Children's Home run by THR SERVICES LIMITED in West Northamptonshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2735355 1 Registered provider: THR Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a small private provider. It has recently re-registered following a change of the company details. This is the first inspection since it re-registered.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to care for up to two children who may have social and emotional difficulties. One child was present and spoken to, and their views have helped to inform this report.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is registered with Ofsted and was present throughout the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2735355 2

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improvement to be good

The home has recently re-registered. However, this was due to a change in the company details only, and the management and one of the children remain as before. Two children currently live at the home, but one child was staying at their family home following an allegation of harm. Staff and the social worker are carrying out regular welfare checks on the child.

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improvement to be good

Children have made progress. One child has made significant progress, and they said they were a ‘different person’ now. They have positive and trusting relationships with the adults in the home and are provided with nurturing care. They have a sense of security and stability, and, because of this, their self-confidence and social skills have improved. Children are given good support to express their views, and this means that they feel listened to and are confident that staff will act on what they are saying.

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improvement to be good

Education has been an issue for one child as relationships between the school, the home, and the child appear to have broken down, despite the child remaining on the school roll. The manager has worked with the social worker to try to reach a resolution and access education for the child, but to no effect. The child wants to return to school and feels that they are being unfairly treated by them and wrongly judged. These concerns will be shared with the school regulatory team. The manager is going to support the child to get an advocate and involve children’s rights agencies to make a complaint. A tutor has been appointed, who is providing some education, and the child is working well with them.

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improvement to be good

Children have been helped and supported to maintain and re-establish contact with their families. This has led to improvements in relationships, and one child is going away on holiday with their family this year. This has had a positive impact on their well-being and sense of belonging. Children have opportunities to engage in a range of activities in the community and are looking at joining clubs and taking up new hobbies. Children are supported to develop their independence and essential life skills. Achievements are recognised and celebrated, and children are supported to feel proud of their progress.

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improvement to be good

One child’s move to the home was positive and there was a considered approach to ensuring that the children were a good match to live together. However, following an allegation of harm made by the child after an incident, they have remained at their family home and may not return. This would not be a positive ending to their time at the home. Action has not been taken to clean and tidy the child’s bedroom or repair some of the damage caused during the incident. This would not demonstrate to the chid that they were cared about, should they return. Inspection report for children’s home: 2735355 3 The home uses CCTV in external areas, including the garden. There is not a policy or risk assessment in place for its use, and written consent for its use has not been provided by the placing authorities. Visitors to the home are not informed of the use of CCTV, how these images will be used and stored, and who has access to them.

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improvement to be good

The physical environment looks worn and shabby. The manager has tried to add homely touches through putting photographs on the walls of children engaging in positive activities. Essential maintenance is not completed in a timely way and this impacts on the well-being of children and staff. One child had a broken bed, and this had been the case for a while according to the child. The manager acted in response to this during the inspection. This does not provide children with a positive or homely environment to live in.

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improvement to be good

Inspectors were aware during this inspection that child protection allegations were being investigated by the appropriate authorities. While Ofsted does not have the power to investigate allegations of this kind, actions taken by the setting in response to the allegation were considered alongside other evidence available at the time of the inspection to inform the inspector’s judgements.

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improvement to be good

The senior manager has failed to respond to the allegation in an appropriate or timely way. The local authority designated officer was not informed until four days after the event, and this prevented their immediate oversight. The initial response from senior managers lacked urgency and did not sufficiently safeguard the child, who remained living at the home.

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improvement to be good

Incidents of potential risk are reducing and, for one child, they have significantly reduced. A missing episode was well managed, and the child safely returned to the home. There have been no concerns around bullying and children have positive relationships with each other.

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improvement to be good

Children’s risk assessments and support plans are clear and detailed and provide staff with information and guidance. Details about children’s health needs are not captured within these plans, and this could impact on the guidance given.

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improvement to be good

Incidents involving the use of physical intervention and restraint do not have effective management oversight and scrutiny. The poor recording of events means that there is not a clear picture of where restraint has taken place or staff actions. Leaders and managers have not been professionally curious about the events leading up to an incident. For example, on one occasion, staff had not followed the routines in the home or a child’s plan, which led to an incident involving a restraint. This had not been challenged by the manager.

