Children's home run by Alpine4care Services Ltd

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

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned and provides care for up to two children who may experience social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered in April 2023. There have been multiple changes in the leadership and management team at the home since registration. There is currently no manager appointed to the home. A newly reappointed responsible individual is overseeing the 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

Date of last inspection: 13 September 2023

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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: 2721798 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/09/2023 Full Good 23/05/2023 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: 2721798 3

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improvement to be good

At the time of this inspection, there were two children living at the home. Children have had mixed experiences. Significant shortfalls in leadership and management have been detrimental to the experiences and progress of children.

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improvement to be good

Managers do liaise with the relevant agencies to plan for children’s education. A school placement is being actively sought for one child. However, staff have not embedded consistent routines that promote children’s education. They do not always help children to complete their online learning or attend school. As a result, children’s engagement with education is poor and they are not making educational progress.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not always provide children with adequate routine and structure. There is a lack of planning about children’s days. For example, one child does not have a school placement and they are given no structure for their day. As a result, the child is often unoccupied. However, staff do interact with children in a positive way and take children out for activities. Children do enjoy the activities they attend. For example, one child is a keen skateboarder, staff take him to different skate parks. One child has made some progress with his independence and is starting to learn about budgeting, in preparation for moving on from the home.

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improvement to be good

Staff book routine health appointments for children. Children can struggle to attend some of these appointments and staff do not always discuss this with children and talk to them about the consequences of not attending these appointments. Managers and staff do not always fully explore actions recommended for children by health professionals. For example, one child’s health assessment, completed several months prior to him moving to the home, states they should be given specialist toothpaste which was not provided.However, this child has subsequently been supported to attend the dentist.. For another child, mental health services recently recommended some resources to improve the child’s sleep. These were not shared with the child. As a result, children are not being helped to achieve optimum health outcomes.

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improvement to be good

Children do seek out staff company and enjoy spending time with them. However, the high turnover of staff at the home, inhibits opportunities for children to build lasting, trusted relationships with staff. Consultation with children is weak and inconsistent. The management response to children’s feedback is limited.

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improvement to be good

The home is a pleasant environment overall. One child enjoys the garden space for playing football and children’s bedrooms are personalised. One child really values the graffiti-style wall art in their room, as it reflects them and their interests. Inspection report for children’s home: 2721798 4

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improvement to be good

There has been one occasion when staff did not follow safeguarding procedures.. Staff did not recognise when a child made an allegation against a member of staff. As a result, no action was taken in response to this. This could result in children not feeling listened to and potential harm to the child may go unchallenged.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not ensure that they always apply the boundaries of playful physical interaction with children. For example, on one occasion a child was subject to a physical intervention, to manage their behaviour. This was not an approved technique and staff did not recognise that this was inappropriate although the manager was alert to this and recognised the practice needed to be addressed. On the limited number of occasions when approved physical intervention has been used, the recording and review of these incidents is weak.

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improvement to be good

The response by staff when children purposefully set off the fire alarm is poor. Staff do not advise children what they should do if the fire alarm is set off on purpose. As a result, children ignore the alarm, which could expose them to risk of harm if the alarm was due to a fire. Managers have not identified this shortfall in managing risk.

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improvement to be good

Staff are proactive when children are missing and follow procedures. For example, staff make efforts to keep in contact with children and encourage their safe return home. They offer nurture and care when children come home. There has been an increase in one child’s incidents of going missing. However, managers are working in partnership with the appropriate agencies to reduce risks. Managers have implemented measures to reduce risks to children, including enhanced staffing ratios and action to disrupt harmful relationships

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The leadership and management of the home is not effective, There is currently no manager at the home. There have been several changes in leadership at both the manager and responsible individual level since the registered manager left in February 2024. This has resulted in a chaotic approach to leadership and management which has impacted on the care of the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There have been significant staff changes in the last six months. Many of the staff have left in negative circumstances, for example, some staff have been dismissed and others resigned with immediate effect. Half the current staff team are seconded from another home. This is a proactive measure to assist in overcoming the staffing challenges to increase stability. However, overall, there has been an ever-changing and inconsistent workforce at the home, leading to a lack of continuity for children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2721798 5 Following training there is insufficient follow-up by managers to assess the learning and competency of staff. This does not adequately equip staff for their roles, particularly when they are new to their role.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Managers do not monitor or adequately review the quality of care at the home. Management oversight is limited and inconsistent. This significantly reduces the effectiveness of children’s care plans.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff receive supervision. However, constant changes in supervisors is not supportive of staff development. There is a culture of constant and unplanned change at the home this leaves children with instability of care Inspection report for children’s home: 2721798 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 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 promotes their welfare.

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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; 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

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)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that there is a manager and a permanent staff team who have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of the children. 28 Jun 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2721798 7 In addition, that managers provide clear guidance to staff to enable them to provide consistency of care to children.

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Requirement Due date

Also, that monitoring systems and records are reviewed and used effectively to review the quality of care and make improvements.

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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Requirement Due date

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

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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

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

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that staff promote children’s engagement with education through direct work and embedding routines. 31 August 2024

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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. 31 August 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2721798 8 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff help each child to—

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that all actions recommended by health professionals are completed in a timely way.

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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 that staff—

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies.

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

Also, to ensure that staff have the skills to manage children’s behaviours to ensure their welfare. 31 August 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2721798 9 The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

develop positive relationships with them;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

help each child to express views, wishes and feelings;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice. Inspection report for children’s home: 2721798 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: 2721798 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Alpine4care Services

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Alison Snell, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2721798 12 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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