Children's Home run by Shalamar Children Limited in Essex

Unique reference number SC475088 Inspector Deirdra Keating Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Registered manager POST VACANT Date of last inspection N/A 2 of 10 Inspection date 12/11/2014

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Previous inspection N/A Enforcement action since last inspection none

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Overall effectiveness inadequate

Outcomes for children and young people adequate Quality of care adequate Keeping children and young people safe inadequate Leadership and management inadequate

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Overall effectiveness

This home has been operational for 10 weeks. During this time, the Registered Manager has left and a new manager has been appointed.

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Overall effectiveness

A high number of regulatory shortfalls identified at the inspection demonstrate young people’s safety has at times been compromised. Management of the home is incompetent and inefficient. Recruitment checks are not robust, fire practice drills are not recorded and managerial monitoring is not taking place. Additionally staff supervision is intermittent and there is no training and development programme in place. Some required records are not held and there are no systems and processes to ensure admissions are properly planned, nor enough information is obtained about young people.

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Overall effectiveness

Despite this there are some positive outcomes for young people; these include a good range of activities, positive relationships with staff and a nurturing environment. This is in the context of the short duration the home has been open. Care plans provide a good focus on understanding individual needs and wishes. Young people’s views are integral to the delivery of care. The ethos of the home indicates the potential for young people to make attachments and good progress over time. 3 of 10 Oversight of management of the home is poor. The Registered Person has little knowledge of legislation and no experience of managing a children’s home. Previous management arrangements identify poor practice and a lack of professional boundaries in regard to recruitment and appointment of new staff. The directors of the home have a genuine commitment to address the shortfalls raised and implement change in response to the inadequate inspection outcome.

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Overall effectiveness

Ofsted raised a concern about the home in relation to the manager’s resignation and a notification of a significant event. This was investigated at the inspection. 4 of 10

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Information about this children’s home

This is a new registration and is an independent service. The service will provide care and accommodation for up to three young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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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

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 (Regulation 17 B (3)) 05/12/2014

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure by means of fire drills and practices at suitable intervals, that the persons working at the home and, so far as practicable, chidden accommodate there, are aware of the procedure to be followed in case of fire (Regulation 32 (1) (d)) 05/12/2014

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure full and satisfactory information is available in relation to staff in respect of each of the matters specified in Schedule 2 (Regulation 26 (3)(d)) * 05/12/2014

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Reg. Requirement Due date

9 (2001) ensure that the registered person and registered ,manager shall having regard to the children’s home, its statement of purpose, and the number and the number and needs of the children accommodated there, carry on or manage the home with sufficient care, competence and skill (Regulation 9 (1)) * 05/12/2014

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that the children’s home is conducted so as to promote and make proper provision for the 05/12/2014 5 of 10 welfare of children accommodated there; this relates to the use of accurate and comprehensive risk assessments for young people being admitted (Regulation 11(1)(a))

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that all permanent appointments are subject to the satisfactory completion of a period of probation and provide all employers with a job description outlining their responsibilities (Regulation 27 (1)(a)(b) 05/12/2014

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that at all times, having regard to the statement of purpose, a sufficient number of suitably qualified persons working at the home (Regulation 25 (1) (a)(b) 05/12/2014

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that all persons employed receive appropriate training, supervision and appraisal (Regulation 27 (4)(a) 05/12/2014

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) establish and maintain a system for monitoring the matters set out in Schedule 6 (Regulation 34 (1)(a) 05/12/2014

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) maintain in the children home the records specified in Schedule 4 and ensure they are kept up to date this is in regard to the staff duty rota and record of admissions to the home (Regulation 29 (1)) 05/12/2014

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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 good links with health agencies, including specialist services where appropriate (NMS 6.9)  ensure that the homes procedures are compatible with and have regard to Runaway and Missing from Home and Care protocols (RMFHC) and procedures maintained and managed by the police or by the local authority for the area where the home is located (NMS 5.6)  ensure management of the home ensures all staff's work is consistent with the regulations the NMS and the homes policies and procedures. (NMS 21.3) 6 of 10

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Outcomes for children and young people adequate

This home has been open for a short duration and accommodated a minimal number of young people. Consequently, the range of evidence in terms of outcomes and young people’s progress is difficult to measure and therefore limited.

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Outcomes for children and young people adequate

Young people placed, continue to engage in a formal educational provision. Attendance is good. Others have engaged with the home-school tutoring provision. This progress is satisfactory given young people’s history and previous educational experience.

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Outcomes for children and young people adequate

Young people are encouraged to be physically active and participate in local sport clubs and leagues. They are expected to take responsibility for personal hygiene and encouraged to eat a balanced diet. This provides routines that build positive esteem and supports healthy lifestyles.

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Outcomes for children and young people adequate

Young people are supported to have contact in line with individual family circumstance. They attend local community activities that support them to make social connections and build positive peer groups.

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Outcomes for children and young people adequate

Young people complete tasks, such as animal care, keeping bedrooms clean and cooking. This supports them to develop some skills they will need as they move to more independent living.

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Quality of care adequate

Staff provide nurture and holistic care which helps young people understand their backgrounds and change negative behavioural responses. Staff are focused on young people and ensure they are central to practice. They build relationships with young people; take time to understand their needs and accommodate their wishes. Staff provide good adult role models generating a respectful culture.

