Children's Home run by Friends Therapeutic Community Trust in Cambridgeshire

Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC025733 1 SC025733 Registered provider: Friends Therapeutic Community Trust

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is run by a charitable community trust and provides a therapeutic programme of care for up to 17 children. The home caters for a specific range of needs, as detailed in the statement of purpose. The facilities include a registered on- site school and vocational workshops to support accredited work-based learning courses.

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Information about this children’s home

The community trust is jointly registered with the Care Quality Commission. The registered manager post has been vacant since 12 May 2023. A new manager has been in post since June 2023 but has not yet applied to register with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

The inspectors only inspected the social care provision at this school.

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This monitoring visit

Following an assurance inspection in August 2023, Ofsted served a compliance notice. This was in relation to the protection of children. The purpose of this monitoring visit was to establish the provider’s progress in meeting the steps set out in the notice. The inspector found that the provider has taken action to meet some of the steps and children are safer than they were before. However, significant shortfalls persist, and further improvements are necessary in responses to safeguarding concerns, management oversight and the management of risks. Consequently, a further compliance notice in respect of the protection of children has been served.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers have completed a thorough review of the home’s safeguarding processes and procedures. The review identified actions that have led to changes in the reporting and recording of safeguarding. Improvements have also been made in staff’s understanding of safeguarding practice and procedure. However, on one occasion, a staff member did not report a safeguarding concern to managers until three days after they became aware of the issue. This fails to safeguard children and delays the appropriate action being taken. This concern was not reported by the designated safeguarding lead to the local authority designated Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC025733 2 officer (LADO). Therefore, the designated safeguarding lead has failed to adhere to the home’s safeguarding policy. In addition, leaders and managers failed to notify Ofsted of the incident.

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This monitoring visit

Five senior staff members have completed designated safeguarding lead training. They meet weekly to review any safeguarding or low-level concerns. However, they did not identify that a member of staff delayed reporting a safeguarding concern. Neither did they recognise the need for a referral to the LADO or a notification to Ofsted.

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This monitoring visit

Staff manage risk more effectively. There is improved clarity around the expectations of staff and the supervision of children in the home. However, activity risk assessments still do not contain all the presenting risks when taking children out in the community. As a result, it is not clear if actions to reduce the risks have been considered and implemented.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers have established clearer expectations for the supervision of children. This is well understood by staff. A new waking night office located on the top landing has been established to improve supervision and children’s sense of safety. Bedroom door alarms have been fitted as a further risk mitigation measure to increase children’s safety.

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This monitoring visit

The responsible individual has attended team meetings and outlined the new culture and way of working that will be implemented at the home. Additional management support has been commissioned to increase staff competence and support. This support increases the capacity of the provider to address the shortfalls identified. However, despite being in post since June 2023, the manager has not yet applied for registration.

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This monitoring visit

Staff have received workshops on risk reduction measures, safeguarding policies and practice, raising concerns, writing accurate records and professional curiosity. The staff’s understanding has then been checked with the support of an external consultant. There is a clear commitment from leaders and managers to continue to make positive change.

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This monitoring visit

The requirements made at the assurance inspection were not subject to review at the monitoring visit. Therefore, they are restated. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC025733 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/06/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 05/07/2022 Full Good 22/03/2022 Interim Improved effectiveness 26/04/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC025733 4

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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 with 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

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies; 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)(vii)(b)) 6 November 2023

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Requirement Due date

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

medicine which is prescribed for a child is administered as prescribed to the child for whom it is prescribed and to no other child. (Regulation 23 (1) (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 10 October 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation. (Regulation 39 (3)) 10 October 2023 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC025733 5 This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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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

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

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 10 October 2023

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Requirement Due date

When conducting the review, the registered person must consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person. (Regulation 46 (2))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 10 October 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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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)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 10 October 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

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there. (Regulation 40 (4)(c)) 6 November 2023

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject of a compliance notice. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC025733 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they have made and recorded their judgement on whether the content of any qualifications held by individuals closely corresponds with the qualifications set out in regulation 28 (2)(c) (for managers) or regulation 32 (4) (for those in a care role). (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.13)  The registered person should ensure that risks arising from staff who are in relationships and working together are identified through supervision of staff practice and mitigated. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.14)

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC025733 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Friends Therapeutic Community Trust

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Stephen Cheetham

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Inspectors

Lianne Bradford, Social Care Inspector Paula Edwards, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC025733 8 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

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