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

p.1

Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

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.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The community trust is jointly registered with the Care Quality Commission. The post for a registered manager 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.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The inspectors only inspected the social care provision on this site.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

Inspectors were aware that a serious incident that occurred at the home is under investigation by the appropriate authorities. While Ofsted does not have the power to investigate incidents of this kind, actions taken by the home in response to the incident were considered alongside other evidence available at the time of the inspection to inform inspectors’ judgements.

p.1

This monitoring visit

Following an assurance inspection in August 2023, Ofsted served a compliance notice in relation to the protection of children. A monitoring visit took place on 4 October 2023. During that visit, it was found that not all steps in the compliance notice had been met. Therefore, a further compliance notice was served.

p.1

This monitoring visit

The purpose of this visit was to establish the provider’s progress in meeting the steps set out in the compliance notice. Requirements raised at the full inspection in June 2023 were also reviewed. The inspectors found that the provider has taken Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC025733 2 appropriate action to meet the steps set out in the compliance notice and that children are safer than they were before.

p.1

This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers have made improvements and five of seven requirements have been addressed. There has been distinct improvement in the identification and management of safeguarding concerns. Concerns are recorded and managed more effectively than they were at the previous monitoring visit. Staff are more readily identifying and reporting potential safeguarding issues. This has led to leaders and managers being able to take appropriate action to address concerns. This has improved the safety of children.

p.2

This monitoring visit

Designated safeguarding leads meet weekly to discuss and review safeguarding concerns. Thorough reviews of concerns take place. These are systematically recorded on a safeguarding tracker. This better enables leaders to identify patterns and trends in concerns.

p.2

This monitoring visit

Concerns are appropriately referred to the local authority designated officer. Leaders and managers have made improvements to alerting Ofsted of safeguarding concerns.

p.2

This monitoring visit

Management monitoring of practice and procedures has improved. Managers carry out daily checks of records. This has led to some practice issues being identified. This has enabled leaders and managers to take appropriate action to address these shortfalls and improve practice. However, management monitoring has not identified the lack of an induction record for an agency staff member. Therefore, managers are not aware of what guidance this staff member was provided with to ensure that their practice aligned with expectations and children’s risk assessments.

p.2

This monitoring visit

Managers have ensured that staff have received training in subjects such as autism and sexually harmful behaviours. This helps staff to support children’s needs more effectively.

p.2

This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers have improved the risk assessment and management of children’s activities. Individual risk assessments have also improved. The records of checks on children’s whereabouts demonstrate that staff make regular checks in line with individual risk assessments. However, records do not consistently detail the times that checks were carried out. This does not provide assurance that these always occur within the required time frames. In addition, records do not always include consistent time frames for reporting children missing.

p.2

This monitoring visit

Managers have not yet assessed risks arising from staff who are in relationships and working together. Therefore, opportunities to reduce risk and guide staff on expectations of practice, reporting procedures, behavioural boundaries and objective decision-making have yet to be realised.

p.2

This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers have made some improvements to the oversight and management of medication. This has led to errors being identified and action being Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC025733 3 taken. Leaders and managers have sought the input of external professionals, including a pharmacist, to try to reduce these ongoing errors. On one occasion, staff failed to seek timely advice when a child refused medication for a prolonged period. The failure to seek prompt professional advice reduces the potential for children’s healthcare needs to be sufficiently met.

p.2

This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers have improved the oversight of when staff have had their appraisals and when their next appraisals are scheduled. However, despite this additional understanding, seven members of staff have not received an annual appraisal. This does not provide staff with all the support and guidance they need.

p.3

This monitoring visit

The responsible individual has worked exceptionally hard to ensure that changes to improve practice are taking place. There is clear improvement. They understand these improvements are in their infancy and further embedding is required to continue to improve practice. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC025733 4

p.3

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 5

p.4

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.

p.5

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.

p.5

Requirement Due date

In particular the registered person must ensure that—

p.5

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))

p.5

Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 20 November 2023

p.5

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—

p.5

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.5

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.5

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)(h))

p.5

Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that records relating to the timings of checks on children are clearly recorded and enable leaders and managers to monitor whether they occur within the necessary time frame. Additionally, ensure that clear, sufficiently detailed records are made of staff inductions and where documents contain guidance for staff, this guidance is consistent. 20 November 2023

p.5

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees— 29 March 2024 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC025733 6 have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(c))

p.5

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that risks arising from staff who are in relationships and working together are identified and mitigated through supervision of staff practice. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.14)

p.6

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.

p.6

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

p.6

Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Stephen Cheetham

p.7

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.

p.7

Inspectors

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspectors

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspectors

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

p.8