Children's home run by ADAMAS House CIC

Inspection report for children’s home: 2754736 1 Full inspection

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned by a private provider and offers care for up to two children who have experienced social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home opened in July 2024. This was the home’s first inspection. The inspection was prioritised as the registered manager submitted a request to cancel their registration with immediate effect. As a result, a registered manager was not present during the inspection. The home’s responsible individual supported the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, one child was living in the home. The child was supported to provide their views about their experiences and the care that they receive.

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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: 2754736 2

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improvement to be good

Serious concerns about the effectiveness of the leadership and management of the home were identified during this inspection. Furthermore, shortfalls in how the child living in the home is helped and protected were also highlighted. As a result, the child’s overall experiences and progress have been adversely impacted.

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improvement to be good

Before the child moved to the home, they were supported to visit and meet some of the staff who would be involved in their care. Staff were welcoming and interested in the child’s thoughts and feelings about moving in. As staff have spent time with the child, they have been able to start to build positive and trusting relationships with one another. As a result, the child is relaxed and comfortable in their home. The interactions between the staff and the child are warm and friendly, and the child appears to have developed an early sense of belonging.

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improvement to be good

The child says that they enjoy living in the home and that they get on well with the staff. They said that one of the best things about living in the home is being able to spend time with their friends. They also said that they would not change anything about the home, and even the home’s Wi-Fi is good. When not spending time with their friends, the child has enjoyed online gaming, playing golf and making music at a local music studio.

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improvement to be good

In the brief time that the child has lived in the home, they have made some progress from their starting point. Despite an initial reluctance to attend school, the child has been supported by staff to regularly attend an alternative provision, on a reduced timetable. There are plans to increase the child’s time in education as their confidence grows. The child would like to pursue a career in construction, and they understand the importance of achieving the qualifications that they need for further study. Accordingly, professionals are exploring ways in which the child can be supported to sit their GCSE exams in the future.

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improvement to be good

Family members say that the child ‘loves it’ in the home. They can identify the early progress that their child has made and say that their child is more positive about their future. One family member explained that the staff are ‘like an extended family’ for the child.

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improvement to be good

External professionals say that the care provided to the child is warm and compassionate, with the child at the centre of the decisions that are made. However, one professional expressed concern about the staff’s lack of oversight and safety planning in relation to who the child is spending their time with when they are out in the community. Inspection report for children’s home: 2754736 3

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improvement to be good

The child’s daily records are variable in quality. They are not always legible and do not support staff to care for the child or promote their safety. Staff are not sufficiently curious about who the child is spending their time with or what they are doing when they are out in the community. As a result, appropriate support is not in place to help protect the child, and they remain vulnerable to exploitation.

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improvement to be good

One incident that staff have found difficult to manage has been recorded since the child moved into the home. However, the report lacks the information that is required to help leaders and managers to understand what happened. Consequently, the support that is provided to the child by staff cannot be fully evaluated and there is a lack of critical analysis and learning for staff.

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improvement to be good

Due to ineffective communication systems, managers and staff do not have a clear overview of the support needs of the child. This has resulted in important follow-up actions to help the child to keep themselves safe being missed. For example, when staff have had concerns about substance misuse, they have failed to share their concerns effectively. As a result, opportunities to help the child to consider the risks that they are being exposed to have been overlooked.

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improvement to be good

Staff say that they enjoy working in this home. They explained that the recent changes in leadership and management have provided them with more clarity about their roles and responsibilities. Staff are hopeful that this increased clarity will support them to care for the child more effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The previous registered manager of the home submitted a request to Ofsted to cancel their registration with immediate effect. As a result, the responsible individual has assumed day-to-day managerial control of the home. In doing this, the responsible individual has identified several shortfalls in the child’s care and safety planning. However, they have not yet completed a comprehensive audit to identify all the shortfalls. Furthermore, they have been unable to swiftly implement the necessary changes to resolve the shortfalls that have been identified.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Sufficient information to help staff to support the child effectively is not available. As a result, staff do not have a detailed understanding of the child’s needs or how to help the child keep themselves safe. Leaders and managers have not challenged external professionals when important care and safety plans have not been shared in a timely manner. Furthermore, leaders and managers have not taken reasonable steps to mitigate this vulnerability for staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There is little individual guidance for staff to help them to support the child effectively. As this information is not available or accessible, action has not always been taken to support the child’s development. Staff say that they have everything that they need to Inspection report for children’s home: 2754736 4 care for the child and help them to keep safe. However, this is not accurate and demonstrates staff’s lack of understanding regarding effective care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers do not always robustly review safer recruitment checks. As a result, discrepancies in employment histories and employment gaps have not been identified. Although Disclosure and Barring Service checks have been received for staff, leaders and managers are not able to assure themselves that other important safer recruitment checks have been completed. Furthermore, external references for staff are not always verified.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

New staff receive a warm welcome and planned induction to the home, which includes an overview of the provider’s approach to care, their expectations, policies and procedures. However, there has not been a thorough review of staff training needs. The responsible individual is not confident in the accuracy of staff training records and the home’s workforce development plan is not yet available. As a result, leaders and managers are not able to determine whether staff have the necessary skills and knowledge to care for the child who is living in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff are not always able to apply the knowledge that they have acquired through training to their day-to-day practice. For example, several fire doors are propped open, against the advice of the local fire authority and fire-safety training. Furthermore, staff demonstrate a lack of awareness of pertinent safeguarding topics that directly relate to the care of the child who is living in the home, such as contextual safeguarding. Inspection report for children’s home: 2754736 5

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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

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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that staff have the skills and knowledge to help children to keep themselves safe. Furthermore, staff should have a clear understanding of their responsibilities to help children to keep safe, including the importance of recording and reporting their concerns so that appropriate actions to safeguard children can be implemented. 9 December 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— 9 December 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2754736 6 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

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; 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)(c)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that robust monitoring systems are in place to help them to assess the effectiveness of the care that is delivered to children. This should support managers to take swift action to address any shortfalls.

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Requirement Due date

Furthermore, the registered person should critically analyse staff’s response to incidents of concern so that learning can be identified to help staff to support children more effectively in the future. This analysis should also be used to help managers to assess staff’s skills and identify areas for development to improve staff’s knowledge and the care that is offered to children.

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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

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

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(1) (2)(c)).

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that staff have a robust understanding of children’s care needs and how to help them to keep safe. They should ensure that staff have all the 9 December 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2754736 7 information that they require to help them to provide care effectively.

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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;

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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 is of integrity and good character;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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)(a)(b)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that a full employment history, including an explanation of any gaps in employment, is available for each member of staff who is working in the home. Furthermore, managers should ensure that monitoring systems are in place that allow them to review safer recruitment checks to determine the suitability of staff to work with children. 9 December 2024

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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 involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans; and

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (a)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should escalate their concerns when the support from external professionals is 9 December 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2754736 8 insufficient in helping staff to meet children’s needs. Managers should ensure that robust and thorough plans are in place to help staff care for children and keep them safe.

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

make arrangements for persons working at the home to receive suitable training in fire prevention. (Regulation 25 (1)(a)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that staff apply learning from fire safety training to their day-to-day practice. Specifically, staff should not prop open fire doors without appropriate arrangements in place to ensure that fire doors close when the fire alarm is activated. 9 December 2024

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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: 2754736 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 1C, Crucible Close, Coleford, Gloucestershire GL16 8RE

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Inspector

Martin Brown, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2754736 10 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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