Children's Home run by Children & Adolescents Placement Provisions Ltd in West Northamptonshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2625585 1 Registered provider: Children and Adolescents Placement Provisions Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned and provides care for up to four children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The post for a registered manager has been vacant since 19 January 2024.

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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: requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2625585 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/07/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 04/04/2023 Full Inadequate 19/04/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 15/11/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2625585 3

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improvement to be good

Children are supported to access education in the form of college and home tutoring. Staff encourage children’s aspirations. This helps children to make positive choices about their future and to be more confident in their abilities. Several children, who have not always engaged in regular learning, are now accessing education regularly.

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improvement to be good

Children have regular one-to-one discussions with staff. They are also provided with opportunities to share their views in house meetings. This ensures that children can express their views and influence their care in the home. However, staff are not planning discussions or ongoing direct work with children to target identified vulnerabilities.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to see their families, recognising that this is important to them. Staff work well with families to prepare children for moving into and on from the home. When children have needed to move quickly, staff have been innovative to offer video tours of the home. This ensures that children know what to expect and feel prepared for their move.

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improvement to be good

Children have care plans and risk assessments in place. However, these are convoluted and repetitive. They do not always include clear actions for staff to follow, which makes it difficult for staff to understand the actions required of them.

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improvement to be good

The home does not feel inviting and there are several areas in need of repair and redecoration. Some children’s bedrooms and bathrooms are hazardous and unclean. Staff are not regularly accessing children’s bedrooms to be assured of their condition. Children need more support to maintain good levels of hygiene in their personal space.

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improvement to be good

When children go missing from the home, staff are proactive to follow missing-from-care protocols. There is one example of a staff member acting intuitively when a child left the home, which protected the child from harm.

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improvement to be good

When physical intervention techniques have been used, staff have tried to de-escalate situations to prevent children being held. Recordings do not always specify the type of hold used, which makes it difficult for the appropriateness of the hold to be understood by the manager.

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improvement to be good

The unique location of the home and its proximity to another children’s home have not been fully considered by the manager. There have been several incidents which have involved children from both homes. There is not collaborative planning among managers about how these joint incidents will be handled by staff or prevented in the future. Inspection report for children’s home: 2625585 4 When significant incidents occur, and children are identified to be at risk, staff are not always professionally curious with children to understand their experiences. Opportunities are missed to understand serious events alongside children to inform risk assessments and staff practice. For some children, this has meant that important conversations about incidents where they are at risk of sexual or criminal exploitation have not occurred or been appropriately revisited when children are calmer.

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improvement to be good

Staff have not consistently followed police advice to carry out regular room searches, and behaviour has not been appropriately challenged. As a result, staff have minimised the risk this presents directly to the child and others living in the home.

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improvement to be good

Fire drills have been carried out but are not clearly documented or filed and children are not consistently leaving the home when prompted to by a fire alarm. The fire risk assessment could not be easily located by the manager. This has the potential to put children at risk should an emergency occur.

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improvement to be good

One child’s records have not been appropriately stored to be accessible when required. Therefore, inspectors cannot be assured that this child has received an acceptable standard of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Since the home opened, children have not received a good standard of care. This is a concern. A new manager has been appointed and has taken some steps to register with Ofsted.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff speak positively of the new manager and feel well supported. They say that she has helped to focus their work with children. Staff are now receiving regular supervision since the manager joined the service in February 2024.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager is realistic about the challenges of the home and the need to build team morale and engage involved professionals. She has developed good relationships with staff from several external agencies, who spoke of her regular communication.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

There have been several complaints received, particularly from neighbours. These have not been handled robustly by managers. Records of the complaints are not kept, and it is not clear how the manager has responded. When concerns are raised about children’s behaviour, effective planning does not take place to prevent a reoccurrence of the concern. Children are not encouraged to reflect on the impact of their behaviour or be a part of repairing relationships with the local community.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff at the home do not have the required qualification and are not quickly enrolled on the necessary course. This means that children are being cared for by staff who do not have a developed understanding of the impact of trauma. The statement of purpose has not been kept up to date with details of the staff who work at the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2625585 5 Management oversight of incidents is sporadic and there are no clear systems to monitor and evaluate children’s progress. Staff practice is not adapted following significant incidents, and direct work with children that could reduce or identify risk is not prioritised.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The safe recruitment of staff remains an issue of concern in the home. Gaps in employment history for newly recruited staff are not fully understood or sufficiently explored by the manager. As a result, the manager cannot be assured that the staff working at the home are suitable to work with children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2625585 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, 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 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

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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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.

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are located so that children are effectively safeguarded;

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Requirement Due date

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)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly relates to ensuring that staff are professionally curious following incidents where children have been put at significant risk and that care plans are adjusted accordingly.

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Requirement Due date

This also relates to ensuring that regular room searches are carried out where it is felt that children may have drugs or weapons in their possession. 17 July 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2625585 7 This also relates to ensuring that a good standard of condition and hygiene is maintained in the home and that risk assessments are carried out on the location of the home.

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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

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

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)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly relates to ensuring that there is consistent management oversight on incidents and safety planning for children, for staff to receive regular supervision and for complaints to be managed and recorded more robustly. 17 July 2024

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (3)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that any revised versions of the home’s statement of purpose are submitted to HMCI within 28 days. 17 July 2024

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Requirement Due date

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must— 17 July 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2625585 8 ensure, by means of fire drills and practices at suitable intervals, that persons working at the home and, so far as reasonably practicable, children are aware of the procedure to be followed in case of fire. (Regulation 25 (1)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly relates to ensuring that there are clear records of drills carried out at the home and for the manager to be aware of the fire risk assessment.

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Requirement Due date

A person may only manage a children’s home if—

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Requirement Due date

having regard to the size of the home, its statement of purpose, and the number and needs (including any needs arising from any disability) of the children—

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Requirement Due date

the person has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills to manage the home effectively and lead the care of children.

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (1)(b)(i), a person has the appropriate experience and qualification if the person has—

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Requirement Due date

within the last 5 years, worked for at least 2 years in a position relevant to the residential care of children;

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Requirement Due date

worked for at least one year in a role requiring the supervision and management of staff working in a care role. (Regulation 28 (1)(b)(i) (2)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly relates to ensuring that the manager has the required experience needed to be registered with Ofsted. 17 July 2024

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (“the Level 3 Diploma”); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 17 July 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2625585 9 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home; or

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016. (Regulation 32 (4)(a)(b) (5)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly relates to ensuring that all staff are registered on the diploma and complete this within the necessary time frame.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the following items, which may be kept in electronic form, are kept in an accessible manner—

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Requirement Due date

children’s case records (see regulation 36). (Regulation 38 (i))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly relates to ensuring that all children’s records are available and accessible to staff and relevant professionals. 17 July 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that records of restraint are kept to enable the registered person and staff to review the use of control, discipline and restraint to identify effective practice and respond promptly where any issues or trends of concern emerge. The review should provide the opportunity for amending practice to ensure that it meets the needs of each child. This specifically relates to ensuring that the type of restraint used is clearly described. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 49, paragraph 9.59)  The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information about individual children in a non- stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to

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Recommendations

the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: 2625585 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Children and Adolescents Placement Provisions Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Barratt House Office G3a, Kingsthorpe Road, Northampton NN2 6EZ

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Inspectors

Louise Copping, Social Care Inspector Chloe Harvey, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2625585 11 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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