Children's Home run by Children & Adolescents Placement Provisions Ltd in West Northamptonshire

Inspection report for Children's home: 2594233 1 Registered provider: Children & Adolescents Placement Provisions 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 privately owned. It is registered to provide care for up to four children who may have emotional, behavioural, and social difficulties.

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Information about this children's home

The home has a manager who is registered with Ofsted.

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Information about this children's home

There were two children living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children's home

The inspection took place over three days in response to the provider’s personal circumstance. The third day took place virtually.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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requires improvement to be good

The children's home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: None Inspection report for Children's home: 2594233 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/05/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 03/05/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 05/07/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 18/05/2022 Full Inadequate Inspection report for Children's home: 2594233 3

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improvement to be good

Children like living at the home. They can identify staff that they can go to with their worries and shared that staff listen to them. Staff support children to have fun experiences at the home and understand hobbies and interests which children enjoy. Staff can recognise when children may be struggling emotionally and adapt their practice to support them. Staff comfort children well, particularly after difficult incidents at the home. This helps children to remain calm.

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improvement to be good

Children can share their thoughts and feelings at children's meetings. These are well planned and discuss important topics for children such as personal hygiene, vaping and substance misuse. Children are asked about their views on the care provided and any changes they would like to implement. However, these meetings are not currently occurring at regular intervals.

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improvement to be good

Staff advocate for children's educational needs. One child who has not attended school previously now has an introductory meeting planned at a school and is making personalised progress with a tutor. However, education for children living at this home has not always been consistent and some children have had long periods away from education.

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improvement to be good

The manager does not have sufficient oversight or curiosity regarding which children come to live at the home. This has led to several children living together who had similar risk-taking behaviours, this has led to challenging group dynamics. During incidents, staff have been unable to manage children’s behaviour, especially when together, staff have sometimes been overwhelmed, and the police have been called for support. Several more vulnerable children have experienced bullying from their peers whilst living at the home.

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improvement to be good

Children do not live in a homely environment. There are several areas of the home that need improvement, some of which had been identified on previous inspections. One child's bedroom was disorganised and sparse. Their wardrobe was damaged, so this prevented their clothes being able to be hung up. One child raised that they did not like their bedroom or find it cosy. The manager acknowledges that the home is not to a standard that they would like it.

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improvement to be good

Recordings of the care offered to children is inconsistent. Some recordings of incidents are largely descriptive and therefore it is difficult to understand the impact of staff involvement and actions taken. Inspection report for Children's home: 2594233 4

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improvement to be good

Children are known to smoke marijuana and use vapes. The manager recognises this as a significant risk for children in both the short and long term. There have been appropriate referrals made to cessation projects and the children living at the home currently are engaging well with these workers. The impact of this however remains minimal and children still openly have electronic vapes in their possession when in the home.

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improvement to be good

There has not been a high number of physical interventions, where these have occurred these have been well recorded and of low level. Children can have a debrief with staff and reflect on how this was experienced following incidents. However, regular police involvement at the home means that some children have been restrained by the police. There is a risk of criminalisation for children.

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improvement to be good

Children often go missing from the home, although this has reduced recently. When children do go missing staff understand their required actions to keep children safe and remain curious about their whereabouts. Children do not always receive required return interviews following being missing and recordings do not consistently evidence these were requested. This prevents the gathering of information that could inform care planning and keep children safe in the future.

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improvement to be good

Staff have not always followed agreed plans and risk assessments, particularly around the observation of children. This has on occasion meant that children have spent time in each other’s bedrooms which it was known posed a particular risk to them. On one occasion a child’s drug debt was paid by staff at the home. This was not appropriately recorded, and management failed to investigate the decision-making behind this. This prevented staff learning from this incident and knowing how to appropriately respond in the future. There have been missed opportunities to speak with children following significant incidents at the home. Children have not always had the space to share their thoughts and feelings, particularly around their identity needs.

