Children's home run by Alpine4care Services Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2721798 1 Registered provider: Alpine4care Services

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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 two children who may experience social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered in April 2023. There have been multiple changes in the leadership and management team at the home since registration. A manager has been appointed and is registering with Ofsted.

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This monitoring visit

At the last inspection, significant shortfalls were found in the leadership and management of the home. There have been multiple changes in the leadership and management team at the home since registration. This contributed to leadership and management being judged as inadequate. Consequently, a compliance notice under regulation 13 was issued. This visit was completed to monitor leaders and managers’ progress in meeting this compliance notice.

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This monitoring visit

There are no children currently living at the home. Two children have moved on from the home since the last inspection. One child moved quite quickly from the home, which meant that they did not have a positive experience of moving on from the home. Staff and managers took learning from this, and when the second child moved on from the home, their experience was more positive. They had options to visit their new home and opportunities to meet the new staff, which helped them to settle quickly in their new home.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders have now appointed a new manager. She has extensive knowledge and skills in leading and managing social care services. This supports effective monitoring and reviewing of the home and enable children to receive good-quality care and achieve positive outcomes. Leaders, managers and staff have worked hard to address all the shortfalls linked to regulation 13. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2721798 2 There are now clear monitoring and reviewing systems that support managers to quickly find and resolve any future shortfalls.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders have now recruited a full, permanent staff team that includes experienced and qualified staff. All staff have been supported to attend face-to-face training, such as training in care planning, the management of allegations, and behaviour management, and they have also revisited their induction training. Staff are now more aware of their roles and responsibilities as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. They are now in a better position to consistently meet the children’s needs and safeguard them.

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This monitoring visit

No additional shortfalls were identified at this visit. The requirements raised at the last inspection were not reviewed at this monitoring visit and have been restated.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

30/04/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 13/09/2023 Full Good 23/05/2023 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2721798 3

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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

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

develop positive relationships with them;

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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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

ascertain and consider each child’s views, wishes and feelings, and balance these against what they judge to be in the child’s best interests when making decisions about the child’s care and welfare;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to express views, wishes and feelings;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child;

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Requirement Due date

regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home’s care. (Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)) 31 August 2024

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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 that staff— 31 August 2024 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2721798 4 help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(x))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that staff promote children’s engagement with education through direct work and embedding routines.

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff help each child to—

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Requirement Due date

achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that all actions recommended by health professionals are completed in a timely way. 31 August 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. 31 August 2024 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2721798 5 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff—

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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

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; and

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Requirement Due date

that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(e))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that staff know, understand and apply the home’s child protection policies and procedures, including how to manage allegations.

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Requirement Due date

Also, ensure that staff have the skills to manage children’s behaviours to ensure their welfare.

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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: 2721798 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Alpine4care Services

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Office Suite 4, Bermar House, Rumer Hill Road, Cannock, Staffordshire WS11 0ET

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Inspector

Rumbi Mangoma, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2721798 7 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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