Raising issues with the Ofsted guidance Registering a multi-building children’s home

#5 in the series re Ofsted guidance Registering a multi-building children’s home

Raising issues with the Ofsted guidance Registering a multi-building children’s home.

This document is connecting people together. Knowing that NCERCC has been raising issues people from all aspects of social work/care have been in contact.

This document contains some of the issues the sector(s) have raised with NCERCC regarding the Ofsted guidance on Flexible provision/Multi homes. More to follow.

These enquiries below have been passed to Ofsted or their awareness and action.

The question is followed by some of the additional material provided by enquirers unless identified as by NCERCC.

• What guidance is being issued to planning authorities?

Multiple homes will require multiple planning applications, and given that there are frequent refusals there can be additional costs of repeat applications

• Will there be changes to the Regulation 44 requirements?

Multiple homes will require multiple Regulation 44 reports. Regulation 44 colleagues who undertake this work have advised us that they see it as 3 or more reports and will put up costs for providers, at a time when the challenge is to reduce costs.

• Staffing – will staff be building-centric or multi-home based? Is staffing for multi homes being seen as a flexible ‘human resource’? A staff pool? A staff group?

A pool or a group is not a team. Will staff on a zero hours deployment to a home be expected to create and sustain the relationships with children that the Care Review suggests may be lacking but which all in the sector know and have known for years is an essential component of successful care and outcomes for children? Zero hours suggests zero relationships.

• From local authorities. Will moving between the multiple homes of the one registration count as 1 or several moves?

From NCERCC’s reading it is looking as though it will be several

• From providers. Will moves between homes be taken into account regarding stability?

From NCERCC’s reading it looks as though this is the case

• Will moving internally in a multi-home require referral, matching, impact risk assessments?

From NCERCC’s reading in that moves will require full care planning requirements this looks to be the case. This would be different than anticipated in some media statements recently that have seen it as enabling quick moving between the constituent homes.

• Will there be expected continuity of relationships?

Children need stability, and this comes from the continuity of those caring for them, without this then those other (practical) functions become secondary

• Will there be a consideration regarding retention?

Retention issues are created when you have groups not teams. There is not the same commitment to each other and children.

• Currently in a multi-home under one registration model as a Residential Special School inspectors look for each home to be staffed properly, i.e. no more than 50% agency in each house with the whole ‘home’ rather than considering 50% over whole site. Will this be the case for the multi homes?
• Multiple homes could be multiple sites separated by some distance (with the requirement of separate location assessments). What distance? Same village/town/city/county?
• If the multi home has differing needs in houses will there be the need for individual statements of purpose, and individual appropriateness and suitability of location assessments made bespoke to the needs of the home and children?
• The guidance seems to describe models similar to mobile provision. Is this being reviewed by Ofsted?

From NCERCC’s reading review this does not seem to be being considered.

• Will there be heightened entry requirements to be a Registered Manager?

It seems necessary and will heighten not solve the accepted crisis of the shortage of suitably qualified Registered Managers.