Children's Home run by Global Access Care Limited in West Northamptonshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2718082 1 Registered provider: Global Access Care Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a private company. It provides care for up to two children who need support with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There is currently one child living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in December 2022.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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good

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

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good

Date of last inspection: 18 October 2023

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2718082 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/10/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2718082 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of the inspection, the child was not at the home. However, the inspector was able to speak with the child about their experience of living in the home. The manager is working with the placing authority to reduce any conflicts and support the child’s current arrangements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of education for children. The child is supported to attend education and is making progress. Staff liaise with the child’s school and attend meetings to ensure that the child’s educational needs are being met.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has a health need that requires careful management. The staff understand the child’s health needs well and work hard with health professionals to ensure that the child’s health does not deteriorate. This has enabled the child to avoid medical admissions, and staff have been commended by professionals who also support the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child to develop independent living skills. The child has been encouraged to learn how to cook and bake food that supports their health condition. The child has completed some independence work, such as learning how to do their own washing and clean up after themselves. However, the child’s clothes are kept outside of their room. When the inspector spoke to the child, this was not their wish. However, it was not clear if the child had made staff aware of this.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work well with other professionals. Those spoken to said that communication with staff about the child’s care was good and that staff have the interests of the child at the forefront of their care. They recognise that relationships with the child have deteriorated, but that staff have continued to support the child to the best of their ability.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff undertake direct work with the child. However, the quality of key-work sessions with the child is varied. Some information in the child’s records is duplicated. For example, the same conversation with the child, which was recorded following a period of being missing from care, is repeated in records of a key-work session. The frequency of key-work sessions is inconsistent. This does not enable the staff team to regularly understand how the child is feeling, especially during periods of instability.

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

The child has been missing from the home. However, the overall number of occasions is low, and staff respond well. When the child is missing from the home, staff are proactive in searching for the child. They understand the child’s patterns and likely places where the child will be, so can anticipate where they might be and search those locations. When staff are unable to locate the child quickly, they understand the risks to their health and request support from the police. Staff can improve their ability to respond after the child Inspection report for children’s home: 2718082 4 returns by encouraging conversations with the child that are reflective to gain a better understanding of how staff can support them to stay at home.

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

The child has not been physically held. Staff use de-escalation and distraction techniques effectively to help the child understand how to manage their behaviour. There have been no allegations made against people working in the home, and there have been no complaints made. Room searches are completed when necessary and are documented appropriately.

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

Staff manage the child’s health needs very well. They ensure that the child receives his medication, even when he is not at home. They ensure that they stay with him while he receives his medication and monitor his response.

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

Staff work with the child to help them understand how to manage their behaviour. There is a comprehensive behaviour management plan. At the time of the inspection, the child was not at the home, so the inspector was not able to fully explore the effectiveness of some of the strategies. Through key-working sessions, the child has also identified areas of support that would further support them to manage their own behaviour. However, this has not been responded to effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

A number of aspects in the home do not have sufficient oversight. Although this has a limited effect on the overall quality of care, it does hinder the ability of staff to support the child to the best of their abilities. Some records are unclear, such as what type of care order the child was subject to, incomplete training records and behaviour management plans not clearly showing whether risks are current. The child was involved in two incidents of minor self-injurious behaviour. Although the provider responded appropriately to each incident, only one incident was recorded and dated, and the inspector could not be provided with any records of the second incident. The child’s bathroom was not clean, which was not dealt with during the inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The review of the quality of care and subsequent report have not been prepared and submitted to the regulator. This is a missed opportunity to review what the home is doing well and what the home needs to do better through using feedback about the home, its facilities and the quality of care being provided. The child spoke to the inspector about changes they wanted in their room, but staff were unaware. This would have made the child’s environment much more homely.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The provider must also help the independent person to gather the views of the child’s parents and relatives. This has not been a routine feature of the independent person’s reports, which limits the opportunities that the manager has to gather an independent view of whether the home is safeguarding children and promoting the children’s well- being effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff receive supervision during which areas aspects of their practice are discussed; some topics are discussed in depth. However, supervision does not reflect how research carried Inspection report for children’s home: 2718082 5 out by the manager, in relation to the child’s health needs, influences practice within the staff team. Similarly, discussions do not fully consider individual staff’s areas of learning to provide them with the skills to meet the child’s needs. When staff have raised concerns about the child’s behaviour, the support provided by the home’s therapist has not been evaluated to determine its effectiveness. Team meetings and group discussions take place but limit the opportunities for staff to share their learning or experiences about the child’s time at the home to improve practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager has not ensured that monitoring tools in place for staff training are up to date. Staff have not received child-specific training to enable them to understand and support the child effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager is well respected by staff and professionals. Staff admire her work ethic and value her support and guidance. Staff feel able to make suggestions to assist in the development of the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2718082 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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Requirements Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirements Due date

develop positive relationships with them;

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Requirements 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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Requirements Due date

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

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Requirements 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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Requirements 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)(iv))

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Requirements Due date

In particular, ensure that regularly consultation takes place with the child about theirs wishes and the care they receive. 31 December 2024

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Requirements Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirements Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour;

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Requirements Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— 31 December 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2718082 7 that staff—

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Requirements Due date

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirements Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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Requirements Due date

help each child to develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship;

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Requirements Due date

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust;

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Requirements Due date

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

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Requirements Due date

In particular, ensure that key-work sessions reflect the discussions that take place with children at the time of the key- work session, rather than repeating earlier conversations. Key- work sessions should allow children to reflect on their behaviour and engage children in agreeing strategies to help them manage their own emotions and behaviours. Key-work sessions should be reviewed by the manager to ensure that they are of sufficient quality.

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Requirements Due date

Ensure that staff respond appropriately to children’s requests for support in managing their own behaviour more effectively.

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Requirements 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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Requirements Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirements Due date

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

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Requirements Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirements 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; 31 December 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2718082 8 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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Requirements Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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Requirements Due date

In particular, ensure that all records are up to date, free from repetition and clear to the reader. Plans that record strategies to manage risk or behaviour must include current risks and be free from jargon and understood by all staff involved in the child’s care.

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Requirements Due date

Ensure that systems are in place to monitor the quality in the home so that continuous improvements can be made and to improve the oversight of the manager and the responsible individual.

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Requirements Due date

Ensure that records for monitoring staff’s practice encourage learning through reflection and that staff are encouraged to work together to learn from one another through their experiences of working with children in the home.

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Requirements Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children ("a quality of care review") at least once every 6 months.

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Requirements Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed. (Regulation 45 (1) (4)(a)) 31 October 2024

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Requirements Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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Requirements Due date

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

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Requirements Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires. (Regulation 44 (1) (2)(a)) 31 December 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2718082 9

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home is a clean environment, particularly the child’s bathroom. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.3)  The registered person should ensure that staff take account of information provided by return home interviews following an incident of missing from care when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30)

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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: 2718082 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Global Access Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Corby Business Centre, Einsmann Way, Corby NN17 5ZB

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Inspector

Netsai Muzuva, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2718082 11 regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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