Children's Home run by Benecare Limited in Kent

Requires improvement

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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because:

 Weak leadership and management across the organisation has resulted in poor staff performance management. Weaknesses in practice have consequently not been addressed and the care young people receive has suffered.  Adequate steps have not been taken to safeguard the welfare of young people who have made an allegation or complaint.  There has been one example of agreed protocols not being followed when a young person went missing from the home.  Leaders and managers have not ensured that staff follow the procedures set out in the homes safeguarding and child protection policy.  Allegations against staff have not been well managed. Consultation with the local authority designated officer (LADO) has not taken place in a timely manner and investigations have been poor.  Management monitoring systems are not always effective in identifying poor practice and risks to the safety and well-being of young people.

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because:

 There are shortfalls in the recoding and administration of medication.  Staff training records are not kept up to date and professional development needs are not clearly identified.

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The children's home strengths

 Managers and staff have a good understanding of the risks associated with child sexual exploitation and are pro-active in their planning and interventions to keep young people safe.  Staff actively search for young people who go missing and take significant steps to ensure their safe return to the home.  Managers and staff are strong advocates for young people. They effectively challenge professionals to ensure young people have access to the services they need.  Young people play an active role in developing their care plans and behaviour management strategies. Good processes are in place for monitoring well-being and progress.  Creative staffing arrangements ensure young people receive continuity of care.  Young people receive positive encouragement and support to develop individual skills and talents, which benefits their self-esteem.

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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 (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. The registered person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the protection of children standard with particular reference to assessing risk associated with allegations made against staff and protecting the child's welfare, the registered person must ensure that staff:

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Requirement Due date

(2)(a)(i) 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. (2)(a)(vi) take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child's welfare 31/01/2016

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the leadership and management standard, with particular reference to promoting children's welfare, ensuring staff have the skills to meet their needs, acting upon complaints to improve practice and using monitoring systems to improve care the registered person must:

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Requirement Due date

13(1)(b) enable, inspire and lead a culture in relation to the children's home that promotes their welfare (2)(c) ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child (2)(g)(ii) demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received (2)(h) use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home 31/01/2016

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Requirement Due date

Implement a policy which is intended to safeguard children accommodated in the children's home from abuse or neglect. (Regulation 34 (1)(a)). This specifically relates to ensuring timely 31/01/2016 sharing of information with relevant professionals.

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Requirement Due date

Implement a policy which sets out the procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse. This specifically relates to staff following procedures when an allegation of abuse is made by a child. (Regulation 34 (1)(b)) 31/01/2016

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Requirement Due date

Implement a missing child policy setting out the procedures to be followed in relation to a child who is so absent. This specifically relates to implementing agreed procedures when a child is missing from the home (Regulation 34 (4)(b)) 31/01/2016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s): Ensure there is a workforce plan which includes any new training and qualifications completed by staff working at the home, and is used to record the ongoing training and continuing professional development needs of staff. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 53, paragraph 10.8)

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Recommendations

Ensure records are kept of the administration of all medication, which includes occasions when prescribed medication is refused. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 35, paragraph 7.15)

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Information about this children's home

This home is operated by a private company who also manage a fostering agency and three further children's homes. This is a home for three children with emotional and behavioural difficulties. The manager also manages the home located next door.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

10/02/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

22/01/2014 Interim Satisfactory progress

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Requires improvement

Young people generally form positive relationships with the majority of staff. They feel well cared for and as a result some said ‘I love it here’. However, this is not consistently the case, one young person felt his concerns about a member of staff had not been listened to and effectively acted upon. Despite this all young people spoken to feel settled in the home and speak positively about the support they receive.

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Requires improvement

There is a strong emphasis on working collaboratively with young people to engage them in decision-making processes. As a result, young people know how they will be cared for and are familiar with the targets they are working towards. They feel valued as their opinions have been sought and they begin to take more responsibility for managing their behaviour. Clear and appropriate boundaries are maintained by staff, this helps young people develop a sense of security.

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Requires improvement

New staffing arrangements have been implemented to enhance young people’s sense of consistency and continuity. This means that throughout most of the week, the same member of staff is present when they go to bed and when they get up in the morning.

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Requires improvement

Many young people have been able to communicate their worries and concerns to staff and have received sensitive support as a result. One young person said ‘staff have helped me turn my life around and found ways to help me manage my anger’. However, one young person was not supported effectively, despite using the complaints system to effect change. The complaints process failed to ensure the young person was subsequently supported and protected from potential harm.

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Requires improvement

All young people have suitable education provision. Managers and staff act as very strong advocates for young people when their educational needs are not being met. They effectively challenge local authorities and are successful in securing appropriate provision. Young people are encouraged and supported to do well in school and college. Staff ensure they are well prepared and equipped for learning, and maintain regular contact with teaching staff.

