Children's Home run by Advanced Adolescent Care Solutions Limited in Rotherham

Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2577014 1 Registered provider: Advanced Adolescent Care Solutions Limited

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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 one child who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager at the home since 1 May 2024.

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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: 2577014 2

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Findings from the inspection

This inspection was brought forward in order to address specific concerns or allegations received by Ofsted.

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Findings from the inspection

Ofsted identified the following serious and widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance inspection:

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Findings from the inspection

 Failure to ensure that effective systems are in place to review and investigate any concerns or allegations about staff.  Failure to ensure that staff have the skills to safeguard the child living at the home, or the children that they are having contact with.  Failure to ensure that there is adequate leadership and management at the home.  Failure to ensure that staff are safe to work with children.

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Findings from the inspection

Children have been placed at risk of harm because leaders and managers have not identified risks to the child and they have made poor decisions about the protection of children. The risk of sexual harmful behaviour is not fully understood by managers and staff, and risk management is poor. Staff have not always acted in a way that safeguards children. This is because they have not provided the child and other children with appropriate and safe supervision.

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Findings from the inspection

Leaders and managers have failed to ensure that staff know the signs when a child is likely to go missing, and their responsibility to safeguard children. Staff took the child to a location that increased the likelihood of the child going missing. This led to a serious incident when the child went missing with another child.

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Findings from the inspection

The provider has failed to ensure that there is adequate leadership and management at the home. It is unclear who is in day-to-day charge of the home together with who is having oversight of the home. Furthermore, it is unclear what the longer-term plans are for the leadership and management of this home, as the new manager and responsible individual are not able to currently work at the home.

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Findings from the inspection

Allegation management is poor. When investigations into allegations take place, they have not always been carried out by someone with the relevant skills to do so. In addition, investigations into allegations have not always been undertaken by someone who is independent. Furthermore, one fact-finding investigation was undertaken by a person who has had concerns raised about their own past practice. It is unclear from the recording who has been involved with the investigation.

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Findings from the inspection

The child sometimes struggles to manage their emotions in a safe way. The director was at the home and went to speak to the child about this. This is not the role of a director, who does not have the necessary skills in this specialist area. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2577014 3 Full recruitment checks in line with safe recruitment practice have not been completed for one member of staff.

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Findings from the inspection

Leaders and managers have not ensured that Ofsted is notified when a child protection investigation has commenced in respect of the child living at the home. The manager and staff did not know what actions are being taken and by who in respect of this investigation. This prevents Ofsted from having oversight of what is happening at the home.

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Findings from the inspection

The manager and staff said that consequences to behaviour are not being used at this home. However, information recorded in incident reports indicates that staff are using consequences, and that the measures used are not always proportionate and they are not restorative. Poor recording prevents the manager from having full oversight of behaviour management used in the home.

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Findings from the inspection

The arrangement for the child’s education is home tuition. The child is making progress in their education from their starting point, and staff promote positive routines for the child during the school day. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2577014 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/10/2024 Full Good 12/09/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 15/11/2022 Full Good 02/02/2022 Full Good Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2577014 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

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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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

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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(b)) 23 February 2025

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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— 23 February 2025 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2577014 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

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

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)(a)(f)(h))

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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, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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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; and

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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.

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) ("the Level 3 Diploma") or 23 February 2025 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2577014 7 a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(b)(d) (4)(a)(b) (5)(a))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child—

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry). (Regulation 40 (4)(d)(i)(ii)) 23 February 2025

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(vii) 23 February 2025

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2577014 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Advanced Adolescent Care Solutions Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 38 Sherwood Road, Worksop S80 1QW

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Inspectors

Rachel Webster, Social Care Inspector Angela Ross, Social Care Inspector Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2577014 9 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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