Children's home run by Time-Out Children’s Homes Limited

Inspection report for children's home: 1280370 1 SC1280370 Registered provider: Time-Out Children’s Homes Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned. It is registered to provide care for up to two children. If required, children can access the organisation’s school and therapy department.

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Information about this children’s home

There were two children living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in May 2023.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 17 January 2023

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 1280370 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/01/2023 Full Good 16/12/2021 Full Outstanding 03/12/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness 05/02/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 1280370 3

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improvement to be good

Children like living in the home. They have lived at the home for some time and have been helped to develop positive relationships with the core staff team. However, changes to the staff team since the last inspection have been unsettling for children and have impacted on the quality of the care they receive.

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improvement to be good

Children are supported to maintain their health needs and are registered with all relevant health professionals. However, the staff do not yet have the immunisation history for one child, and appropriate action has not been taken to understand if the child has been immunised against common childhood illnesses.

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improvement to be good

Education is a strength of the home, and staff encourage children to attend school. When children have experienced difficulties, staff have been strong advocates and have supported children with changes, attending regular meetings and supporting teaching staff to understand children’s individual needs.

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improvement to be good

Direct work with children is tailored to support them to understand their experiences and to move forward positively. Staff listen to children. Following any incidents, they talk to children about what has happened and help them to reflect. This helps children to become more self-aware.

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improvement to be good

Staff work closely with the organisation’s in-house therapy team to develop their awareness of children’s needs. Children engage in weekly therapeutic support. Through these sessions, children are able to further develop their self-esteem and learn how to manage their emotions.

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improvement to be good

Positive praise and reinforcement are promoted in the home. Children have visual charts displayed on the wall to support their behaviour and development. Children can refer to their charts each day, see their achievements and measure their own success. This builds their confidence and encourages a sense of accomplishment.

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improvement to be good

Children are supported to safely see people who are important to them. This helps them to positively sustain relationships with their family members and friends.

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improvement to be good

Children are helped to participate in a range of activities, such as trampolining, bike riding and going to the fairground. Children are also encouraged to develop hobbies and join clubs. One child has recently joined cadets, and both children attend the local gym. This helps children to develop positive peer relationships.

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improvement to be good

The home is presented to a good standard, and children are supported to personalise their bedrooms. However, some communal areas are looking tired, with visible signs of damage, which detracts from the homely feel. Inspection report for children's home: 1280370 4

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improvement to be good

Both children have individual risk plans that include clear and effective strategies for staff to follow. However, one child’s plans had not been reviewed or updated following an incident of self-injurious behaviour. This limits the effectiveness of plans and reduces opportunities to ensure that staff are aware of and know how to respond to children’s current and emerging needs.

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improvement to be good

There have been occasions when children have been held for their safety. The manager evaluates all incidents to ensure that they are necessary and proportionate. However, the manager has not ensured that staff are always debriefed or that, when injuries have occurred, these have been recorded in line with regulation. This limits management oversight and reduces opportunities to identify any practice concerns.

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improvement to be good

Medication is not regularly audited, and records are unclear. One child’s medication record did not contain clear administration details for staff to follow. Staff had also administered over-the-counter medication throughout a four-day period without seeking medical advice. This was a breach of health guidance specific to the medication and was not safe practice.

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improvement to be good

Children do not routinely go missing from this home. When incidents have occurred, staff have followed children and ensured that they have been supported to return safely.

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improvement to be good

Communication with partner agencies is positive. Allegations made against staff are investigated and shared with relevant safeguarding professionals. However, Ofsted has not been made aware of concerns as required by regulation. This reduces the regulator’s oversight of practice in the home.

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good

The manager has led the home since the last inspection. He is ambitious about making positive changes and is committed to improving practice in the home.

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good

Since the last inspection, there have been significant changes in the staffing arrangements in the home. This means that children are not always cared for by staff who know them well. This has impacted on the consistency across the team and is not helpful for children.

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good

Leaders and managers have missed opportunities to advocate for children. They have not escalated requests for statutory information from placing authorities. As a result, staff do not have access to up-to-date personal education plans or reports from children’s review meetings. This prevents children from receiving the correct level of support and impacts on the quality of care being provided. Inspection report for children's home: 1280370 5 Management monitoring systems are not robust. The manager has failed to identify shortfalls in a timely manner. The quality of recording in the home requires improvement. Records do not always include the most factual or accurate information, and opportunities to review records have been missed.

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good

A number of staff have not completed training specific to children’s individual needs despite these being known risks for children, for example training around self- injurious behaviours and understanding sexually harmful behaviours. This does not ensure that children are supported by a suitably skilled and qualified staff team.

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good

Shortfalls in supervision practices were identified during the inspection. Not all staff are receiving regular, formal supervision in line with the organisation’s expectations. This is a missed opportunity to support staff to understand and meet the needs of children in the home.

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good

The home’s rotas do not always accurately detail the hours worked by the manager. This lack of transparency about who is on duty leaves children vulnerable and limits oversight of who is working in the home. Inspection report for children's home: 1280370 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, 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. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff— 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; have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm; understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; and 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)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that all staff complete training to meet the needs of the children in their care, including training around understanding and responding to self-injurious behaviours and understanding sexually harmful behaviours. In addition, ensure that children’s risk plans are updated to reflect new and emerging risks and vulnerabilities and ensure that all over-the-counter medication is administered in line with NHS guidelines. 7 December 2023

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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— 7 December 2023 Inspection report for children's home: 1280370 7 a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure; within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)— has spoken to the user about the measure; and has signed the record to confirm it is accurate. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(viii)(b)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that records include details of injuries sustained by children and that all staff involved in the holding of children are spoken to.

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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— helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 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; ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate; ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child; ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child; 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

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Requirement Due date

of the quality of care provided in the home; and 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)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(h)) 7 December 2023 Inspection report for children's home: 1280370 8 Specifically, the registered person must ensure that the home has sufficient staffing to deliver consistent care for children. In addition, ensure that monitoring and review systems are used to effectively review and improve the quality of care provided in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that— the health and well-being needs of children are met; and children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff help each child to— achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans; and 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)(b) (2)(a)(i)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that children’s health records are kept up to date. In addition, all efforts must be made to ensure that children’s immunisation history is known so that they can receive the necessary health support. 7 December 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if— there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there. (Regulation 40 (4)(c)) 7 December 2023

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff— seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans; seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs; and if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each 7 December 2023 Inspection report for children's home: 1280370 9 child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (a)(b)(c)) Specifically, the registered person must ensure that there are clear escalation processes in place to request children’s statutory documentation. Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must— maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4; and ensure that the records are kept up to date. (Regulation 37 (1) (2)(a)(b)) Specifically, the registered person must ensure that the manager’s hours are clearly recorded on the rota. 7 December 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that all staff receive supervision in line with the organisation’s supervision policy. 7 December 2023

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the home is decorated and furnished to a high standard throughout and that any redecoration or repairs are completed in a timely manner. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’ page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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: 1280370 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Time-Out Children’s Homes Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 2, Ripponden Mill, Mill Fold, Ripponden, Sowerby Bridge, West Yorkshire HX6 4DH

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Inspector

Kelly McCurdy, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 1280370 11 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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