Children's home run by First Blue Healthcare Limited

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2692103 1 Registered provider: First Blue Healthcare Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home provides care for one child with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is suitably qualified and has been in post since 19 June 2023. She is not currently registered but has submitted her application.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the monitoring visit there were no children living in the home.

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This monitoring visit

On 26 and 27 July 2023, a full inspection of the home was completed. This was the home’s first inspection since registration, and Ofsted judged the overall experiences and progress of children to be good. Ofsted issued two requirements in relation to Regulations 8 and 12.

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This monitoring visit

On 18 October 2023, Ofsted was notified of a serious safeguarding incident. The child living at the home had left the premises during the night without staff’s knowledge and was involved in a serious incident in the community. As a result of this incident, Ofsted completed this monitoring visit, on 1 November 2023, to assess whether the home has effective systems in place to keep children safe.

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This monitoring visit

During the monitoring visit, Ofsted identified serious concerns about keeping children safe. As a result, Ofsted issued a compliance notice related to the protection of children standard, Regulation 12. The inspector found that the requirements issued at the last inspection had been met.

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This monitoring visit

The manager lacks understanding of how to assess and manage risk. Risk assessments do not fully consider the likelihood of events occurring, information held Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2692103 2 by relevant professionals or the seriousness of the risk. For example, risk assessments summarise new incidents but do not reflect the seriousness of the incident or the increased level of risk. This does not provide staff with accurate information to enable them to manage risk effectively.

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This monitoring visit

Serious incidents are not always notified to Ofsted. On one occasion, a child protection enquiry was instigated, but this was not notified to Ofsted. The manager lacked the knowledge about the regulations to understand that it was necessary to report this.

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This monitoring visit

The manager and staff do not always support children to understand why their behaviour is not safe or appropriate. Relationships between the child and staff have deteriorated and attempts to discuss issues with the child are not always successful. This means that staff are not consistently helping the child to understand expectations and socially acceptable behaviour. In addition, staff do not always record their attempts to support the child. This makes it difficult to establish what efforts are being made to offer support and guidance.

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This monitoring visit

Consequences are used as a behaviour management tool; however, these are not always recorded. This means that it is not possible to establish how often consequences are being used or whether they are proportionate and effective.

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This monitoring visit

Care planning decisions are not always made in consultation with the child’s local authority or in the best interests of the child. For example, immediate notice was given on a child’s placement without consultation about whether any additional support could be put in place to maintain the child’s placement in the short term rather than having an unplanned ending. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2692103 3

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 26/07/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2692103 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

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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi)) 13 December 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

a child protection enquiry involving a child—

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Requirement Due date

is instigated; or concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry). (Regulation 40 (4)(a)) 13 December 2023

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

mutual respect and trust; 13 December 2023 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2692103 5 an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child’s age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi))

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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—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure; 13 December 2023 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2692103 6 the name of the person who used the measure ("the user"), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii))

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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.

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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

manage and review the placement of each child in the home;

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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.

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Requirement Due date

that the child’s placing authority is contacted, and a review of that child’s relevant plans is requested, if—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person considers that the child is at risk of harm or has concerns that the care provided for the child is inadequate to meet the child’s needs;

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Requirement Due date

the child is, or has been, persistently absent from the home without permission. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(ii)(iii)(e)(i)(ii)) 13 December 2023

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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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: 2692103 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: First Blue Healthcare Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Seighford Hall, Clanford Road, Seighford, Stafford ST18 9NL

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Inspector

Vicky Smith, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2692103 8 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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