Children's Home run by Emerge Care and Therapeutic Solutions Limited in Staffordshire

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2678053 1

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Emerge Care and Therapeutic Solutions Ltd

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 is registered to provide care for up to four children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager resigned in September 2023. A manager was suspended, and another manager has been appointed.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit was carried out in response to significant concerns from safeguarding notifications and information sent to Ofsted.

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This monitoring visit

There are three children living at the home. All three children have lived there since the last inspection. There is an acting manager overseeing the home, who is suitably experienced and qualified. Since the registered manager left in September 2023, there have been three people in the acting manager role. Two of these acting managers have had their competency to do the role raised. The senior management team has taken action to investigate, and there is an acting manager currently appointed. However, they are new to the home and have not yet affected significant change. Overall, management oversight has been ineffective, and this leaves children unsafe.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers have not taken appropriate action in response to complaints and allegations. For example, a complaint by a child was not recorded effectively. As a result, there was no investigation and no outcome communicated to the child. A child said that they had asked for a complaint form and not received one. This lack of action does not provide assurance that managers act on issues of concern to protect children, understand their experiences, and implement relevant changes. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2678053 2 Supervision practice in the home is poor. Staff supervision is not taking place consistently or in line with the organisational policies. Management oversight of staff supervision is poor; a matrix to track the dates of supervision meetings has not been updated and the records of some supervision sessions were not able to be located. This does not provide assurance that leaders and managers effectively supervise

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This monitoring visit

staff; that staff well-being, development and performance is discussed; and that staff have the appropriate knowledge, skills and ability to effectively safeguard children and carry out their roles.

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This monitoring visit

It is unclear whether all staff have received training in line with organisational expectations and to meet the needs of the children. Staff said that they had completed training and that it was helpful for them. However, the training matrix does not include all staff in the home, and shows that some training is out of date. Managers said that there is mandatory training that has not been completed by all staff. This does not provide assurance that staff are receiving training in accordance with the needs of their role.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers have not ensured that the home environment is suitably maintained and furnished. Children do not have access to all the furniture that they need to store their personal possessions. A child’s bedroom was missing the plaster on one wall, and this has not been addressed over a period of months. Another child’s bedroom contained only a bed and a fabric storage box; their personal items were scattered across the floor and food was on the floor. It was unclear why the furniture had been removed. The child said that they had been requesting furniture for over a month. There was action taken by the management team during the inspection to arrange for repairs to the wall and furniture is on order for children. However, the environment is currently very poor. The lack of oversight and lack of repairs to the home mean that children do not experience a homely, welcoming environment.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers have not ensured that risks to children are suitably assessed and acted on. For example, checks have not been carried out on children’s electronic devices, despite clear risks being identified in care plans and from incidents.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers have not ensured that safety and care plans for children provide good information for staff. Children’s plans do not provide staff with clear and up-to-date guidance on the actions that they need to take to keep children safe. For example, free time arrangements for a child were not recorded, and staff were unclear on whether free time should be occurring currently or not. Plans around a child’s use of a vape in the home were equally unclear. As a result, staff have been inconsistent in their approach. This does not provide assurance that there are sufficient safeguarding arrangements to protect children from harm.

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This monitoring visit

Children said that they do not like the behaviours of the other children. A child said that they go to their room to ‘get away’ from the disruption caused when another child is upset. There are positive relationships between some children, and they enjoy activities together. However, there has been no improvement in the Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2678053 3 relationship between a child and their peers, and this is impacting on the experiences of all children.

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This monitoring visit

Management oversight of communication and recording is poor. Leaders and managers have failed to identify that staff are not following internal communication procedures. For example, managers did not know that staff were not documenting the handover of shifts. Communication between the team is poor. Staff are unaware of important aspects of children’s planning.

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This monitoring visit

Children’s views, wishes, and feelings are not being appropriately responded to by managers. Children have not received a response to requests and feedback that they have given in children’s meetings. There have been significant delays to action taken in response to requests when action has been agreed.

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This monitoring visit

The management team has failed to ensure that notifications of serious incidents are sent to the regulator. This prevents the regulator from having clear oversight of the events at the home.

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This monitoring visit

The concerns identified during this monitoring visit have led to the regulator issuing a notice of compliance. In addition, three requirements have been raised. A recommendation from full inspection has not been tested at this monitoring visit. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2678053 4

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 05/12/2023 Full Good 13/12/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2678053 5

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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 with 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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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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’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;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

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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)(a)(b)(c)(e)(f)(g)(ii)(h)) 21 April 2024 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2678053 6 In particular, this refers to ensuring that children’s complaints are responded to, investigated and recorded effectively.

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Requirement Due date

This also refers to ensuring that all staff receive regular, practice led, supervision and regular, relevant training.

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Requirement Due date

This also refers to ensuring that children have appropriate furnishings in their bedrooms and receive support to manage and maintain the standard of their rooms.

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Requirement Due date

This also refers to ensuring that children are regularly consulted with in relation to their care. The provider must ensure that children receive a response to requests that they make following consultation, and that planned action is taken within appropriate 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— that staff—

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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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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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

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies; and 21 April 2024 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2678053 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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the provider must ensure that the home environment is appropriately maintained and furnished.

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Requirement Due date

It also refers to ensuring that staff support children to build and maintain relationships with each other, and that action is taken to manage the impact that children’s behaviour has on each other in the home.

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Requirement Due date

This also refers to ensuring that children’s plans consider all relevant risks and have specific actions to minimise those risks that are individualised to the child. The provider must ensure that all staff are aware of changes to plans and that they are following them.

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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 an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there; 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. (Regulation 40 (4)(b)(c)(e)) 21 April 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if—

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Requirement Due date

there is no registered manager in respect of the home; and

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Requirement Due date

is not, or does not intend to be, in day-to-day charge of the home. 21 April 2024 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2678053 8 If the registered provider appoints a person to manage the home, the registered provider must, without delay, give HMCI notice of—

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person so appointed; and

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Requirement Due date

the date on which the appointment takes effect. (Regulation 27 (1)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii) (2)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject of a compliance notice.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that children are offered a wide range of activities both inside and outside of the home, where appropriate, and are encouraged to participate in those activities. Activities should be well planned in terms of time, staffing and transport. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 31, paragraph 6.5)

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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: 2678053 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Emerge Care and Therapeutic Solutions Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 5 Rockside, Mow Cop, Stoke-on-Trent ST7 4PG

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Inspector

Laura Norcop, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2678053 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 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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