Children's Home run by Throughomes Ltd in Derby

Inspection report for children’s home: 2716966 1 Registered provider: Throughomes 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 home is owned and operated by a private provider. It is registered to provide care for up to two children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

Two children are currently being cared for in this home.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2716966 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/08/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2716966 3

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improvement to be good

One child spoke positively of the staff and reported them to be loveable and that the home was a lovely place to live. They do lots of activities such as bowling, cinema, swimming club and going to town. They like that the home has big bedrooms and staff help them.

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improvement to be good

One child is attending education and has done well in recent mock exams. For this child, this is progress. They are developing plans for their future. For another child, attendance is inconsistent. Although there are efforts being made in conjunction with the school to encourage attendance, care staff are not consistently supporting educational activities throughout the day.

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improvement to be good

Children are in general good health. When children require help with their emotional health, services are identified. Arrangements for managing medication are effective. However, not all staff have had medication training.

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improvement to be good

Children have regular meetings with staff. This enables staff to plan, including areas such as activities and meal choices. This means that children are involved in decisions made about their lives.

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improvement to be good

Children have appropriate and assessed time with their families. This is important for the children. However, for one child, arrangements have not always been planned effectively. This has meant that, for one child, they missed an important family celebration.

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improvement to be good

Leaders and managers have not ensured that the home has a clear and understandable complaints procedure for children. One child did not understand what has happened because of making their complaint. This means that children do not know if their complaint is being taken seriously by an adult.

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improvement to be good

Children live in a house that is homely. Although small, the home has adequate space. Children have personalised their own bedrooms. There are communal areas, although these areas do not reflect the children’s identity.

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improvement to be good

Children feel safe in the home. Children spoke about key staff members they would speak to if they had any worries. However, this is not consistent. There are limited records of discussions with children about how to keep safe. For example, there are no recorded discussions about using a laptop safely, when, for one child, this is a significant area of concern. Inspection report for children’s home: 2716966 4 Individual risk assessments are not up to date. These do not record when there have been changes, for example when a child has been missing. Leaders and managers have not ensured that risk assessments are reviewed regularly.

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improvement to be good

Children have gone missing from this home. When children go missing, staff coordinate a response which includes looking for children. Leaders and managers and family are informed. Police are asked for help in locating children. However, there have been no independent return home interviews. This means that there are missed opportunities to identify reasons for children going missing and develop strategies to keep children safer.

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improvement to be good

Leaders and managers have not ensured that all staff are knowledgeable and confident about safeguarding procedures, particularly what they must do if they have concerns about children. However, children can identify staff they trust to talk to about their concerns.

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improvement to be good

The registered provider has a system to collate and track patterns of all incidents relating to children. This shows that there have been no physical interventions. However, it was not evident how this information gathering impacts on the children’s future planning and risk assessment.

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improvement to be good

Leaders and managers have ensured that arrangements for managing medication are safe and effective. However, not all staff that administer medication have up-to-date training.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The home is not being managed effectively. The manager has applied to register with Ofsted, but has subsequently left the employment of the organisation. Improvements identified at the last inspection have not yet been fully met. However, the registered individual has been proactive and has an interim plan in place for oversight of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staffing is consistent. There has been minimal change since the last inspection. This means that there is a higher likelihood of children developing trusting bonds with regular staff. However, leaders and managers have not ensured that they have a thorough overview of the recruitment of new staff, including a robust system of checks.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Several records were not available at the inspection. These include complaints, staff supervision and the workforce development plan. This meant that inspectors were not able to ascertain the effectiveness of practice in these areas.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Inspectors were unable to confirm that all staff have received regular supervision with a manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Not all staff have training that is essential to meet the needs of the children. This has meant there are gaps in staff knowledge. Some staff are lacking in experience to confidently provide a high level of consistent care to the children. For example, when staff are unable to drive, this has impacted on children’s ability to see family. Inspection report for children’s home: 2716966 5 Leaders and managers have not completed a review of the quality of care provided for children within timescales. Additionally, the home’s statement of purpose does not reflect the home’s current situation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Two requirements were given at the last inspection. At this inspection, these had not been met. These requirements are reinstated, together with four further requirements. Inspection report for children’s home: 2716966 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 registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly relates to supervision of staff taking place in line with the home’s policy. 1 August 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children ("a quality of care review") at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review ("the quality of care review report").

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Requirement Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed; and 1 August 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2716966 7 make a copy of the quality of care review report available on request to a placing authority, if the placing authority is not the parent of a child accommodated in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (3) (4)(a)(b) (5))

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Requirement Due date

This is in relation to no regulation 45 report sent to Ofsted within 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 has sufficient staff to provide care for 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

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)(d)(e)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This is in relation to the registered person not ensuring that all staff not having all mandatory training.

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers’ oversight of care is inadequate. 1 August 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2716966 8 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

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; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

This is in relation to staff not possessing the knowledge or having confidence about the provider’s safeguarding and whistle-blowing procedures. 1 August 2024

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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

the procedure for considering complaints (see regulation 39);

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Requirement Due date

records of complaints (see regulation 39); 1 August 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2716966 9 quality of care reviews (see regulation 45); (Regulation 38 (a)(b)(j)(k)(l)(n))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to the registered person not able to access staff supervision, complaints from children or quality of care reviews.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to managers not having an effective oversight of employment checks for staff that work with children. 1 August 2024

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that they keep under review a statement of purpose (regulation 16 and schedule 1). The home’s statement of purpose should be child-focused, indicating how the home provides individual care to meet the quality standards for children in their care. (‘Guide to Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.5) Inspection report for children’s home: 2716966 10

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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: 2716966 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 11 Westgreen Avenue, Allenton, Derby DE24 9AP

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Inspector

Simon Hunter, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2716966 12 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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