Children's home run by Changing Lives Care Group Ltd

Inspection report for children's home: 2787278 1 Registered provider: Changing Lives Care Group 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

This home is privately owned. It is registered to provide care for up to three children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in June 2024.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, one child was living at the home. They were spoken to as part of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

This is the first inspection of the children’s home.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and/or widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded and the care and experiences of children and young people are poor and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2787278 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The home registered with Ofsted in June 2024. This is the first full inspection. One child has lived at the home during this time. The home is judged inadequate. This is due to serious shortfalls in how children are safeguarded and in the management of the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The child arrived at this home from secure accommodation. They have lived here for several weeks. Crucial information about the child’s offending behaviours and vulnerabilities from exploitation has not been evaluated within care plans or risk assessment documents adequately. This has significantly impacted on care planning for the child, which has been ineffective and has resulted in this placement ending prematurely.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The child has not been able to form trusting relationships with staff. Some staff members have left their employment since the home opened. Many staff are new or provide care on a relief basis from another home, meaning they do not know the child well. Such changes in staffing have provided inconsistent care to the child and increased instability at a time when this was pivotal to the child’s experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The child’s bedroom presented with an overwhelming odour of urine. This had occurred over a prolonged period. Staff had failed to adequately clean the areas of concern, resulting in the unhygienic state. Managers had failed to address this issue despite being aware of the matter. In contrast, the staff bedroom presented in a clean and tidy manner. Other areas of the home are well presented.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The child’s family relationships are important to them. A family member told the inspector that overall communication with the staff team has been inconsistent. The child and their family have expressed confusion over the care plans in place, and how these will be progressed. This has resulted in the child feeling unsure about their future or where they may live.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

While living here, the child has enjoyed some positive experiences. They said that they liked some of the staff they have met and have enjoyed opportunities to cook, play pool and visit the gym. Staff have encouraged the child to have a healthy and varied diet, resulting in them trying new foods.

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

The child living in the home arrived here from secure accommodation. The child is subject to electronic monitoring and police bail conditions. Information had been shared with the provider by other professionals about the known risks for the child. This includes the child being at high risk of child criminal exploitation and serious offending behaviour. Known risks are not reflected in the child’s care plan or risk assessments adequately. Inspection report for children's home: 2787278 3 Staff do not consistently supervise the child in line with their risk assessment. The child regularly spends time alone downstairs at night when the staff are in bed. Staff failed to act when the child disabled their bedroom door alarm. This increases the risk of the child being vulnerable to further exploitation. Staff have allowed the child unrestricted access to the internet without any form of monitoring. This increases the risk of exploitation and

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

provides limited assurances that bail conditions are being adhered to.

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

The manager does not report or respond to allegations in line with safeguarding policies and procedures. The child made three allegations against staff. These have not been responded to or referred to the relevant authorities. The manager and responsible individual left a member of staff in charge of the home who was the subject of one of the allegations. This does not adequately safeguard the child.

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

The manager failed to share crucial information relating to high-risk child criminal exploitation concerns with safeguarding professionals in a timely manner. They failed to notify the local authority designated officer and other professionals when a child made an allegation. This prevents thorough investigations taking place and offers no assurances to the child that their views are considered.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager does not assure themselves that staff working with the child have the skills and knowledge to meet their needs. Since the home was registered, staff retention has been poor. Most staff are new or are providing relief care from another of the provider’s homes. The manager is covering staff absence where needed. This results in inconsistent care being provided to the child. One professional said, ‘There has been a high number of staff changes and this has been inconsistent for them [the child]; they need consistency.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has failed to address areas of poor practice. There is a distinct lack of professional challenge when good standards of care have not been met. There has been no investigation or evaluation of staff practice when care plans and risk assessments have not been adhered to. This prevents safe practice developing and staff improving their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Management monitoring systems are ineffective. The manager has not identified shortfalls in practice and has not thoroughly monitored the progress of children’s care plans and assessments. For example, one plan had different information to another, with vital information about the child not included. As a result, staff have not had access to accurate information to enable them to meet the child’s complex needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Managers’ decision-making to admit the child did not adequately take into consideration all that was known about the child’s needs. They failed to consider the skills and experience of the staff team, and how they would meet the child’s needs. In a short amount of time, managers have decided that they can no longer keep this child safe and have given notice to the placing authority. This will have a detrimental impact on the Inspection report for children's home: 2787278 4 child’s welfare and will add further instability to their current circumstances. These care planning decisions have not been child focused.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff speak positively about the manager. They say they receive supervision and feel listened to and supported at work. Staff have completed induction training and some training that is specific to child exploitation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has not consulted with the professional network in the local area. Adequate consideration has not been made to the premises or location of the home, given the child’s history. This is a missed opportunity to work collaboratively with safeguarding partners to increase the safety of a child with known offending and exploitation risks.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Ofsted has issued a compliance notice under regulation 13, which will be monitored. A restriction of accommodation notice has also been issued, which prevents any further admission of children to the setting. Inspection report for children's home: 2787278 5

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 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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helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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

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

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring safeguarding processes are completed and followed to keep children safe from harm. They must identify and put in place action to improve children’s welfare. The manager must implement a system that ensures allegations are responded to and escalated in line with 9 December 2024 Inspection report for children's home: 2787278 6 safeguarding procedures. Staffing must be arranged according to the needs of children. Managers must ensure there are sufficient staff with the required skills and knowledge to meet children’s needs.

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Requirement Due date

This also relates to ensuring action is taken to address incidents of staff failing to provide the agreed level of supervision and that leaders review children’s progress and experiences. They must identify and put in place actions to help improve and sustain the quality of care that children receive.

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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

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.

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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 premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(d)) 9 December 2024 Inspection report for children's home: 2787278 7 This specifically relates to ensuring adequate information is considered when children arrive at the home and is contained within children’s care plans and risk assessment documents to provide effective safeguarding. This also relates to ensuring a child’s bedroom is safe and hygienic.

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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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children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

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children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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

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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’s 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;

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Requirement Due date

take part in activities, and attend any appointments, for the purpose of meeting the child’s health and well-being needs; and

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Requirement Due date

understand and develop skills to promote the child’s well-being. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that the child has the support available for their physical and emotional well-being. Any concerns related to their health need to be responded to and actioned, including ensuring that children are living in an environment that is supportive for their health and well-being. 9 December 2024

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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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have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. 9 December 2024 Inspection report for children's home: 2787278 8 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home;

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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

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(i)(ii)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that plans for the child are consistent and communicated with the full network of professionals. The continual review of support and plans in place needs to take place to ensure that the child's quality of care is not impacted.

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person 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;

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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

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; and

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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 (a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to working with the network of professionals and advocating for a child when the level of 9 December 2024 Inspection report for children's home: 2787278 9 support is not adequate. Care plans and risk assessments for children should be written collaboratively.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children's home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c) (the protection of children standard).

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Requirement Due date

When conducting the review, the registered person must consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person. (Regulation 46 (1) (2)) 9 December 2024

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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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: 2787278 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Changing Lives Care Group Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Office 7, 35-37 Ludgate Hill, London EC4M 7JN

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Inspectors

Eleanor Quanbrough, Social Care Inspector Kayleigh Spinks, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2787278 11 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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