Children's home run by Action for Children in Watford

Inadequate

There are serious and/or widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded

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The children's home provision is inadequate because:

 The management team has not followed the organisation’s policies in relation to safe recruitment. This is a serious failure that leaves children at risk of harm and does not safeguard their welfare.  There have been inadequate management monitoring and review of care practice in the home. Consequently, managers have not identified significant shortfalls in the service provided nor are they able to demonstrate the progress that children make.  The staff have not received the level of management support and oversight they need in order to care for children safely and to promote their welfare. They have not received sufficient supervision or appraisal.  There has been a failure to fully and robustly assess current and potential risks. Conflicting information between documents means that staff are not clearly guided in caring for children.  On occasions there has been a lack of appropriately trained staff on shift. In

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The children's home provision is inadequate because:

particular, there have been times when there have been no staff on shift with first aid training. In addition, staff have not yet received safeguarding children with disabilities training.  The management team have not kept key documents up to date, such as person-centred plans and some safeguarding procedures. Other documents, such as the statement of purpose and the young person’s guide, are also out of date.  Inconsistencies in records relating to medical conditions lead to the potential for mistakes to occur.  Staff and managers are unclear about children’s educational needs and are therefore not in a position to support them to reach their potential.  Failure to ensure there is a clear overview of which members of staff have been involved in a fire drill. This is a significant concern given that young people have physical and learning disabilities and rely on staff to guide them in an emergency situation.

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The children's home provision is inadequate because:

 Two staff do not have a relevant Level 3 qualification in line with regulatory requirements.  The previous manager has completed a location risk assessment. This identifies the risks associated with the location. However, it does not explore the benefits. This does not provide staff with information that is likely to benefit children.

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The children's home strengths

 The service is flexible and responsive to the emerging needs of families. This includes responding to unforeseen crisis in such a way as to ensure that children receive care from staff who they are familiar with.

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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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7. The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard

In order to meet the children’s views, wishes and feelings standard, the registered provider must ―

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7. The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard

(2) (c) keep the children’s guide and the home’s complaints procedure under review and seek children’s comments before revising either document. 10/08/2016

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8. The education standard

In order to meet the education standard, with particular regard to ensuring that the staff have copies of, and are aware of, the content of personal education plans, the registered provider must:

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8. The education standard

(2) (a) (i) help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans. 10/08/2016

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12. The protection of children standard

In order to meet the protection of children standard, with particular regard to identifying risks and risk reduction measures, the registered provider must ensure that staff:

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12. The protection of children standard

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. 27/07/2016

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13. The leadership and management standard

In order to meet the protection of children standard, with particular regard to ensuring consistency in documentation, and that in-house policies and procedures are up to date, the registered provider must― 10/08/2016 (2) (h) use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home.

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14. The care planning standard

In order to meet the care planning standard, with particular regard to ensuring that person-centred plans are updated, and that the outcome of placement reviews is recorded on the child file, the registered provider must―

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14. The care planning standard

(2) (b) (ii) manage and review the placement of each child in the home. 27/07/2016

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14. The care planning standard

The registered person must keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it. (Regulation 16 (3) (a)) 10/08/2016

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14. The care planning standard

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home. (Regulation 23 (1)) 27/07/2016

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14. The care planning standard

The registered person must ensure that at all times, at least one person on duty at the home has a suitable first aid qualification. (Regulation 31 (2) (a)) 27/07/2016

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14. The care planning standard

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety. (Regulation 32 (1)) 20/07/2016

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14. The care planning standard

The registered person must ensure that an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification, the level 3 diploma in residential childcare (England) ("the level 3 Diploma") or a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the level 3 diploma by the relevant date, which in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1 April 2014, is 1 April 2016. (Regulation 32 (4) (a) (b) (5) (b)) 10/08/2016

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14. The care planning standard

The registered person must ensure that an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform. This is with particular regard to ensuring that staff receive training on the safeguarding of children with disabilities. (Regulation 32 (3) (b)) 10/08/2016

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14. The care planning standard

