Children's Home run by Berry Gifford Limited in West Northamptonshire

Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2695482 1 Registered provider: Berry Gifford Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home opened on 10 January 2023 and is privately owned. It provides care for up to two children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Inspection date: 2 November 2023

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Inspection date: 2 November 2023

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Information about this inspection

At this inspection, the inspectors evaluated:

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Information about this inspection

 the care of children  the safety of children  the effectiveness of leaders and managers. Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, using the social care common inspection framework. This assurance 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’. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2695482 2

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Outcome from the inspection

We identified the following serious and widespread concerns in relation to the care and protection of children at this assurance inspection:

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Outcome from the inspection

 There has been a decline in the standard of care since the last inspection. There are serious shortfalls in safeguarding practice, and leadership and management are not effective.

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Findings from the inspection

This inspection was carried out after professionals shared information which raised concerns regarding children’s safety and well-being.

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Findings from the inspection

At the time of the inspection, one child was living at the home. Another child has recently left due to a serious allegation about children having sexual contact with one another.

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Findings from the inspection

Leadership and management are poor. There is a lack of management monitoring, oversight and accountability. When a permanent staff member escalated their safeguarding concerns to leaders, they did not receive an adequate response. Opportunities to safeguard children have been missed. Records of incidents are not clear and do not demonstrate management oversight, reflection and learning.

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Findings from the inspection

There are insufficient permanent core members of staff to provide continuity of care for children. Leaders and managers have relied too heavily on agency workers. Agency workers have worked regular shifts together without a core staff member being present. They have not received an induction to the home or a handover about children’s needs. Agency workers have not had access to children’s risk assessments and records. They do not know how to protect children and keep them safe.

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Findings from the inspection

On two occasions, staff have compromised a child’s safety by allowing a child access to a knife. Staff then relied on police to remove the knife from the child because they did not have the skills to deal with the incident that occurred. On another occasion, staff failed to adhere to a child’s risk assessment to protect a child. The child reported to staff they were in possession of a high number of blades. Room searches, as instructed on the child’s safety plan, were not carried out. Leaders and managers failed to identify this and were therefore unable to challenge this practice.

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Findings from the inspection

Medication practices in the home are not safe. A child was able to remove a pack of tablets from the medicine cabinet. Staff and the manager failed to consider that a child may have taken an overdose of tablets. It was identified that several tablets were missing. Medical advice was not sought in relation to this. Also, during the inspection, the manager failed to challenge a staff member who intended to administer medication at the incorrect time. Furthermore, the manager and the Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2695482 3 responsible individual have not recognised that records demonstrate that children have not been administered medication as prescribed.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff have not received sufficient training in the home’s method of behaviour management and therapeutic parenting as identified in the statement of purpose. Staff do not have the skills to influence one child’s choices and decisions in respect of their daily routines and habits, such as healthy food choices.

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Findings from the inspection

Children are put at risk because staff do not receive sufficient training and guidance about how to protect them. Several members of staff have not seen children’s plans and risk assessments. On one occasion, staff offered to take children out late at night, which is contrary to their risk assessments in relation to free time and going missing from care.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff do not receive regular and reflective supervision sessions with their manager. Leaders and managers do not identify and challenge poor work practice effectively. This prevents lessons from being learned and places children at continued risk of potential harm.

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Findings from the inspection

One staff member has worked at the home without a Disclosure and Barring Service check from their previous county of residence. There are risk assessments in place which include that the staff member will have regular supervision from management to ensure that he knows his role to support and safeguard children. This supervision has not taken place.

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Findings from the inspection

Communication with placing authorities is poor. For example, when a child sustained a significant burn after an episode of self-harm, this was not communicated to the child’s social worker.

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Findings from the inspection

Managers fail to ensure that care plans are received from the placing authority to inform care planning for children in the home.

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Findings from the inspection

The current leadership, management and staffing arrangements are not sufficiently robust to manage children’s needs safely. As a result, children have had to leave their home, and Ofsted is considering further regulatory action. As a result of this inspection, Ofsted has served a notice to restrict children’s accommodation at the home. This is because it is reasonably believed that a child may be at risk of harm if further admissions are allowed. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2695482 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/07/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2695482 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 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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Requirement Due date

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

understand the child’s health and well-being needs and the options that are available in relation to the child’s health and well-being, in a way that is appropriate to the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

understand and develop skills to promote the child’s well- being. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly relates to ensuring that children receive support to enable them to have their health needs met. 25 January 2024

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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

that staff— 25 January 2024 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2695482 6 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;

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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)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly relates to ensuring that: whistle-blowing concerns are responded to; records of incidents are clear and demonstrate management oversight; staff are knowledgeable about risks to children or skilled in dealing with inappropriate and risky behaviour.

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Requirement Due date

This also relates to ensuring that: systems for the administration of medicines are effective; children are supported to understand appropriate relationships; staff understand their roles to keep children safe; staff have the required training to understand the missing-from-care procedures.

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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

promotes their welfare. 25 January 2024 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2695482 7 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 work as a team where appropriate;

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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 has sufficient staff to provide care for 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

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)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(g)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that: leaders and managers have effective oversight; records reflect children’s current needs and risks; staff have the training and skills to meet children’s individual needs; and good recruitment procedures are in place.

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Requirement Due date

This also relates to ensuring that there is a sufficient number of staff sufficiency and competence, quality assurance and monitoring and staff supervision.

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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. 25 January 2024 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2695482 8 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

This particularly relates to ensuring that all children have a plan that staff can work to, to ensure that children are helped and protected and their welfare is promoted at all times.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Berry Gifford Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Berry Gifford Limited, Unit 2 Mercury Park, Amber Close, Tamworth B77 4RP Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2695482 9 Responsible individual: Neil Turner

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Inspectors

Corline Parker, Social Care Inspector Zoey Lee, Social Care Inspector Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2695482 10 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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Inspectors

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