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improvement to be good

Staff and children do not consistently have debriefs following incidents. Children are not always given opportunities to speak to someone who is independent or was not involved in the incident. This limits the opportunities that children have in being able Inspection report for children’s home: 2735355 4 to express their views and any concerns following incidents. Staff are not being supported to reflect on and learn from their practice.

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improvement to be good

Safer recruitment practices are not consistently followed. Not all required information was located within staff files, and some suitability checks had not been completed. The interview process for new staff does not always consider a prospective employee’s motivation for wanting to work with children. This does not provide assurance that suitable staff are employed at the home.

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improvement to be good

Senior managers have failed to act in response to a fire risk assessment completed by an external professional. The report highlighted the need to have smoke detectors fitted downstairs to mitigate risk and provide early warning in the event of a fire. These have not been purchased and fitted, and this would impact on staff being alerted in a timely way that there was a fire and could impact on the safe evacuation of the home.

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good

There is tension within the management team, and this is impacting on the effective running of the home. The manager feels unsupported in her role and has been covering shifts due to a lack of suitably qualified and experienced staff. This has prevented the manager from completing management tasks and keeping children’s records up to date. The senior manager does not provide sufficient scrutiny or challenge. They do not have systems in place to regularly review the operation of the home, or to quality assure the care provided and the physical environment.

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good

There has been some staff turnover, which has impacted on the stability of the home, and there is a lack of qualified and experienced staff to act as shift leaders in the manager’s absence. This means that some staff, including the manager, have covered additional shifts to meet the needs of the home.

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good

The manager is child centred in their approach, and they know and understand the children well. Professionals spoke positively about the manager and their role in supporting children, and in working ‘tirelessly’ when advocating for a child. The manager was described as a ‘wonderful, trusted adult’ who has given a child ‘a sense of security’. The manager has good relationships with other professionals and has requested additional support and training for staff through her professional network.

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good

Staff, including the manager, do not have regular supervisions to discuss and reflect on their practice and development in their roles. New staff do not have the necessary support to complete their inductions, as they are not having regular supervision and mentoring. Eligible staff, including the manager, have not had an annual appraisal of their work. This means that there are missed opportunities to support and develop staff skills and knowledge through agreed goals and targets. Inspection report for children’s home: 2735355 5 All the staff have completed mandatory training in areas such as safeguarding and health and safety. Most of the training is completed online. This limits opportunities for wider discussions and learning, and means that practical elements, such as first aid, cannot be assessed. Staff have not been provided with specific training that is relevant to the needs of the children in the home and this limits knowledge and

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good

understanding of how staff can best meet these needs. Most of the staff do not have the prescribed childcare qualification and have limited experience. Inspection report for children’s home: 2735355 6

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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, 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 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

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background;

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Requirement Due date

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live their comfortably. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(iv)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to children’s plans being kept updated. It also relates to ensuring that a child’s bed is replaced. 1 March 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 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; 1 March 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2735355 7 that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health; and

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Requirement Due date

that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(b)(d)(e))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to ensuring that children are provided with a safe and well-maintained environment, including any actions needed relating to fire prevention. It also relates to child protection policies being reviewed to ensure that they contain sufficient information around the management of allegations against staff.

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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

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

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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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(d)(h)) 1 March 2024

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Requirement Due date

have the capacity, experience and skills to supervise the management of the home, or the homes, in respect of which the responsible individual is nominated. (Regulation 26 (7)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to the responsible individual providing sufficient scrutiny and oversight of the home and in having the knowledge and skills to manage all aspects of safeguarding. 1 March 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2735355 8 The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a) (3)(d)) 1 March 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees-

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)(c)) 1 March 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy ("the behaviour management policy") which sets out—

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Requirement Due date

the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

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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

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

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure;

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and 1 March 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2735355 9 within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (1)(b) (3)(a)(iii)(vii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to effective management evaluation of restraint reports and ensuring that debriefs are undertaken with children and staff by the registered or authorised person.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that there is a written policy in place for the use of CCTV that describes how they will support the safeguarding and well-being of those living and working in the home and how people will be advised of its use and purpose. The registered person must gain consent, in writing, to any monitoring and surveillance by the placing authority at the time of placement. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, April 2015, page 16, paragraph 3.16)

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, using the social care common inspection framework. This 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’. Inspection report for children’s home: 2735355 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: THR Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Room 2 First Floor, Main Road, Middleton Cheney OX17 2PW

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Inspector

Sarah Orriss, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2735355 11 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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