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improvement to be good

Video surveillance is used in the home but is monitored only by the Responsible Individual away from the home. This builds in delay of reporting any concerns identified. The home’s policy is that the monitoring should be completed by the manager within the home. One child shared that they do not like that they are being recorded. Ofsted are not therefore assured that this is being utilised appropriately for the purpose of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the children.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not always record that medication has been given to children. It is not therefore possible to know that the correct medication has been given or if any medication errors have occurred. This has the potential for children to receive incorrect dosages. Inspection report for Children's home: 2594233 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff enjoy working at the home. They feel well supported by the manager and the wider team and feel that team morale is now an improving picture following a more difficult period. There has been good retention of staff since the last full inspection. This offers consistency to children. Staff are quickly enrolled onto the necessary qualification.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager does not have effective oversight of the recruitment of staff. The manager does not have oversight when staff members may have criminal convictions. A risk assessment was completed by a senior manager, however this was insufficient, it lacked detail and reflection. As a result, the manager cannot be assured that the staff working at the home are suitable to work with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff supervisions are not occurring regularly. They lack clear structure and agenda. Ofsted cannot be assured that there is appropriate discussion about each child and needed reflection in times of challenge. Staff employed through an agency are not offered any supervision from the manager, despite some members of staff working regularly at the home. These staff members do not therefore have the opportunity to reflect, learn or raise concerns with the manager via supervision.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager is not utilising systems to monitor and record practice within the home. The annex A document is not proactively kept up to date. Regulation 44 reports lack appropriate stakeholder feedback, discussions with children or observations of bedrooms. Reports do not always include a clear safeguarding statement. Consequently, it is difficult to be assured of the visitor's view that children are safe within the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers have failed to fully identify and act on shortfalls in the home, despite some having been identified at previous inspections. Sufficient support has not been provided by the Responsible Individual for the registered manager, particularly during times of challenge. As a result, the requirements under regulation 13 and 26 have been repeated below. Inspection report for Children's home: 2594233 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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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

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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

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of 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)(c)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to the manager having appropriate oversight including decisions about children moving to the home and the safer recruitment of staff. This also relates to the manager utilising auditing systems such as regulation 44 visits and the Annex A to understand areas of development for the home.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 21 July 2025

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Requirement Due date

have the capacity, experience and skills to supervise the management of the home, or the homes, in respect of which the responsible individual is nominated. 21 July 2025 Inspection report for Children's home: 2594233 7 (Regulation 26(7)(b)

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to the responsible individual providing regular support and oversight to the home to help development and improvement of the standards in the home.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 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; 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; (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff understand and implement each child's risk assessment. This also relates to the manager offering clear guidance to staff about the approach to more nuanced safeguarding concerns for children. Finally, staff must support children to explore important topics to them, such as their identity. 21 July 2025 Inspection report for Children's home: 2594233 8 The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children's home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular the registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child. (Regulation 23 (1)(2)(c)

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff keep clear recordings of medication given to children. 21 July 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only use devices for the monitoring or surveillance of children if—

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is for the purpose of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the child concerned, or other children;

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Requirement Due date

the child's placing authority consents in writing to the monitoring or surveillance;

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is no more intrusive than necessary, having regard to the child's need for privacy.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, that there is a clear and agreed rationale for the use of monitoring and surveillance and that this is effectively utilised by staff within the home to safeguard children. 21 July 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; (Regulation 33 (4)(b)

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Requirement Due date

In particular this refers to the manager ensuring that all staff receive supervision from a suitable person working at the home, including agency members of staff. 21 July 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that when a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, the responsible local authority provides an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 45, paragraph 9.30) Inspection report for Children's home: 2594233 9  The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home's policies on record-keeping, and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,' page 62,

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff provide a nurturing environment that is welcoming, supportive, and which provides appropriate boundaries in relation to their behaviour. Homes must also meet children's basic day to day needs and physical necessities. Staff should seek to meet the child's basic needs in the way that a good parent would, recognising that many children in residential care have experienced environments where these needs have not been consistently met – doing so is an important aspect of demonstrating that the staff care for the child and value them as an individual. ('Guide to the children's homes regulations, including the quality standards', page 15, paragraph 3.7)

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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: 2594233 10

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Children & Adolescents Placement Provisions Ltd

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: Barratt House Office G3a, Kingsthorpe Road, Northampton NN2 6EZ

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Inspector

Louise Copping, Social Care Inspector Ellen Monk, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for Children's home: 2594233 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 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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