Children's home run by Care Haven (UK) Limited in Stockport

Inspection report for children’s home: SC483828 1 SC483828

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Registered provider: Care Haven (UK) Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a private children’s home registered for up to five children. The home’s statement of purpose states that children living in this home may have a range of social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2024. She is suitably qualified for her role. There were two children living in the home at the time of the inspection. The inspector spoke with both children.

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Information about this children’s home

The inspector was aware during this inspection that serious child protection allegations were being investigated by the appropriate authorities. While Ofsted does not have the power to investigate allegations of this kind, actions taken by the setting in response to the allegations were considered (where appropriate) alongside other evidence available at the time of the inspection to inform the inspector’s judgements.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC483828 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/04/2023 Full Good 20/04/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 19/10/2021 Full Inadequate 11/03/2020 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: SC483828 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have some positive and nurturing relationships with the staff team. They feel listened to, and their views, wishes and feelings are considered. Children are confident in how to raise any concerns about their care. Staff provide children with praise and recognition for positive achievements, which is role modelled effectively by the senior leadership team.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager has improved the procedures for children moving into the home. This means that the children who currently live in the home experienced well-planned and smooth transitions when they moved in. This has helped them settle into the home and feel safe and secure. It has been particularly beneficial for the children whose move to the home is their first experience of residential care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Social workers are complimentary about the care provided to children by staff. They described the support that staff provided to children as amazing. They say that children make progress while living in the home. They are helped to develop positive and trusting relationships, supported to improve their confidence and provided with clear structures and boundaries. In addition, children understand and work towards their individualised rewards systems to help them make positive choices and develop their independence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress in education, and they recognise the progress that they have made at school since living in the home. The staff team’s approach to encouraging children to engage in their education is proactive. This helps children to sustain routines while they wait to start their new school and to prepare them for their return to full-time education. Children access recreational activities in line with their interests and hobbies. They are also supported to spend time and maintain relationships with family when possible and appropriate.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s identities are respected and understood by staff. Key-work sessions address children’s individual needs and provide an evaluation about what children have achieved from the sessions. They help children to understand the importance of good health. This has enabled the staff team to monitor children’s health needs and access external agencies when children require more support.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When some children’s placements at the home have come to an end unexpectedly, this has mostly been due to the staff team no longer being able to meet their changing needs and risks. That said, the staff team has worked well to support children and with other professionals to ensure that their move has been as smooth as possible and to provide them with any additional support required.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children like their bedrooms and feel comfortable in them. They are supported to personalise their bedrooms. Some areas of the home require refurbishing to make Inspection report for children’s home: SC483828 4 them more homely. This includes renovating unused bedrooms for children and staff, replacing the front door and redecorating the bathroom ceiling. The manager has a clear development plan in place that identifies these areas to be prioritised.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

A detailed impact risk assessment is implemented before children move into the home. It considers the risks for children living in the home and the child moving in, to determine if they can live with each other safely. There is evidence of lessons learned from previous children’s placements to improve care planning and decision- making relating to children moving into the home.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff have a good understanding of children’s behaviours and how they wish to be supported. This is because risk assessments and positive behaviour support plans provide staff with clear and consistent strategies to help children manage their behaviour and to minimise risks. Children’s mental health concerns and emotional needs are equally understood by staff. Staff respond appropriately to ensure that children are safeguarded. Emotional and well-being agencies work with children and the staff team to provide additional support and guidance.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff understand their roles and responsibilities relating to child-focused safeguarding practice. Serious incidents and allegations made by children have been responded to promptly, and the appropriate safeguards have been implemented to keep children safe. There has been a high number of incidents of children going missing from the home. Staff follow children’s missing-from-home protocols, and they are proactive in trying to locate and return children. The manager is responsive to any emerging risks associated with children being away from the home and works closely with safeguarding professionals to agree and review plans to mitigate risks.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Holding children is used as a last resort and to keep children safe. Children are helped to understand their behaviour and how staff respond to their behaviour. Consequences given to children are effective and proportionate to support positive behaviour. The manager reflects on the management of restraint and recognises areas of practice that can be developed further. However, there have been some recording issues in the records that the manager has not identified, such as the duration of each hold having been missed, body maps not completed and the dates of debriefs not accounted for.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Children say that staff help educate them to make better choices to keep themselves safe, in and out of the home. However, some discussions have not been recorded by staff to evidence the progress that children are making. This relates particularly to direct work associated with the risks of going missing from the home, vaping, child exploitation and some restorative work between children and staff.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Health and safety checks are kept up to date and monitored by the registered manager. When children move into the home, they participate in a fire evacuation. However, there have been delays when doing this and it has not been prioritised in Inspection report for children’s home: SC483828 5 the first few days of children moving into the home. This means that children are not taught about fire procedures from the beginning of their time in the home.

