Children's Home run by Esland South Limited in Hertfordshire

Unique reference number SC425418 Inspection date 05/12/2013 Inspector Natalie Burton Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 18/06/2013 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

This home provides care and accommodation for up to four children. A private organisation owns and operates this setting.

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

Good progress The children’s home has demonstrated continued improvement in quality of care and outcomes for children and young people and where appropriate has addressed all requirements and the large majority of recommendations that were raised at the previous inspection. Satisfactory progress The children’s home has maintained quality of care and outcomes for children and young people and where appropriate has addressed all requirements and the majority of recommendations that were raised at the previous inspection. Inadequate progress The children’s home has failed to address one or more requirements and/or has not met the majority of recommendations and/or the quality of care and outcomes for children and young people have declined since the last full inspection.

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Progress

Since their previous inspection the service is judged to be making inadequate progress .

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Progress

At the last full inspection in June, the home was judged as adequate overall. The service has addressed five of the seven requirements and two of the three recommendations which were raised at the previous inspection. The manager now keeps a copy of the rota. As a result, there is a clear record of the staff who care for the young people each day. The manager has updated the Statement of Purpose. This includes all the required information and is in line with the provision provided and updated with reference to the new regulations. As a result, placing authorities, parents and interested parties now have clear and up-to-date information about the service the home provides. All staff, including agency staff, undergo all the required recruitment checks. Young people benefit as they are cared for by a staff team that are sufficiently checked for their suitability to care for children and young people.

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Progress

Young people do not identify bullying as an issue in the home. This is because all bullying incidents are logged and appropriate action is taken in line with the home’s anti-bullying policy. As a result, young people live in a home that actively addresses any concerns of bullying. The manager has completed internal monthly checks, and these have been sent to Ofsted. However, the monitoring has not identified the shortfalls highlighted within this inspection. Additionally, the monitoring does not include effective regular consultation with parents, placing authorities and young people to improve the quality of care.

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Progress

The manager has partially met the requirement regarding records held on measures of control. However, on occasion, the record lacks all the required information. For example, on occasion, the effectiveness of the measure used is blank, or reports to be accepted by the young person. This does not enable staff to evaluate and identify the effectiveness of the measure of control used in helping young people to make changes to their behaviour.

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Progress

The Registered Manager returned to the home, from maternity leave, on the week of the inspection. The service has a sufficient number of staff who have completed or are working towards appropriate qualifications, for example, the National Vocational Qualification at level 3 in Caring for Children and Young People, or the Children and Young People’s Workforce Diploma. As a result, young people are cared for by staff who are provided with the opportunity to gain a qualification, and therefore enhance their knowledge of the care young people require. However, there is a lack of experience within the staff team. This is because there have been some changes within the staff team since the last inspection and some staff lack experience of working with young people with complex and challenging behaviour in a residential environment. While the service has taken some action to support staff through supervision and training, this does not ensure that young people are cared for by a

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Progress

consistent, experienced and competent staff team. The service has not updated its whistle-blowing policy. As a result, there is no guidance about how the service will protect staff if a concern is raised.

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Progress

During this inspection, a number of concerns were identified. Risk assessments were lacking or not updated in line with young people’s current behaviour. Examples include young people accessing the roof of the home, barricading themselves in rooms within the home, as well as risks in the community. As a result, potential risks to young people and the action that staff need to take to reduce these risks are not sufficiently identified.

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Progress

The home’s behaviour management policy is not consistently implemented. While staff have received training, on some occasions, staff responses to challenging behaviour are at times confrontational and do not provide a consistent, positive message to young people. Staff have, on occasion, needed to call additional support from the Police to help manage young people’s challenging behaviour, as their own strategies have been ineffective. Examples include when staff have been assaulted, when young people have been on the roof and when they have been unable to settle at night. Although the manager has addressed incidents occurring in certain areas, such as the office, and a number of occasions of young people obtaining staff keys, these continue. There is a lack of guidance regarding how the staff are to respond to challenging behaviour, implementation of the behaviour management policy, and of debriefs to look at what worked or could have been better. In addition, there is a

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Progress

lack of follow-up work completed with young people, and young people do not have sufficient behaviour management plans that are up to date with current behaviour. As a result, young people are not provided with clear, consistent boundaries from experienced staff.

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Progress

Young people have not been consistently treated with respect. For example, on one occasion a young person was woken by staff removing his duvet. In addition, this was not highlighted within the monitoring of records by the manager.

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Progress

Since the last inspection, although young people have made some progress in shortening the length of time they are missing from the home, the frequency remains at a concerning level. The home cannot be held totally responsible for this, however, as they have asked the placing authority to hold a strategy meeting. While this has now been held, this was considerably delayed by the placing authority.

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Progress

Young people have engaged more at times in their education. While this is not at a sufficient amount, for some young people this is significant progress for them. Young people are provided with key work sessions, which cover a range of areas such as contact. As a result, young people are provided with an opportunity to voice their views. They have also engaged with outside agencies such as the Fire Service and discussions around dangers of engaging in substance misuse. Young people report they are happy living at the home, and say they feel safe. Young people describe the home as ‘good’, ‘nice’ and ‘pleasant‘.

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Statutory Requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person/s meets the Care Standards Act 2000, Children's Homes Regulations 2001 and the National Minimum Standards. The registered person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that the home is conducted in a manner which respects the privacy and dignity of children accommodated (Regulation 11(2)(a)) 17/01/2014

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that the children's homes is conducted so as to promote and make proper provision for the welfare of children accommodated, with specific reference to up-to-date risk assessments (Regulation 11(1)(a)) 17/01/2014

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Reg. Requirement Due date

17B (2001) ensure that within 24 hours of the use of any measure of control, restraint or discipline in a children’s home, a written record is made in a volume kept for the purpose which shall include the effectiveness and any consequence of the use of the measure (Regulation 17B (3)(f)) 17/01/2014

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Reg. Requirement Due date

17B (2001) prepare and implement an effective written policy (in this regulation referred to as “the behaviour management policy”) which sets out the means whereby appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the home (Regulation 17B (1)(b)) * 06/01/2014 (2001) ensure the registered person provides a sufficient number of suitably competent and experienced persons working at the children’s home (Regulation 25 (1)) * 06/01/2014

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure the system referred to in paragraph (1) shall provide for consultation with children accommodated in the home, their parents and placing authorities (Regulation 34 (3)) 17/01/2014

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) maintain an effective system for improving the quality of care provided in the children’s home. (Regulation 34 (1)(b)) 31/01/2014

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Reg. Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):

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Recommendations

 ensure staff actively promote the welfare of children living in the home. This relates to the need to ensure the 'whistle blowing' policy clearly identifies how staff raising concerns will be protected. (NMS 4.2)

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About this inspection

The purpose of this inspection is to assure children and young people, parents, the public, local authorities and government of the quality and standard of the service provided. The inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service and to consider how well it complies with the relevant regulations and meets the national minimum standards.

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About this inspection

The report details the progress made by the provider since the last full inspection, identifies any further strengths, any areas for improvement and makes judgements as outlined in the Inspection of children’s homes – framework for inspection.

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