Children's Home run by BTTLR Limited in West Northamptonshire

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2592228 1 Registered Provider: BTTLR Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned and provides care for up to two children who may require support with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager post has been vacant since December 2024. An operations manager and deputy team manager have been appointed. The operations manager was present and supported this inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

Since the last inspection, one child has left the home in a planned manner. There were no children living at the home at the time of this inspection.

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This monitoring visit

The home was judged inadequate at the full inspection on 9 and 10 December 2024. Following the inspection, several statutory requirements were set, and two compliance notices were issued in relation to regulation 12, the protection of children standard, and regulation 13, the leadership and management standard.

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This monitoring visit

Ofsted issued a restriction of accommodation notice to ensure that no further children were admitted, given the inspection findings and concerns for this home.

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This monitoring visit

This visit was carried out to evaluate whether the actions set following the inadequate judgement in relation to the protection of children and leadership and management have been completed. It is also to ensure that the restriction of accommodation notice is being adhered to.

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This monitoring visit

There remains no registered manager in post and recruitment is ongoing. The staffing structure in the home has changed, with only one member of staff remaining. All others have been dismissed from their posts as part of a service wide Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2592228 2 review. Recruitment is therefore ongoing for the staff team to become operational again.

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This monitoring visit

The management team has completed additional training for the staff member remaining. This includes safeguarding and specific training to strengthen knowledge and understanding of trauma-informed practice.

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This monitoring visit

Opportunities for the child to voice their wishes and views were not regularly provided. Prior to leaving the home, the child had not been able to contribute to their care planning and risk management strategies. As a result, the child’s records do not demonstrate that staff regularly sought and acted on the child’s views.

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This monitoring visit

Risk assessment documents had not been updated and therefore did not consider the known and emerging risks to the child or adequately address these. Specifically, known risks associated with being missing were not addressed in a timely manner. This means that the child remained in a vulnerable position without steps being taken to mitigate this risk.

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This monitoring visit

Management oversight and evaluation of recordings is visible and provides analysis and learning taken from events. This learning is shared with staff in supervision and team meetings. This provides staff with learning opportunities to reflect on and develop their professional practice. This is not yet fully embedded and therefore remains an area for development. Once a staff team is recruited, this will need to be revisited.

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This monitoring visit

Some progress has been made against statutory requirements set at the last inspection. The provider has ensured the home’s statement of purpose is now an accurate reflection of the service provided to children. This has been provided to the regulator and is no longer a shortfall.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers previously did not understand the requirement to share information with safeguarding agencies such as the local authority or the regulator. Safeguarding incidents and relevant information have now been regularly shared with the child’s local authority and the regulator. Therefore, these are no longer considered shortfalls.

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This monitoring visit

The remaining statutory requirements will be evaluated at the next inspection.

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This monitoring visit

Sufficient progress has not been made. Therefore, compliance notices for regulation 12 and regulation 13 are re-issued and the notice restricting accommodation remains in place. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2592228 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/12/2024 Full Inadequate 23/01/2024 Full Inadequate 03/05/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 24/02/2022 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2592228 4

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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 with 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;

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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; and 5 March 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2592228 5 that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(b)(d)(e))

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Requirement Due date

This is in relation to staff being prepared and supported to respond to any incidents of challenging or unsafe behaviour. It relates to ensuring staff have an understanding of their own safeguarding responsibilities and a duty to act on these when concerns arise. It relates to effective risk assessments as safeguarding tools and staff ensuring these are regularly reviewed and adhered to.

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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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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

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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

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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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

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to 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

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; 5 March 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2592228 6 feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; 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)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(g)(i)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This is in relation to the experience and qualifications of staff, and that this is sufficient for the children placed. It relates to auditing and monitoring systems which are needed to understand the impact of care provided.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

develop positive relationships with them; engage with them; and

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Requirement 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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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child;

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Requirement Due date

regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home’s care.

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Requirement Due date

is enabled to provide feedback to, and raise issues with, a relevant person about the support and services that the child receives. (Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(iv)(b)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This is in relation to staff effectively building trusted relationships with children in their care, taking into consideration the child’s views about such care. 5 March 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2592228 7 The registered person must ensure that—

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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;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure ("the user"), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure;

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to effective and accurate record-keeping of any measures of restraint used in the children’s home. 5 March 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2592228 8 The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour;

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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

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children;

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Requirement Due date

are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same;

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b )(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(ix)(x)(xi))

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Requirement Due date

This is in relation to staff recognising and understanding reasons for children’s behaviour, and how previous traumatic experiences impact on such behaviour. This also relates to 5 March 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2592228 9 effective behaviour management with skills of resolving conflict and reducing violence.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b)(c)) 5 March 2025

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Requirement 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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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it;

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review ("the quality of care review report").

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Requirement 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; and

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Requirement Due date

make a copy of the quality of care review report available on request to a placing authority, if the placing authority is not the parent of a child accommodated in the home. 5 March 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2592228 10 The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (3) (4)(a)(b) (5))

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject of a compliance notice.

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2592228 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Office 3, Ground Floor, Michael Way, Raunds, Wellingborough, Northamptonshire NN9 6GR

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Inspector

Caroline Coop, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2592228 12 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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