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Requires improvement

Staff encourage young people to develop their hobbies and interests, often through identifying clubs, groups and leisure activities which will nurture their talents and skills. Young people enjoy days out to recreational and leisure facilities with staff, enabling them to broaden their horizons and take healthy exercise. The health needs of young people are well known by staff, who offer advice and guidance on adopting a healthy lifestyle. Young people eat a balanced diet and learn to cook nutritional meals. During key-work sessions young people are provided with the opportunity to discuss more personal and sensitive issues, such as sexual health, and are provided with information on where they can access specialist support.

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Requires improvement

Despite this positive approach to promoting good health, there are some shortfalls in the recording and administration of prescribed medications. Records fail to consistently record the reasons why medication has not been administered or the circumstances around medication being refused.

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Requires improvement

Young people who are new to the home are welcomed sensitively. A young person said he was ‘scared and worried’ when he arrived and this made him ill. However, he went on to say staff ‘looked after me and made me feel welcome’ which helped him settle quickly. When young people are moving on from the home staff help them prepare well and ensure their time at the home is remembered and celebrated. Staff work effectively with parents and professionals to ensure transitions are managed and cause minimal anxiety.

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Requires improvement

Good communication takes place with parents, carers and social workers, particularly around contact arrangements. The needs of young people are central when planning contact. Consequently, they are well prepared and feel able to discuss any worries with care staff. Over time, young people benefit from improved relationships with family as a result.

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Requires improvement

There has not been a robust and effective response to young people who raise concerns about the practice of staff. Overall, young people feel they can speak to the majority of staff but some reported an exception to this. There has been one occasion when a young person reported concerns but these were not subsequently shared with managers as required by the providers safeguarding policy. Consequently, no action was taken. This resulted in a young person concluding he was not listened to and consequently, sometimes feeling unsafe in the home. When these concerns came to light during the inspection, the Registered Manager took action to resolve the situation.

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Requires improvement

There are further shortfalls relating to the management of allegations made against staff. Timely and effective consultation does not take place with the LADO. Consequently, there is a lack of external professional overview and guidance on how these issues should be managed. Potential risks to the welfare of young people are not assessed following an allegation against a member of staff. Any proposed measures to protect a young person, such as stopping lone working, are not effectively communicated to team members and are consequently not implemented in practice.

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Requires improvement

Other aspects of safeguarding practice are more robust. Staff have a good understanding of the risks to young people associated with the internet and social media websites. Wherever possible, young people’s internet access is monitored, and they receive advice and guidance on how to keep themselves safe on line. Training delivered by the organisation also ensures staff are well informed of emerging risks and best practice in relation to issues such as radicalisation and child sexual exploitation.

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Requires improvement

Support to young people at risk of sexual exploitation is excellent, and consequently the severity of risk decreases over time. Detailed planning and risk assessment ensures staff are fully aware of young people’s vulnerabilities and this helps decrease the frequency of young people placing themselves in dangerous situations. One young person being admitted from a secure children’s home made a successful transition

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Requires improvement

Generally, there is a well co-ordinated and pro-active response to young people who go missing. Good communication and information sharing takes place with relevant agencies, such as the police and placing authority social workers. Concerted efforts are made by staff to locate missing young people. Highly effective outreach work is undertaken with young people who initially refuse to return to the home. A Social Worker stated ‘this pro-active approach is working well’. The approach taken by the home ensures protective factors are in place for young people who continue to make themselves vulnerable.

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Requires improvement

Despite the overall good practice in relation to missing young people, there has been one occasion when the agreed strategies and protocols for a young person were not followed. This meant a particularly vulnerable individual was reported as absent rather than missing. However, this shortfall did not result in the young person coming to any further harm.

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Requires improvement

Detailed behaviour management strategies for all young people are followed by staff. This ensures young people receive a consistent message regarding expectations and acceptable behaviour. The use of incentives are prioritised over sanctions, and young people are consistently made aware of the progress they make in managing their anger and frustration. As a result, young people increasingly demonstrate more positive behaviours as they settle in the home.

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Requires improvement

The use of physical restraint is proportionate and only implemented as a last resort by trained staff in line with regulatory guidance. One young person has complained that an inappropriate restraint technique was used. This was investigated internally and no further action was taken as a result. However, this process has not resolved the young person’s concerns about the staff member involved.

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Requires improvement

Staff recruitment processes prioritise the need to ensure unsuitable adults are not employed in the home. Appropriate background checks are undertaken and robust interviews seek to determine an applicants’ ability to meet the needs of vulnerable young people.

