Children's Home run by Abbey Green Therapeutic Children’s Services Ltd in Nottinghamshire

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2613829 1 Registered provider: Abbey Green Therapeutic Children’s 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 by a private company. It provides care for up to four children who have social and emotional needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is led by a suitably qualified manager who is registered with Ofsted.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit was prompted by a complaint received by Ofsted. The complaint raised concerns relating to the care of children. These concerns included a lack of appropriate management oversight and support for staff, a lack of structured routine for children, and the health care needs of children not being met.

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This monitoring visit

At the visit, it was found that the children are encouraged to maintain a structure throughout their day. This motivates them to attend school or college. There are daily routines that staff follow with the children. When the children struggle to motivate themselves to attend school or college, staff implement appropriate and encouraging measures.

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This monitoring visit

Staff show they care about the children. They are attentive. When the children are anxious because of an upcoming health appointment, the staff have strategies to lower stress levels. This home has its own therapeutic staff, who advise and coach staff on strategies for working with the children when they are anxious.

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This monitoring visit

Staff say that they feel well supported by managers and leaders. There is always a manager to speak with for advice and guidance. Individual staff supervision is used effectively to develop staff and ensure they are able to provide the children with good care. Staff know what to do if they have concerns about the care of the children, and they know the procedures to follow. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2613829 2 When allegations have been made about staff regarding their care of children, managers have ensured that they have implemented their safeguarding procedures. Implicated staff have been removed from the home, if required. Referrals have been made to relevant safeguarding agencies. When staff who are under investigation for alleged poor practice are working at a different home, additional safeguards are put in place.

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This monitoring visit

One requirement and four recommendations that were raised at the last full inspection were outside the scope of this visit and were not reviewed. This requirement and the recommendations have been restated and will be reviewed at the next inspection. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2613829 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/06/2023 Full Good 06/04/2022 Full Outstanding 17/08/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2613829 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 within the given timescales.

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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 is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child —

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious.

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Requirement Due date

A notification made under this regulation—

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Requirement Due date

the other persons, bodies or organisations (if any) who or which have been notified; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions taken by the registered person as a result of the matter;

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Requirement Due date

must be made or confirmed in writing. (Regulation 40 (a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e) (5)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(b)) 20 July 2023 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2613829 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that, just as in a family home, children can access all shared areas of their home unless there are specific reasons why this would not meet a child’s needs. Limits on privacy and access may only be put in place to safeguard each child in the home, (regulation 21(c)(i)). Any decisions to limit a child’s access to any area of the home and any modifications to the environment of the home, must only be made where this is intended to safeguard the child’s welfare. All decisions should be informed by a rigorous assessment of that individual child’s needs, be properly recorded, and be kept under regular review. Information on restraint and deprivation of liberty is contained in the protection of children section of the Guide from paragraph 9.41. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.10)  The registered person should ensure that the importance of understanding who

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Recommendations

we are and where we come from is recognised in good social work practice, for example through undertaking life story work or other direct work. Staff in children’s homes should play a full role in work of this kind. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.14)  The registered person should ensure that staff are supported to understand factors that affect children’s motivation to behave in a socially acceptable way. Staff should encourage an enthusiasm for positive behaviour through the use of positive behaviour strategies in line with the child’s relevant plans. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.13)  The registered person should ensure that staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. Where there are safeguarding concerns for a child, their placement plan, agreed between the

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Recommendations

home and their placing authority, must include details of the steps the home will take to manage any assessed risks on a day to day basis. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)

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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: 2613829 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Abbey Green Therapeutic Children’s Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 51 Abbey Green Road, Leek ST13 8SA

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Inspector

Simon Hunter, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2613829 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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