Children's Home run by Brooks & Brooks Recruitment Ltd in Rochdale

Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2713287 1 Registered provider: Brooks & Brooks Recruitment

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This private home provides care for one child. The home’s statement of purpose states that children living in this home may experience a range of social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager left their role in January 2024. An acting manager has been appointed. She has yet to submit her application to register with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

The inspector spoke with the child who was living in the home at the time of this inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Information about this inspection

At these inspections, the inspector 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 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2713287 2 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: 2713287 3

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Findings from the inspection

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

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Findings from the inspection

 Children’s safety, welfare, and the quality of their care have been compromised because leaders and managers have implemented inconsistent staffing arrangements to care for children living in the home.  Risk assessments and supporting documents are unclear and inconsistent in relation to identified strategies that should be implemented to keep children safe from harm.

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Findings from the inspection

This inspection was carried out in response to an increase in serious safeguarding notifications sent to Ofsted by the provider. In addition, Ofsted has received a complaint from the child’s placing authority.

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Findings from the inspection

Following a case review held on 21 February 2024, one compliance notice has been served under regulation 13, the leadership and management standard.

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Findings from the inspection

Since the last inspection, the management arrangements for the home have changed and several staff have left their roles. As a result, there has been a high reliance on the use of agency staff. This means that there has been a significant impact on the continuity of care, safety, and support provided to the child, which has created unpredictability and increased anxiety for the child.

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Findings from the inspection

There have been two separate occasions when the whole staff shift has been covered by agency staff due to staff absence or sickness. The agency staff were unknown to the child and they did not have an understanding of the child’s complex needs. Serious safeguarding incidents have happened on both occasions.

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Findings from the inspection

Leaders and managers have failed to ensure that there are consistent safe staffing arrangements. Consequently, the child has been placed at risk of harm and the quality of care provided to the child has been compromised. The organisation’s designated safeguarding lead has started an investigation into the incidents, and the provider has notified the appropriate safeguarding professionals.

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Findings from the inspection

Risk assessments and supporting documents are unclear in relation to identified strategies that should be implemented to keep the child safe from harm. The manager has implemented a quick guide and a safety plan to provide staff with guidance about how they should safely care for the child. However, there are a number of documents that are contradictory and do not provide consistent information about how to reduce the child’s risks associated with self-injury, use of ligatures, incidents of going missing from home, and community-based activities.

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Findings from the inspection

There has been a change in the provider’s externally commissioned therapeutic service, which had been providing the child with regular talking therapy. The child’s Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2713287 4 local authority mental health worker has also recently left their role. This means that the child has had no direct therapeutic support in recent weeks. Leaders and managers have failed to implement a contingency plan to ensure that the child has access to alternative therapeutic support during what has been an unsettled time for them. The placing authority have now made alternative arrangements. However, the child said that it has been difficult having no one who is independent from the staff team to talk to about their feelings.

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Findings from the inspection

The staff team and long-term agency staff members are not regularly provided with practice-related supervision by the manager. This means that their practice is not regularly reviewed to discuss any continuous professional development or to review their understanding of the child’s needs and risks. This is a missed opportunity to support and develop the staff team.

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Findings from the inspection

There have been significant delays in leaders and managers notifying Ofsted about some serious safeguarding incidents. This means that the regulator has been unable to review and monitor emerging safeguarding concerns within suitable timescales.

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Findings from the inspection

The child said that they feel safe and cared for most of the time. The manager has a clear plan in place to ensure that the staff supporting the child, until the child moves from the home, are known to them and have an established relationship.

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Findings from the inspection

The manager has made improvements to the systems in place to ensure that staff follow safe and consistent medication management procedures. The manager has introduced weekly and monthly medication audits. This means that there is regular oversight and monitoring of medication management by the home’s senior leadership team.

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Findings from the inspection

The staff team has undertaken training that is specific to the needs and risks of the child. This has equipped them with the skills to understand the child’s complex needs and to support the child’s emotional well-being.

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Findings from the inspection

The manager oversees all restraint records to ensure that each incident is evaluated. The child and staff are spoken to after any use of restraint, which provides them with an opportunity to raise any concerns following the incident. The manager uses these discussions to identify any required changes to practice to ensure that staff respond appropriately to the child during high-risk situations. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2713287 5

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/06/2023 Full Good Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2713287 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 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 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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(e)(f)) 3 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

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

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)(v)(b)) 3 March 2024 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2713287 7 Specifically, ensure that risk assessments and supporting documents are clear and consistent in relation to identified strategies that should be implemented by the staff to keep children safe from harm.

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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

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)(v)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that the staff take the appropriate action to safeguard children in line with children’s individual risk assessments and safety plans, and the actions they take do not place children at further risk. 3 April 2024

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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.

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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 each child has access to such dental, medical, nursing, psychiatric and psychological advice, treatment and other services as the child may require. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that children have access to in-house therapeutic services to meet their individual needs. This should be in line with the home’s statement of purpose. 3 April 2024 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2713287 8 The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)) 3 April 2024

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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

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 any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(b)(e)) 3 April 2024

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Requirement Due date

*This requirement is subject to a compliance notice. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2713287 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Brooks & Brooks Recruitment

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Hilton Jones Ltd, Hollinwood Business Centre, Albert Street, Oldham OL8 3QL

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Junior Brandford

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Inspector

Cheryl Field, Social Care Inspector Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2713287 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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