Children's Home run by Call4Care Services Limited in West Northamptonshire

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2742794 1 ‘

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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 owned by a small provider. It offers care for up to two children who experience social and emotional difficulties or have learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has resigned and was not present for this visit.

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Information about this children’s home

This visit was supported by the responsible individual.

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This monitoring visit

This visit was carried out to monitor the home’s compliance with a suspension notice that is in place. The home has complied with this notice. This visit also looked at all previous requirements set to establish what progress has been made.

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This monitoring visit

The home does not currently have an operational registered manager or any senior care staff. Therefore, there are no suitably qualified and experienced staff to provide day-to-day management oversight or quality assurance of the home. A lack of leadership and management in the home could place children at risk of harm from any poor care practices that may emerge.

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This monitoring visit

The current team of staff lack experience, and none of them have attained the required childcare qualification. Staff have failed to complete some mandatory and additional training, particularly around the needs of children with disabilities, despite this being allocated to them by senior leaders. This means that staff are not developing their knowledge and skills and are not suitably equipped to provide safe and effective care.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers provide staff with regular supervision; however, they are not providing challenge or development plans for staff who are failing to complete Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2742794 2 training. Despite the home not operating for several months and staff working in the home for 20 hours a week, progress and development of the staff team are insufficient and there is a lack of understanding of how to improve.

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This monitoring visit

Senior leaders are not following safe recruitment practices despite written assurances that these have been followed. It could not be established that all staff working in the home have been checked to ensure that they are safe to work with children. For example, references and employment history have not been checked for one staff member, and a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) certificate and checks on file have different reference numbers. This means that children could be cared for by unsuitable staff, which could place them at risk of harm.

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This monitoring visit

One staff member’s DBS check has been carried out by an unrelated external recruitment agency, which may mean that staff are also employed elsewhere. The responsible individual is unaware whether staff have other employment and has not sought clarification of this. This could place children at risk of harm as any concerns about staff may not be shared between employers if these are not known.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers have failed to respond to the requirements of a fire risk assessment carried out by a specialist fire prevention company. Several requirements were made in relation to most of the doors in the home needing to be replaced to be compliant with fire regulations. This includes all the bedroom doors. The risk assessment gives specified timescales for the work to be completed. These have not been complied with, and required actions are now nearly two months overdue. There is no plan of work for these improvements to be made, and it could not be established if this would be a safe environment for children to live in.

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This monitoring visit

Some previous requirements were found to have been met. Leaders and managers have implemented new systems and processes to try and address some shortfalls. These have not yet been tested or embedded in the home. Where improvements could not be evidenced or remain a concern, the requirements have been restated.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/12/2023 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2742794 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

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

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Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs;

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Requirement Due date

seek to develop and maintain effective professional relationships with such persons, bodies or organisations as the registered person considers appropriate having regard to the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the children’s home is to provide care and accommodation. (Regulation 5 (b)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to ensuring that children have relevant agreed plans and that the manager works with relevant professionals in implementing and acting on these plans. 4 November 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—

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose; 4 November 2024 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2742794 4 protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to ensuring that the manager and staff follow the aims and objectives of the statement of purpose and apply these to the care that children receive.

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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

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—

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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;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to prepare for any review of the child’s relevant plans and to make the child’s views, wishes and feelings known for the purposes of that review; and

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Requirement Due date

ensure that each child— 4 November 2024 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2742794 5 is enabled to provide feedback to, and raise issues with, a relevant person about the support and services that the child receives;

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Requirement Due date

keep the children’s guide and the home’s complaints procedure under review and seek children’s comments before revising either document. (Regulation 7 (1)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(vi)(b)(i)(iii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to ensuring that children have a voice in the home to be able to express their views.

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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

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

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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Requirement Due date

maintain regular contact with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child’s education and training and to maximise the child’s achievement;

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Requirement Due date

raise any need for further assessment or specialist provision in relation to a child with the child’s education or training provider and the child’s placing authority; 4 November 2024 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2742794 6 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;

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child has access to appropriate equipment, facilities and resources to support the child’s learning. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(x)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to ensuring that children have an education plan that contains information relating to the child’s education, formal and informal, and how staff are to support this. It also relates to ensuring that children are encouraged and supported to attend education that is relevant to their needs and are provided with the necessary resources to engage in education.

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Requirement Due date

The enjoyment and achievement standard is that children take part in and benefit from a variety of activities that meet their needs and develop and reflect their creative, cultural, intellectual, physical and social interests and skills.

