Children's Home run by Genesis CTE Limited in Gloucestershire

Inspection report for children’s home: 1277861 1 Registered provider: Genesis CTE Ltd

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The children’s home is registered to provide care for up to five children.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, three children were living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been in post since March 2024. They have not submitted a complete application to register.

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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 inadequate

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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

Date of last inspection: 13 February 2024

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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: 1277861 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/02/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 24/01/2023 Full Good 12/05/2021 Full Good 26/02/2020 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1277861 3

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improvement to be good

Since the previous inspection, there has continued to be some instability in the quality of care provided to the children. Chaotic periods have negatively impacted the children’s emotional well-being, sense of security and behaviours. It has also adversely impacted staff confidence and their ability to deliver good care.

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improvement to be good

The former manager and five staff have left. This has been unsettling for the children, especially as the staff’s departures have coincided with increased disruptive and unsafe behaviours in the home. Staff have sometimes struggled to help children in moments of crisis. One child moved on more quickly than planned as staff were unable to meet their needs.

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improvement to be good

Children have witnessed each other’s unsafe behaviours and they are sometimes copying them. For example, there has been an increase in bullying incidents. This behaviour has sometimes been interpreted as 'banter' or 'boys will be boys' leading to unhealthy relationship dynamics. Staff do not do enough to address incidents of swearing and discriminatory language used by children. This language has become common place.

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improvement to be good

Staff have struggled to support all children to remain engaged in education and learning. The new manager has considered barriers to education and has devised plans to help the children get back on track. One child enjoys attending school and is motivated by their aspirations.

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improvement to be good

As staff have focused their time on managing disruptive incidents, children’s views about their care and what they need to feel safe and happy have not always been heard. One child said they ‘sometimes feel safe,’ depending ‘on the mood’ in the home. As the home environment is becoming settled, staff have started to capture children’s voices during ‘community meetings.’

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improvement to be good

Professionals, parents and staff have highlighted that the home’s communication is poor. This means that the children’s support networks do not have a clear understanding of their experiences, needs and views. One child also explained how poor communication between staff and the therapist negatively impacted them.

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improvement to be good

Over the past few weeks, the new manager has set expectations relating to boundaries, routine and respectful communication. Although these changes are in their infancy, there has been a shift in the children’s behaviour, and they have been able to more safely spend time together. For example, staff have supported children to enjoy bike riding and football games. Inspection report for children’s home: 1277861 4

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improvement to be good

Staff have a good understanding of the children’s lived experiences and the impact this has on their emotions and behaviour. However, some staff do not have the skills and confidence to help the children in moments of distress.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not always respond quickly enough to escalating tensions, which means that some incidents could have been avoided. There have been physical altercations between the children. One incident was very serious, and staff supported the child to make a police report. Staff were unable to connect with another child when they experienced crisis, which meant they endured lengthy periods of distress. This was unsettling for the other children.

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improvement to be good

When restraint has been used, it has been proportionate and clearly documented. Staff speak with children after incidents to check on their well-being and to see if they require first aid. Staff are supported to reflect on incidents and to learn from them. However, the quality of this management oversight is inconsistent.

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improvement to be good

Staff care for children who have needs that require a specialist approach. However, staff do not consistently act in accordance with the children’s plans. One child was able to access inappropriate content online for some time.

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improvement to be good

Managers and senior leaders have not responded swiftly enough to safeguarding concerns raised about staff members. Some staff do not know how to escalate safeguarding concerns. An agency staff member had not completed safeguarding training for children, despite regularly working in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The home has experienced considerable management instability. There have been three managers in the past six months and only one manager was registered. He left in November 2023. A new manager was in post between December 2023 and March 2024. The current manager formally accepted the role in March 2024.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The recurrent change of managers has resulted in a lack of consistent leadership, direction and standards in the home. Staff have not received the support, guidance and supervision they need in order to help them deliver impactful care to the children. This has been detrimental to the children’s experiences and progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Children and staff have experienced unpredictability for a long time. Staff have needed to quickly adapt to new management styles and priorities. Some approaches have been divisive. Some permanent staff have opted to leave, and they have been replaced by regular agency staff. However, it is unclear if they all have relevant training to promote children’s safety and wellbeing. Inspection report for children’s home: 1277861 5 Plans are in place to address some of the concerns found during the inspection. However, these are in their infancy, and they do not encompass all of the concerns, despite some being longstanding. The responsible individual has made the decision not to move any other children into the home until it becomes settled. The new manager has appropriately identified shortfalls and has devised actions to address them, but progress is slow.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Requirements made at the previous inspection are not met. These have been restated alongside some additional requirements. There are consistent failures that fall within the leadership and management standard. Inspection report for children’s home: 1277861 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

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; 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

and 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)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)) 31 July 2024

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— 31 July 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 1277861 7 that staff—

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children;

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Requirement Due date

understand and communicate to children that bullying is unacceptable; and

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to recognise incidents or indications of bullying and how to deal with them. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(xi)(xii)(xiii))

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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Requirement Due date

and help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(v)(viii)) 31 July 2024

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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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the responsible individual should ensure that the home has a registered manager through meeting the 31 July 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 1277861 8 requirements specified in Regulation 28 (fitness of manager). They should also ensure that all staff complete safeguarding children training, including agency 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

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)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager should ensure that actions identified in response to shortfalls in practice are progressed in a timely manner. 31 July 2024

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Recommendation

 The registered provider should ensure that staff are confident talking to children around expectations of appropriate behaviour and that these messages are given to children consistently. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 15, paragraph 3.7).

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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: 1277861 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 2/3 The Hawthorns, Hawthorn Lane, Staunton, Gloucestershire GL19 3NY

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Inspectors

Tara Webb, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Emma Fryer, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1277861 10 regulates and inspects 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted Inspection report for children’s home: 1277861 11

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