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good

A new manager and deputy manager have started in their roles since the last inspection. They have offered stability to the children and staff team, following some changes to the management team. They recognise the home’s strengths and areas for development, and they are receptive to feedback and learning opportunities. Together, they are focused on driving improvements in the quality of care for children and their experiences while living in the home. The manager requires time to embed her vision for the home and to improve some aspects of her oversight and monitoring of the home.

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good

The manager understands children’s needs and advocates on behalf of them. She challenges professionals, when necessary, to obtain the best outcomes for the children. Her oversight and evaluation of incidents demonstrate her understanding of children’s behaviour and progress. She uses reflective practice and feedback to improve staff practice in their roles.

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good

Leaders and managers have not developed their lone working policies and practice following allegations made by children. This specifically relates to implementing a risk management plan for lone working in relation to each child. This would offer some protection to children and staff when they work on a one-to-one basis. In addition, the manager has identified that daily records require some improvements relating to consistency. This relates to the amount and type of information that staff record. The manager has plans to develop the quality of staff recording, particularly relating to recording children and staff’s whereabouts in the home in daily records.

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good

While the use of alarms on children’s bedroom doors is appropriate to keep them safe, the manager has not obtained written consent from children’s social workers to approve this. In addition, risk assessments to review the use of the buzzers have been drafted but not fully implemented for the children currently living in the home. This was a recommendation at the last inspection and so it has been escalated to a requirement.

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good

Leaders and managers do not always obtain children’s essential case records. This means that they do not always have up-to-date information about the child. There are no clear chronologies of managers having escalated their requests for statutory records, such as children’s annual medicals, personal education plans and minutes from children’s looked after reviews. Furthermore, written consent has not been sought from children or their social workers in relation to external visitors, such as the independent visitor accessing children’s care files and records.

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good

Staff feel supported by the senior leadership team. They report positively about the changes that have been made to the operation of the home under the new Inspection report for children’s home: SC483828 6 management, and they are responsive to the changes made to enhance children’s experiences. They are provided with regular supervision. The manager is due to implement a new appraisal system and it will be delivered to staff in the next few weeks. Team meetings are used to broaden staff’s knowledge in their roles and to deliver additional training that is an area of development, such as record-keeping training.

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good

The independent visitor reports provide regular evaluation of the operation of the home and an evaluation of the support provided to children. However, they rarely evidence that feedback from staff and children’s families is used to fully assess the quality of care provided to children. In addition, the manager’s review of the quality of care report is effective in evaluating the impact of the service on children’s progress and outcomes, but it does not evidence that feedback has been obtained from children, their families, staff and professionals or that any action has been taken in response. Inspection report for children’s home: SC483828 7

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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 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

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)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers must develop their systems in relation to lone working practice by implementing lone working risk assessments for each child living in the home. This will offer protection to children and staff in the home. 16 August 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

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 16 August 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC483828 8 ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to— meet the needs of each child; and

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that the home is decorated, maintained and furnished to a high standard throughout.

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and 16 August 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC483828 9 within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only use devices for the monitoring or surveillance of children if—

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Requirement Due date

the child’s placing authority consents in writing to the monitoring or surveillance. (Regulation 24 (1)(b)) 16 August 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. (Regulation 36 (1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person should ensure that records such as children’s statutory annual medicals, statutory reviews and personal education plans are kept on file. Evidence of having requested these documents should be clear and organised. 16 August 2024

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

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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 (2)(b) (5)) 16 August 2024

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Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

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Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires; and

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Requirement Due date

to inspect the premises of the home and such of the home’s records (except for a child’s case records, unless the child and 16 August 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC483828 10 the child’s placing authority consent) as the independent person requires. (Regulation 44 (2)(a)(b))

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff support children to be aware of and manage their own safety, both inside and outside the home, to the extent that any good parent would. Staff should help children to understand how to protect themselves, feel protected and be protected from significant harm. Specifically, any work that is carried out with children relating to going missing from home, vaping, child sexual exploitation and any restorative work between children and staff should always be recorded and clearly evidenced. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.9)  The registered person should ensure that staff establish the child’s understanding of key information about living in the home in order to establish whether there are gaps in the child’s understanding. Specifically, when children move into the home, they should engage in a fire drill at the earliest opportunity and without delay.

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Recommendations

(‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 57, paragraph 11.8)  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. Specifically, staff should provide clear and consistent records of children, staff and visitors’ whereabouts in the home in all daily records. (‘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’.

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Information about this inspection

The inspection started on 3 July 2024. The inspector returned on 31 July 2024 to gather additional evidence in line with Ofsted inspections and visits: deferring, pausing and gathering additional evidence policy. Inspection report for children’s home: SC483828 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Care Haven (UK) Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Westminster House, 10 Westminster Road, Macclesfield, Cheshire SK10 1BX

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Patricia Swallow

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Inspector

Cheryl Field, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC483828 12 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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