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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

develop the child’s interests and hobbies;

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Requirement Due date

participate in activities that the child enjoys and which meet and expand the child’s interests and preferences; and

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Requirement Due date

make a positive contribution to the home and wider community; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child has access to a range of activities that enable the child to pursue the child’s interests and hobbies. (Regulation 9 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to ensuring that children are provided with activities in the home and community which are relevant to their interests and that there are resources 4 November 2024 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2742794 7 available in the home for them to pursue hobbies and interests.

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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—

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Requirement Due date

achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

understand the child’ health and well-being needs and the options that are available in relation to the child’s health and well-being, in a way that is appropriate to the child’s age and understanding. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to ensuring that children have a health plan on file and that staff are aware of any health needs and diagnoses children may have and how best to support them. 4 November 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—

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Requirement Due date

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs as set out in the child’s relevant plans; 4 November 2024 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2742794 8 help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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Requirement Due date

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust;

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Requirement Due date

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children;

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Requirement Due date

are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviours and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same;

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Requirement Due date

that each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(iv)(viii)(ix)(x)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to ensuring that children are supported to have positive relationships with each other and that staff develop positive and trusting relationships with the children. It also relates to ensuring that staff receive reflective supervision to explore their own practices when supporting children who may be in crisis.

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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

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

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

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies; 4 November 2024 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2742794 9 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;

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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)(i)(iii)(iv)(vii)(b)(e))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to ensuring that: children have risk assessments in place for staff to refer to; the manager and staff take appropriate action in response to online safety for children; staff supervise children in line with their plans.

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Requirement Due date

It also relates to ensuring that the manager and staff follow advice from external safeguarding professionals following allegations of harm.

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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

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

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on— 4 November 2024 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2742794 10 feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

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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)(f)(g)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to management oversight and quality assurance, the training and experience of the staff team, and regular reviewing of the quality and standard of care being provided.

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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 and review the placement of each child in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed;

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Requirement Due date

that the staff help each child to access and contribute to the records kept by the registered person in relation to the child. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(ii)(c)(f))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to ensuring that each child has a care plan on file that staff follow and that the child is being supported to understand and contribute to this plan. 4 November 2024

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Requirement Due date

This regulation applies to a child who is looked after by a local authority.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must co-operate with the child’s placing authority in agreeing and signing the child’s placement plan. (Regulation 17 (1) (2)) 4 November 2024 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2742794 11 In particular, this relates to the registered person ensuring that a child’s local authority placement plan is kept in the home and is easily accessible.

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Requirement Due date

the privacy of children is adequately protected;

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Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home premises; and

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Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review, and, if necessary, revised. (Regulation 21 (a)(b)(c)(i)(ii)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to ensuring that staff do not lock doors to exclude children from communal areas, such as the lounge and kitchen, with no relevant reason to do this apart from ‘house rules’.

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Requirement Due date

It also relates to ensuring that staff follow agreed supervision levels to ensure that children’s rights to privacy are not compromised. 4 November 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.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that—

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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)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to ensuring that children are administered medication that is prescribed for them. 4 November 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety. 1 September 2024 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2742794 12 The registered person may only—

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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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

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) (3)(b)(d))

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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)) 4 November 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

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Requirement Due date

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

In particular, this relates to ensuring that complete and factually accurate rotas and a children’s register are kept in the home. 4 November 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— 4 November 2024 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2742794 13 records of the use of measures of control, discipline or restraint (see regulation 35);

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Requirement Due date

children’s case records (see regulation 36);

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Requirement Due date

records of complaints (see regulation 39);

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Requirement Due date

the independent person’s reports. (See regulation 44). (Regulation 38 (h)(i)(j)(l)(m))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must supply to HMCI, at HMCI’s request, a statement containing a summary of any complaints made during the preceding twelve months and the action that was taken in response to each complaint. (Regulation 39 (3) (5)) 4 November 2024

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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

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

a child protection enquiry involving a child—

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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)(b)(c)(d)(i)(e)) 4 November 2024

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Requirement Due date

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

take adequate precautions against the risk of fire, including the provision of suitable fire equipment in the children’s home. (Regulation 25 (1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to the registered person ensuring that all works identified on the fire risk assessment are completed. This includes ensuring that fire doors and frames are compliant with fire regulations. 1 September 2024 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2742794 14

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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: 2742794 15

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Call4Care Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 34 Haywards Croft, Greenleys, Milton Keynes MK12 6AH

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Ruzivo Gangaidzo

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Inspectors

Sarah Orriss, Social Care Inspector Chris Haines, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2742794 16 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

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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