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Quality of care adequate

Staff consider young people’s views and actively support their interests. This has enabled young people to have pets and makes choices within the home. The promotion of clear boundaries help young people know staff care about them and protects them from harmful behaviours.

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Quality of care adequate

Staff provide young people with information about how to complain and raise concerns using a variety of methods. Young people are relaxed and open with staff, they say that relationships are good and that they feel comfortable to raise any concerns. 7 of 10 Staff involve young people in decisions made about their care. Young people’s views are valued and respected. This involvement empowers young people who are responsive and willing to engage.

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Quality of care adequate

Staff promote healthy eating and encourage young people to try new food choices alongside preferred familiar options. Core health needs are catered for by health practitioners. However, staffs knowledge of specific support services and specialist agencies in the locality is limited.

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Quality of care adequate

Staff provide a range of adult-led activities for young people including visiting the cinema, roller skating football matches and day trips out. Staff fully support young people to participate in community based activities helping young people to develop their talents.

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Quality of care adequate

The house blends into the rural location resembling a family home. Amenities are close by and easily accessible. The interior is spacious and orderly. Young people have personalised their bedrooms. Large gardens provide plenty of opportunities for young people to be active outside.

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Keeping children and young people safe inadequate

Young people say that they feel safe at the home. They appear relaxed and make use of the communal rooms. However, young people have been disturbed by several prolonged incidents in the night. Young people have not voiced concerns; however, acceptance of these situations shows that they may lack the confidence to complain. The home is rural and otherwise tranquil; therefore the impact of disturbances on young people is inevitable. The group of young people has since changed and the situation has been resolved.

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Keeping children and young people safe inadequate

Young people like staff and feel staff will advocate for them. Bullying is not identified, although young people may not say if they have felt intimidated. There have been no instances of young people going missing from the home. Staff are aware of what to do in the event of this happening and reporting procedures are in place. Despite this there is no agreement with local services about a joint missing from home protocol, which may delay responses.

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Keeping children and young people safe inadequate

Staff work consistently on positive reinforcement; they are not punitive and promote an ethos of patience and mutual respect. Physical interventions are managed by staff that had existing training. However, the majority of the staff team have had no training. This could lead to unrecognised holds compromising the physical safety of young people and staff. A financial consequence imposed by a member of staff following damage to the home has not been recorded. This makes monitoring and overview of behavioural consequences inaccurate. 8 of 10 Recruitment is not robust or rigorous. The Registered Manager has not followed the recruitment policy. Staff known to the previous manager have started work without proper applications and four files sampled have no employment history. References have been obtained, however, references have not all been returned prior to start dates and there is no evidence to say they have been verified. A director of the home

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Keeping children and young people safe inadequate

has spent time working in the office of the home without any checks or references. This could compromise young people's safety.

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Keeping children and young people safe inadequate

The home is well maintained and hazards are not evident. Recorded safety checks ensure that fire prevention equipment is working and exits are clear. Staff say that fire drills have taken place, although there is no record of these.

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Leadership and management inadequate

Management of the home is ineffective. The manager was registered in September 2014 and left after six weeks in post having demonstrated she was unable to fulfil the role. The Registered Person has failed to provide proper oversight or monitoring of the management arrangements. The Registered Person has appointed a new manager who is in the process of applying to register as manager.

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Leadership and management inadequate

There are number of regulatory shortfalls in relation to management of the home. One young person has been admitted without proper knowledge of their needs and without a clear record of the impact of the admission on the existing placement. The Registered Manager has failed to; follow the safe recruitment procedures, provide staff with regular supervision and had not monitored records and incidents as required. This contravenes the homes written policies.

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Leadership and management inadequate

The Registered Person has actively directed the quality of care and modelled a culture of nurture and respect. This has been beneficial to young people. However, there has been a complete failure to monitor the registered manager. This has resulted in procedures that safeguard children’s welfare not being followed. There is no record of supervision of the manager and staff supervision records are scant. This means that staff are not supported in their roles.

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Leadership and management inadequate

Accommodation is of a good standard and there is a financial commitment to provide quality resources and high calibre staff to support young people. A poor understanding of supporting legislation and lack of managerial experience have resulted in practice that contradicts the home’s policies and breach a number of regulatory requirements.

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Leadership and management inadequate

There are enough staff to support young peoples individual needs. The previous manager brought in staff from her previous workplace. Staff induction and training lacks structure and there is no record of the duty rota. This does not provide a true record of staff working in the home. Staff cannot plan ahead and this may leave staff shortages. 9 of 10 Staff job descriptions are not provided and there is no probationary period. The lack of supervision makes performance management difficult. A training and induction programme is planned and training is booked, however, this has yet to be implemented. Therefore most staff have not attended mandatory training including first aid, restraint training and safeguarding. This does not equip staff for their roles of caring for challenging young people. Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Leadership and management inadequate

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Judgement Description

Outstanding A service of exceptional quality that significantly exceeds minimum requirements.

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Judgement Description

Good A service of high quality that exceeds minimum requirements.

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Judgement Description

Adequate A service that only meets minimum requirements.

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Judgement Description

Inadequate A service that does not meet minimum requirements.

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Information 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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Information about this inspection

The report details the main strengths, any areas for improvement, including any breaches of regulation, and any failure to meet national minimum standards. The judgements included in the report are made against the framework of inspection for children's homes.

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