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Requires improvement

Health and safety checks are undertaken at suitable interviews, and domestic installations and appliances are serviced and maintained. This ensures any defects are quickly identified and remedial action taken. In addition, regular fire drills and checking of equipment ensure young people live in a safe environment.

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Inadequate

The home has an experienced Registered Manager who holds the Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Residential Childcare. There is a stable core team of staff, the majority of whom are competent to deliver suitable care to meet the needs of young people. However, monitoring staff performance and identifying individual learning needs is weak. Consequently, leaders and managers across the organisation cannot demonstrate that all staff are competent to take on their role.

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Inadequate

Where individual staff members have been subject to disciplinary measures for poor practice and subsequently relocated to another of the providers homes, insufficient steps have been taken to ensure information is shared, training needs identified and performance monitored. As a result, weak annual appraisals fail to ensure an individual’s professional development. This places young people at risk of receiving inappropriate care.

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Inadequate

Supervision delivered by leaders and managers fails to identify and address poor practice. Consequently, a member of staff previously warned for poor practice was not given the opportunity to develop. No training needs relevant to the concerns were identified.

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Inadequate

Similarly, when the potential for poor practice is indicated by a young person’s complaint, leaders and managers do not learn from the process. Complaint investigations are not thorough, as they do not take into account historic concerns of a similar nature. Consequently, young people do not feel the complaints system helps resolve their worries and concerns.

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Inadequate

Systems to monitor the quality of care are inconsistent in their effectiveness. While some systems, such as the monitoring of physical restraint, have identified weaknesses and addressed these, other systems are ineffectual. As a result, the Registered Manager did not become aware until this inspection that a young person had alleged physical assault by staff and no action had been taken.

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Inadequate

There is a good standard of care planning and young people are consistently involved in the process. This includes young people contributing to the development of their behaviour management plans and strategies. As a result, care plans are relevant and focused on the individual needs of young people. They set realistic targets for young people and progress is monitored.

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Inadequate

When young people do not make good progress, the Registered Manager ensures a multi-disciplinary approach is taken to reviewing their care plans. Effective communication takes places place with relevant professionals and in some cases this has resulted in young people reducing their level of risk. However, effective communication with external professionals is not consistent. Poor communication with the LADO has meant safeguarding issues have not been responded to appropriately.

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Inadequate

The organisation provides a comprehensive training and induction programme. Staff training records are not always kept up to date and the training matrix specifies what training staff members are due to undertake not what they have completed. The identification of staff learning needs is poor and does not focus on specific weaknesses in practice.

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Inadequate

Careful consideration is given to the needs of young people being referred for admission and how they will integrate into the group. Consequently, peer relationships are generally good. Transition planning is effective so young people feel well supported as they prepare for the next phase in their lives. This has enabled some young people to make a successful return to the care of their families.

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Inadequate

Young people’s case records are maintained to a good standard. The work being undertaken with young people is clearly identified. A creative approach to measuring young people’s sense of well-being has been introduced and this enables staff and young people to clearly identify progress and achievements. It also indicates the areas where young people may benefit from additional support.

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Inadequate

Robust recruitment procedures are embedded in practice which minimise the potential for unsuitable adults being employed in the home. However, there is a failure to adequately monitor the performance of staff beyond the recruitment and induction stage.

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Inadequate

The Registered Manager ensures the home is well maintained and provides a comfortable environment for young people. There is sufficient space for group living and for young people to have their privacy respected. This contributes towards young people feeling valued in the home.

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What the inspection judgements mean

The experiences and progress of children and young people are at the centre of the inspection. Inspectors will use their professional judgement to determine the weight and significance of their findings in this respect. The judgements included in the report are made against Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection.

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What the inspection judgements mean

An outstanding children's home provides highly effective services that contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help and protection and care. Their progress exceeds expectations and is sustained over time. A good children's home provides effective services that help, protect and care for children and young people and have their welfare safeguarded and promoted. In a children's home that requires improvement , there are no widespread or serious failures that create or leave children being harmed or at risk of harm. The welfare of looked after children is safeguarded and promoted. Minimum requirements are in place, however, the children's home is not yet delivering good protection, help and care for children and young people. A children's home that is inadequate is providing services where there are widespread or serious failures that create or leave children and young people being

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What the inspection judgements mean

harmed or at risk of harm or result in children looked after not having their welfare safeguarded and promoted.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people living in the children's home. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference adults make to the lives of children and young people. They read case files, watched how professional staff work with children, young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care given to children and young people. Wherever possible, they talked to children, young people and their families. In addition the inspectors have tried to understand what the children's home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people who it is trying to help, protect and look after. This 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 Children's

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Information about this inspection

Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. the guidance raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted, which is available from Ofsted's website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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, workbased learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for looked after children and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Information about this inspection

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Information about this inspection

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Information about this inspection

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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