Children's Home run by GAC Family Services Limited in Middlesbrough

Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2679276 1 Registered provider: GAC Family Services Ltd

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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 and managed by a private provider. It provides care for up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2024. The home has been without a responsible individual since October 2024.

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Information about this children’s home

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Information about this children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Information about this inspection

At this inspection, the inspectors evaluated:

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Information about this inspection

 the care of children  the safety of children  the effectiveness of leaders and managers. Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, using the social care common inspection framework. This assurance 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’. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2679276 2

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Findings from the inspection

We did not identify any serious or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance inspection.

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Findings from the inspection

The children receive care from staff who are familiar to them and understand their needs. Managers step in to cover staff annual leave and sickness. This has reduced the need for agency workers and has maintained continuity of care for the children.

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Findings from the inspection

Children receive return home interviews from the missing team after missing-from- home incidents. The staff complete their own supportive debriefs with children to explore the reasons for them going missing, to help encourage better decision- making and alternatives to children staying away from home.

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Findings from the inspection

Children’s complaints are listened to and taken seriously. They receive letters about the outcome of their complaint to help them understand what action has been taken. Managers follow the complaints procedure and use these events to learn and develop the team’s practice.

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Findings from the inspection

The conditions of the home are generally clean and tidy. However, there are cleaning and maintenance issues in some areas of the home. The bathroom has mould on the ceiling, and the flooring needs repair. Areas of the kitchen need to be cleaned, the dining room wall is damaged and curtain fixtures have not been fitted. This gives the impression that staff do not care about the quality of the children’s home’s environment.

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Findings from the inspection

Two of the children do not attend school regularly. There is a lack of structure throughout the day. The children spend time in their bedrooms without encouragement from staff to attend school or engage in alternative learning. The lack of proactive support from staff does not help children overcome the barriers to them accessing full-time education.

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Findings from the inspection

The staff do not accurately record consequences that are put in place in response to the behaviour of children. Financial penalties issued to repair broken items are recorded as ‘natural consequences’. The manager and staff do not review the effectiveness of these consequences. This prevents both the staff and children from learning from situations where consequences have been used.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff supervision is not effective in improving the standards of practice. Actions set by managers to address instances of poor practice are not actively reviewed to show if any progress has been made. This hinders the manager’s oversight of the performance of the team and individual members of staff.

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Findings from the inspection

Safer recruitment practice is not consistently adhered to when new staff are employed. Not all reasonable steps are taken to complete background checks on Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2679276 3 staff who are from overseas. Checks completed on prospective staff’s employment history have improved since the last inspection.

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Findings from the inspection

The manager does not continue to escalate her concerns when children’s care plans have not been received. As a result, plans are not received for several months. This means that the care of children may not be aligned to the expectations set out in the local authority care plan.

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Findings from the inspection

Leaders and managers have not addressed concerns with the quality of external monitoring by the independent person’s visits. Reports regularly have inaccuracies and are missing important details. Consultations with children and relevant others are also of poor quality and are rarely included. This undermines the value of these reports in helping the manager to make improvements and remain compliant with the relevant regulations and quality standards. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2679276 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/06/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 02/10/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 27/06/2023 Full Inadequate Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2679276 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 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—

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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)(x)) 21 January 2025

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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

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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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)(a)(d)) 21 January 2025

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff— 21 January 2025 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2679276 6 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 (c))

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Recommendations

 The registered person should seek to create a home that is a nurturing and supportive environment that meets the needs of the children. It should be a homely, domestic environment. The home should be clean and free from trip hazards and mould. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that any consequence used to address poor behaviour is restorative in nature, to help children recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves and others. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38)  The registered person should ensure that any individual appointed to carry out visits to the home as an independent person must make a rigorous and impartial assessment of the home’s arrangements for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the children in the home’s care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes

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Recommendations

Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.5)  The registered person should be responsible for maintaining good employment practice. They must ensure that recruitment, supervision and performance management of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks. This particularly relates to ensuring that poor practice is addressed and managed through effective supervision. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1) Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2679276 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: GAC Family Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 49 Effra Road, London SW2 1BZ

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Inspectors

Lee Riley, Social Care Inspector Natalie Clark, Social Care Inspector Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2679276 8 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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