Children's home run by Seashell Trust

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC035518 1 SC035518 Seashell Trust

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care for up to 24 children with physical disabilities, learning disabilities and/or sensory impairment. Children live in six houses on a site that includes a school and college. Most children attend the on-site school. The inspectors only inspected the social care provision at this school.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in August 2023.

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This monitoring visit

This home was judged inadequate on 7 May 2024. Inspectors identified poor practice in relation to safeguarding and ineffective leadership and management. Following the full inspection, two compliance notices were issued under section 22a of the Care Standards Act 2000. These were in relation to Regulation 12 (the protection of children standard) and Regulation 13 (the leadership and management standard).

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This monitoring visit

An urgent condition was also imposed to reduce the number of children the home may provide care for to 12.

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This monitoring visit

This visit took place to review the actions taken by the registered provider to meet the two compliance notices issued at the last inspection.

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This monitoring visit

Inspectors found that staffing levels have improved. Since the last inspection, new staff have been recruited. Leaders have utilised staff from the school provision and short-break setting to provide further support.

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This monitoring visit

Agency staff continue to work in the houses. However, they now take part in an induction before starting their shift to ensure that they have all the information Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC035518 2 about the children’s needs. There is also a cohort of consistent agency staff who work across the houses.

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This monitoring visit

All staff have received training in line with children’s individual needs, such as gastrostomy, asthma and adrenal crisis management.

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This monitoring visit

The manager has worked closely with the responsible individual to improve the home’s documents and management systems. Documents have been reviewed and updated and include detailed information and effective strategies for staff to follow.

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This monitoring visit

Improvements have been made to children’s records, including risk management and behaviour support plans. Key information that had been missing at the time of the last visit is now captured in children’s plans.

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This monitoring visit

The management team has implemented a new shift induction and handover. This is helping staff to understand the children’s needs. Furthermore, Leaders and managers have increased their visibility across the houses. This enables them to observe practice and share information during the handover process.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers have developed a new supervision format, and a tracker system is now in place. Agency staff now also receive supervision. All supervision contracts have been reviewed to ensure that staff understand their roles and responsibilities. The new format enables the manager to review and evaluate any gaps in training and helps staff to reflect on their practice.

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This monitoring visit

Staff are positive about the training they have received and the increased staffing levels and training. They talked about the changes in the systems in the home and managers’ expectations. Inspectors observed children in a calm and relaxed environment.

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This monitoring visit

The requirements raised at the previous inspection were not considered during this visit. These will be reviewed at the next inspection. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC035518 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/07/2023 Full Good 15/11/2022 Full Good 01/12/2021 Full Good 18/02/2020 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC035518 4

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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 with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to continuing efforts to obtain children’s local authority plans and education, health and care plans. 28 June 2024

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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

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

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (1)(a) (2)(c)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that: the ceiling is attended to in the home; door cracks are addressed; the display board in a child’s bedroom is suitably fixed; marks on walls and skirting boards are removed. 28 June 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home. 28 June 2024 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC035518 5 In particular the registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

medicines kept in the home are stored in a secure place so as to prevent any child from having unsupervised access to them;

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Requirement Due date

medicine which is prescribed for a child is administered as prescribed to the child for whom it is prescribed and to no other child. (Regulation 23 (1) (2)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must ensure that the high number of medication errors reduces.

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Requirement Due date

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; 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)(a)(b)(c)) 28 June 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that all children’s case records are up to date and accurate. 28 June 2024

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Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the records are kept up to date; and 28 June 2024 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC035518 6 retain the records for at least 15 years from the date of the last entry. (Regulation 37 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to having a roster that accurately reflects all staff’s working hours, including where managers have covered on shift.

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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

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child—

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); 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)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e)) 28 June 2024

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that there is a workforce development plan in place that includes details about the frequency of supervision and how the manager will manage poor performance. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)

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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: SC035518 7

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Children’s home details

Provision sub-type: Residential special school

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Bernadette White

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Inspectors

Judith Birchall, Social Care Inspector Jennifer Quest, Social Care Inspector Sarah Jackson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC035518 8 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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