Children's Home run by GAC Family Services Limited in Middlesbrough

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2679276 1 Registered provider: GAC Family Services Ltd

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and managed by a private provider and was registered with Ofsted on 28 February 2023. The home provides care for up to one child with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

A manager is in post and is awaiting registration with Ofsted.

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This monitoring visit

This children’s home was judged inadequate at the full inspection on 27 and 28 June 2023. Following that inspection, an urgent condition was put in place by Ofsted, limiting the number of children the home could provide care for. Additionally, two compliance notices were served under Regulation 12 and Regulation 13. A monitoring visit took place on 31 August 2023. Neither of the compliance notices had been met at that time.

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This monitoring visit

A further full inspection was undertaken on 2 and 3 October 2023. The home was judged requires improvement to be good. The condition to limit the number of children the home could care for remained in place as further improvements were required. This visit was undertaken to review the progress made since the last inspection.

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This monitoring visit

The provider has continued to comply with the reduction in the condition of registration from three children to one child. The same child continues to live at this home and is making progress. The child is settled, his education attendance has improved and he enjoys a variety of activities, such as ice skating and going to watch his favourite football team play.

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This monitoring visit

The manager, deputy manager and the responsible individual have taken steps to update the child’s risk assessments and care plans, making them easier to follow and Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2679276 2 more personalised to the child. Current and emerging risks are appropriately identified, and most staff are clear on what actions they need to follow to manage and reduce risk. However, there is still further work to be done to upskill all staff, as some are more confident than others in managing the child’s behaviour.

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This monitoring visit

Since the last inspection, leaders have implemented better systems to promote staff accountability, staff development and management oversight. These include a more robust handover between shifts, and improved quality of staff supervision and team meetings. Consequently, most staff have an improved understanding of what is expected of them on a day-to-day basis.

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This monitoring visit

Further improvements have been made to the training offer for staff. At the time of this visit, most of the staff have attended bespoke training to help them manage challenging behaviours in the home. Further work is being undertaken to ensure that all staff attend this training.

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This monitoring visit

The manager’s report on the quality of care lacks analysis and evaluation. The most recent report submitted to Ofsted is factually inaccurate and contains information that does not relate to the home, or the child living there. The poor quality of this report hinders the manager’s decision-making when considering what actions need to be taken to meet the child’s needs or how to improve the overall operation of the home.

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This monitoring visit

Positively, a new independent person has been appointed to visit the home every month. The independent person fully scrutinises the care the child receives. Appropriate actions are made as a result of these visits and leaders take suitable action to address them promptly.

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This monitoring visit

The responsible individual recognises that further work is needed to strengthen how care is delivered. He has implemented a plan to support the manager and his deputy. The implementation of the plan is in its infancy and is not yet fully embedded. However, progress has been made and most of the requirements raised at the last inspection have been suitably addressed. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2679276 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/10/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 27/06/2023 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2679276 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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 any care that is arranged or provided for a child that;

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Requirement Due date

relates to the childs development (within the meaning of section 17(11) of the Children Act 1989) or health;

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Requirement Due date

is not arranged or provided as part of the health service continued under section 1(1) of the National Service Health Act 2006(1)

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Requirement Due date

satisfies the conditions in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

that the care is approved, and kept under review throughout its duration, by the placing authority;

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Requirement Due date

that the care is delivered by a person who—

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Requirement Due date

has the experience, knowledge and skills to deliver that care. (Regulation 6 (1) (2)(d)(i)(ii) (3)(a)(b)(c)(i)) 29 February 2024 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2679276 5 The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children ("a quality of care review") at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (5)) 29 February 2024

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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: 2679276 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: GAC Family Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 29a, The Link, 49 Effra Road, London SW2 1BZ

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Inspector

Ceri Evans, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2679276 7 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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