, to move into or out of the home.

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Requirement Due date

This also specifically relates to appropriate planning for a child’s move into the home and their daily activities.

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Requirement Due date

This also relates to children being supported and encouraged to develop their independence skills ahead of them moving out of the home.

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Requirement Due date

the privacy of children is appropriately protected;

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Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; and

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Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and

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Requirement Due date

allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (a)(b)(c)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

This relates specifically to the use of locks on internal communal doors and areas. 18 July 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must— 18 July 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2613341 8 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. (Regulation 16 (3)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This relates specifically to the statement of purpose being factually accurate with regard to the living arrangements in the home.

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Requirement Due date

This also relates to the registered person informing the regulator of updates to the statement of purpose within the timescale.

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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

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious.

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Requirement Due date

A notification made under this regulation—

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Requirement Due date

the other persons, bodies or organisations (if any) who or which have been notified; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions taken by the registered person as a result of the matter; 18 July 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2613341 9 must be made or confirmed in writing. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e) (5)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(b))

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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)) 18 July 2023

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should have a workforce plan that can fulfil the workforce -related requirements of regulation 16, schedule 1 (paragraphs 19 and 20). The plan should include details of the process for managing and improving poor performance. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)

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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: 2613341 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: iMap School, Barrowmore Estate, Barnhouse Lane, Great Barrow, Chester CH3 7JA

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Anthony Yearsley

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Inspectors

Kerri Lynch-Mahoney, Social Care Inspector Jennifer Quest, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2613341 11 regulates and 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 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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