Children's home run by Fullwood Care Limited

Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC066916 1 SC066916 Registered provider: Fullwood Care 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 owned and operated by a private provider. Staff care for up to four children who may have emotional and/or social difficulties and/or learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

Four children were living in the home at the time of the inspection. Two children were at home and were spoken to by the inspector. One child was missing from home during the inspection and the other child was not available.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in May 2011.

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Information about this children’s home

Date of last inspection: 10 September 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 these inspections, the inspector evaluated:

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Information about this inspection

 the care of children  the safety of children  the effectiveness of leaders and managers. The inspector 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: SC066916 2

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Findings from the inspection

This assurance inspection identified serious and widespread concerns in the leadership and management of the home, care standards and safeguarding practices.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff do not understand their key responsibilities in safeguarding responsibilities and lacked an awareness of whistle-blowing procedures. Staff were unable to identify indicators of child sexual exploitation and were unfamiliar with key practices for promoting children's online safety. Staff are not able to protect children from harm.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff do not know what to do when children go missing. Staff do not know children's whereabouts or who they are with when they are not at home. Staff do not always look for children when they are missing. One child was missing throughout this assurance inspection but had not been reported missing to the police or the local authority. Staff said that the local authority had agreed this plan for this child, but this was not the case. Children’s records do not always accurately document what staff have done to manage serious incidents. Staff do not understand children’s plans and are not keeping children safe.

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Findings from the inspection

Policies and procedures do not provide staff with clear guidance about risk management. Two children’s missing-from-home risk assessments are almost identical, even though their experiences and risks are very different. The company’s missing-from-home policy does not provide staff with clear definitions of when a child would be considered missing or absent. This has resulted in confusion about when children should be reported as missing and has placed children at risk of harm.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff are not proactive in reducing or preventing risks. During the inspection, staff suspected one vulnerable child was likely to go missing after school, but did not take meaningful steps to prevent this.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff are trained in the use of physical restraint. However, there was a delay in training for one newly appointed staff member due to the course being offered annually. This may impact the consistency and safety of practice across the staff team. As a result, this new staff member thought it would be acceptable to restrain a child even though they have not received training in how to safely do so.

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Findings from the inspection

Oversight of children’s experiences is poor. One child is experiencing soiling and enuresis. Staff had left the plastic packaging on a new mattress for the child to ‘prevent damage to the mattress’. Staff have prioritised the mattress over the child's well-being and comfort.

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Findings from the inspection

The manager does not lead a culture that is respectful of children’s needs and experiences. Staff do not speak politely or kindly about children's vulnerabilities or needs. One member of staff spoke about a child soiling and enuresis in derogatory Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC066916 3 terms. This member of staff also blamed the child for breaking the tumble drier due to soiling. Other members of staff also spoke about this child in the same terms. Children are not being treated with dignity and respect.

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Findings from the inspection

Leadership and management arrangements are reliant primarily on the registered manager. When she is absent, there is no management support or oversight. As the registered manager was on annual leave and the responsible individual was unavailable, there was no manager to support the inspection. Staff were not sure who would support them if there was an emergency. Staff do not understand the arrangements for out-of-hours support. Arrangements for out-of-hours support when the registered manager and responsible individual are not available are unclear. Leadership and management of the home is poor.

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Findings from the inspection

Supervision arrangements inadequate. Staff do not receive supervision at the frequency set out in the home's statement of purpose. One new member of staff has had formal supervision on two occasions during their probationary period. Large sections of staff supervision are copied and pasted from one person’s form to the other. Formal oversight of staff practice is poor.

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Findings from the inspection

The home is staffed with two members of staff to four children. There are no clear arrangements in place to ensure that staff can manage should there be an emergency or to manage children’s competing needs.

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Findings from the inspection

The manager does not have good enough oversight of the maintenance and upkeep of the property. There is damage to the home throughout and the house is not kept to a good enough standard. There are issues with the security of the office and confidential information is not secure. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC066916 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/09/2024 Full Good 18/10/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 11/10/2022 Full Good 21/06/2022 Full Inadequate Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC066916 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

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;

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Requirement Due date

that the effectiveness of the home's child protection policies is monitored regularly. 18 July 2025 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC066916 6 (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(c)(d)(e))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must make sure that staff understand each child's individual risks and vulnerabilities and know what they need to do to keep children safe.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make sure that staff understand children's plans and follow them.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make sure that when children go missing staff take effective action.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make sure that staff keep accurate records in relation to serious incidents.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make sure that staff understand the thresholds for physical intervention and have received appropriate training.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make sure that staff understand how to keep children safe online. There must be clear rules and boundaries for children in relation to social media and internet use. The registered person must make sure that staff understand and implement these safety measures consistently.

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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

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; 18 July 2025 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC066916 7 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

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)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure there are clear leadership and management arrangements for the home, including when the registered manager is absent.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make sure that on-call arrangements provide adequate leadership and management oversight and support.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make sure that they use robust systems to monitor staff practice and provide feedback and learning to staff when there are shortfalls.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make sure that staff receive supervision in accordance with the home's statement of purpose. This supervision must be individual to each member of staff, enabling useful reflection to improve the quality of care that children receive.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make sure that there are enough staff in the home to care for the number of children, to meet their care needs safely and manage their risks.

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children's home's overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children's needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

understand and apply the home's statement of purpose; Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC066916 8 ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home's statement of purpose; protect and promote each child's welfare;

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Requirement Due date

treat each child with dignity and respect;

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Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child's needs, as recorded in the child's relevant plans, taking account of the child's background;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand and manage the impact of any experience of abuse or neglect;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult;

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Requirement Due date

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably;

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Requirement Due date

provide to children personal items that are appropriate for their age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must make sure that staff speak about children using language that is respectful and helpful to them.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make sure that staff understand children’s health and care needs, and look after them in a way that helps children to live with dignity.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain good oversight of the condition of the property and ensure that maintenance issues are addressed quickly. The registered person must make sure that the property is kept to a homely, comfortable and cleanly standard. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC066916 9 The registered person must make sure that children are provided with all items they need for their daily care, which promote their welfare and allow them to live with dignity and in comfort. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC066916 10

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Inspector

Nicola Shaw, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC066916 11 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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