The registered person must ensure that all employees receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4) (b)) 27/07/2016 The registered person must ensure that all employees have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4) (c)) 10/08/2016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:  Consider undertaking an audit to identify which staff have experienced a fire drill, and when, with a view to ensuring that all staff have demonstrated their capability to respond appropriately in the event of a fire and follow the associated policy and procedure. (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.20)  Ensure the location risk assessment review includes the identification of opportunities as well as risks presented by the home's location and strategies for managing these. (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.1)             

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Information about this children's home

This children’s home provides shared care and long-term care for up to five young people, aged 8 to 18 years of age, with physical and learning disabilities and associated medical needs. A charitable organisation runs the home.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

14/03/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

17/03/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Inadequate

The findings of this inspection demonstrate that the care provision is inadequate. The shortfalls identified relate to the safeguarding of children, lack of robust support in education, lack of management oversight of staff performance and ineffective monitoring. Poor monitoring means that leaders and managers were not aware of all of the shortfalls raised through inspection. This does not provide good enough scrutiny of care or afford this vulnerable group of children the level of protection they should be able to expect. Leaders and managers do not understand the impact the home has on children. Children do not benefit from clear, well implemented care that enables them to make tangible progress.

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Inadequate

Despite the children living in the home on a shared care basis, and the home having to work closely with the children’s education provider, key education information is not consistently available in children’s files. This means that the service is not in a position to support children to achieve their educational targets because staff and managers are unclear of children’s individual educational goals.

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Inadequate

Staff and managers do not effectively monitor the progress that children make. While staff are able to articulate some of their individual perceptions of the progress made by children, the lack of monitoring systems prevents the management team from fully capturing and understanding the difference the home makes to children’s social, emotional, and health needs.

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Inadequate

The children have individual health plans. One plan contained medical information that was inconsistent with other information held about that child. This increases the risk of mistakes occurring. In addition, there are times when there are no staff with first aid training on shift. This does not adequately safeguard the children.

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Inadequate

The children have individual, person-centred plans. However, one plan has not been updated since prior to the child’s arrival in the home. It is unclear how person-centred such an out-of-date plan can be as it does not reflect the developing knowledge of the child, and does not reflect any emerging needs. As a result, the staff, many of whom are relatively new to the home, are unable to rely upon key documentation to support them. This has the potential to impact on the quality of care children receive.

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Inadequate

The children’s guide is almost a year old and out of date. It contains photographs of staff who have left the service. The information is confusing for current children and of limited value to any potential new residents. Key safeguarding policies and procedures in place within the home are out of date and not provide staff with the guidance or the support they need to safely care for children. For example, the policy on missing children does not reflect current local safeguarding board procedures.

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Inadequate

Parents and professionals speak positively about the quality of the care that children receive. The staff are responsive and flexible in meeting the needs of families when unforeseen crisis occur. For example, the manager ensured that staff were able to provide support to a child who was admitted to hospital at a time his family carer was also ill. Consequently, the child received support from familiar staff at a time of great vulnerability.

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Inadequate

Interactions between staff and children are appropriate and supportive. The staff are able to describe the personalities and characteristics of the children who use the service. Children are not defined by their impairments. They benefit from supportive relationships with staff who know them well, focus on their strengths and abilities and who understand their needs.

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Inadequate

The home has improved children’s access to leisure opportunities. The staff complete a new weekly activity chart. This includes regular activities such as horse riding and clubs as well leaving space for spontaneous activities to take place. This provides children with the opportunity to engage in activities that they enjoy and may not otherwise be able to participate in.

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Inadequate

An independent advocate visits the children. She attends the home on a monthly basis. This provides an additional element of safeguarding, as well as providing an opportunity for children’s views to be fed back to the staff.

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Inadequate

The management team has not followed the organisation’s policies in relation to safe recruitment. In one case, a risk assessment is not in place relating to information from the disclosure and barring service. Neither has a certificate of good conduct been sought in line with the organisation’s own policy. This is a serious failure that leaves children at risk of harm and does not safeguard their welfare.

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Inadequate

There is a failure to fully and robustly assess current and potential risks for children. The staff complete individual risk assessments. However, some are out of date and some contain information that conflicts with information on other documents.

