Children's Home run by GAC Family Services Limited in Redcar and Cleveland

Inspection report for children’s home: 2791528 1 Registered provider: GAC Family Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered in June 2024 and is owned and managed by a private provider. It offers care for up to three children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, one child was living at the home. They moved in on 16 July 2024.

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Information about this children’s home

The post for a registered manager has been vacant since July 2024. This inspection was brought forward because the registered manager left shortly after registration.

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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

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2791528 2

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improvement to be good

Opportunities to build positive relationships between staff and the child have been limited. The child’s friends are regularly in the home and present on activities. This reduces interactions between the child and staff and opportunities to develop those trusting relationships.

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improvement to be good

The child is not accessing the specialist health services that have been identified in the local authority care plan. There is no clear link between the home’s delivery of care and the plans agreed with the local authority. As a result, the child has not yet received the appropriate encouragement to engage with those services.

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improvement to be good

The child does not understand the complaints procedure because it has not been explained to them in a way that they understand. Furthermore, staff have not followed the procedure when the child raised a complaint. The issue was managed effectively by staff, and feedback was given to the child. However, there is no written record of this complaint.

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improvement to be good

There are encouraging signs that the child is motivated to attend college. The child is enrolled on a course that interests and motivates them. This is seen as progress compared to the last two years of non-attendance. This is promising, and both the child and staff speak positively about this next step in learning.

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improvement to be good

The child is supported to see their family and friends regularly. Family time is arranged in line with the child’s wishes. Travel arrangements are made by staff to ensure that this goes ahead without any problems. The child is supported to maintain their personal relationships despite the distance and at times difficulties with travel. The child appreciates what the staff do to support these relationships.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not show professional curiosity when they find concerning items in a child’s bedroom. The known history of the child is not considered, and the concerns are not discussed or shared in line with safeguarding procedures. This means that there are missed opportunities to safeguard the child.

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improvement to be good

Staff take effective action to find children who go missing from home. This includes searching the local area and informing the police. However, not all important information is detailed in the child’s records. The incident reports do not show the actions that staff have taken or details of the child’s whereabouts during the missing-from-home episode. This hinders the manager’s oversight of missing-from-home incidents and their ability to ensure that staff practice safeguards children effectively. Inspection report for children’s home: 2791528 3 Incidents of the child going missing or self-harming have reduced. The staff are providing the child with structure and routine. Consequently, the child’s risks have reduced in frequency and severity.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager and deputy who were working in the home at the time of registration have both left the organisation. The home is now being managed by a senior support worker, who has not yet applied to register with Ofsted. A newly appointed deputy supports the new manager. The deputy has no previous experience of working with children in residential care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Therefore, leaders cannot be assured that the management of the home is effective. This is because the manager is not aware of any monitoring and review systems to oversee the quality of care for the children. His current oversight is not sufficient to identify issues or concerns that may arise. The manager has not been inducted into his role in a way that ensures that he is aware of his responsibilities and how to discharge them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers do not ensure that all new employees are suitable to work with children. There are gaps in employment that have not been questioned when verified by the employer. This does not follow safer recruitment practice and exposes children to the risk of harm.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The staff are not receiving effective supervision or probationary reviews in line with the organisation’s policy. There is no additional support for the development of employees who are new to the role. The new manager and deputy are not receiving consistent supervision to support them in their new roles.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager and staff have built positive relationships with professionals and family members. Professionals feel informed on matters regarding their child, including when the previous manager and deputy left the home. The child’s social worker expresses gratitude and confidence in the care the child is receiving. They believe that the child has settled in well and is making progress compared to the previous placement. Inspection report for children’s home: 2791528 4

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet The Care Standards Act 2000, The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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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

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

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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(b)) 26 September 2024

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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; 26 September 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2791528 5 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

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

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)(c)(d)(f)(h))

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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,

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Requirement Due date

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

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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)(d)) 26 September 2024

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Requirement Due date

ensure that each employee completes an appropriate induction;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that each permanent appointment of an employee is subject to the satisfactory completion of a period of probation.

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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 (1)(a)(b)(4)(b)) 26 September 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2791528 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff encourage children to share any concerns about their care or other matters as soon as they arise. Children must be able to take up issues or make a complaint with support and without any fear that this will result in any adverse consequences. Regulation 39 sets out the requirements on the registered person to have a complaints procedure. Children must be aware of this procedure and be reminded of it as necessary. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.13)  The registered person should adhere to the local authority health plan when considering how to meet the child’s health and well-being needs. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 33, paragraph 7.4)  The registered person should ensure that staff build constructive, warm relationships that provide the foundations for managing negative behaviour. (‘Guide to the

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Recommendations

Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.14)

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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: 2791528 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: GAC Family Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 29a, The Link, 49 Effra Road, London SW2 1BZ

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Inspector

Lee Riley, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2791528 8 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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