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Inadequate

While the home does not work with children who go missing, there are children who present a risk of running away while on trips out. Individual risk assessments are not sufficiently clear on what to do in these circumstances. While staff complete impact risk assessments prior to a child moving into the home, these risk assessments do not consider the potential impact of a new child on existing children, the impact of the existing children on the new child, or the impact on staff. In addition, there is no e-safety risk assessment despite children accessing the internet, in some instances on their own devices, while in the home. The failure to assess predictable risks and the conflicting information in documents means that staff are not clearly guided in caring for children and the children are not protected as far as reasonably practicable.

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Inadequate

The previous manager has completed a location risk assessment. This identifies the risks associated with the location. However, it does not explore the benefits. This does not provide staff with information that is likely to benefit children.

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Inadequate

The staff have not received training in relation to safeguarding children with disabilities. This is despite the well documented increased vulnerability of children with disabilities to being abused and the fact that this is a specialist service working with children with disabilities. While managers are putting in place plans to provide this, the relatively new staff team has not had the opportunity to receive this training. Children do not therefore, benefit from a staff team who have a current understanding and working knowledge of the heightened safeguarding concerns for children with disabilities.

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Inadequate

All of the children have personal emergency evacuation plans and have experienced a fire drill. However, there is no clear overview to show which members of staff have been involved in a drill. This does not enable the manager to have robust oversight and assurance that all staff know and understand evacuation arrangements. This is a significant concern given that young people have physical and learning disabilities and rely on staff to guide them in an emergency situation.

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Inadequate

There have been no instances where staff have had to use physical interventions to manage behaviour since the last inspection. Neither have there been any uses of sanctions. The staff use redirection and de-escalation to support the children to manage their feelings and maintain appropriate behaviour. This supports children to feel secure. Judgement grade

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Inadequate

The manager has been in post for three months. For the past month, a service coordinator has supported him. The manager has applied to Ofsted to be registered. He has worked in child care for 14 years and in residential child care for four years, with two and half years as a service coordinator. He has relevant Level 3 and Level 4 qualifications in working with children.

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Inadequate

While the management team has addressed the majority of the shortfalls identified at the last inspection, this inspection has found further shortfalls. These shortfalls relate to safeguarding very vulnerable children, promoting supporting and promoting education outcomes and management oversight and support of staff practice. This is particularly significant given the complex needs the children have and the need to ensure that all possible safeguarding measures are in place to protect these children.

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Inadequate

The issues identified during this inspection span a period that is greater than that during which the existing management team has been in place. However, there are issues, such as the lack of supervision, that fall within a more recent timeframe.

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Inadequate

The service has not provided staff with the right supportive environment to enable them to care effectively for the children in the home. Two staff do not have a relevant Level 3 qualification in line with regulatory requirements. The home’s own monitoring system shows that only 27% of expected supervisions have taken place since the interim inspection. This is despite the need to establish a new team as part of the staffing restructure. The service’s own expectation is that staff receive monthly supervision. Records show that many have not had supervision since March 2016. In addition, there are staff who have not had an appraisal for up to two years. This neither provides staff with the support they need in order to care for children safely and to promote their welfare nor does it enable managers to monitor and improve the quality of care children receive.

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Inadequate

The children have made some progress from their starting points. For example, staff refer to children increasing some of their independence skills. Managers have not established an effective system to monitor children’s progress. Records of children’s reviews are not on file, which compounds this. The absence of review paperwork means that the management team are unaware of any actions needed following formal placement and progress reviews. This does not enable staff to fully understand and implement agreed actions to help children develop further.

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Inadequate

Monitoring systems are ineffective. They have failed to identify key shortfalls picked up in this inspection. External monitoring reports have, until recently, not been robust enough. However, the more recent independent visitor reports are challenging and have the potential to contribute to the necessary improvements. The home’s statement of purpose is out of date. Despite significant staffing changes, the management team has not updated the statement of purpose since September 2015. This does not provide relevant professionals and parents with correct information to make informed choices about using this service.

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Inadequate

Families report that relationships have improved following a period of instability arising from the high level of staffing changes. However, some families are still struggling with the level of change that has occurred.

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Inadequate

External professionals report good relationships with the home. Despite these positive relationships, the capturing of information following multi-agency meetings and input is not current or effective.

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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 children looked after 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 that 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

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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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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