Children's home in Lambeth

Inadequate

There are serious and/or widespread failures that mean the current young person’s welfare is not promoted or safeguarded, his care and experiences are poor and he is not making progress.

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The children's home provision is inadequate because:

 The manager has failed to commence the registration process with Ofsted, despite being in post for over a year. This means that Ofsted has been unable to determine that she is a fit person to manage the children’s home.  The current young person has continued to be involved in serious offending and threatening behaviour. The provider does not have an effective behaviour management programme in place to reinforce positive behaviours.  The present young person has had significant periods of going missing from care, placing himself at severe risk. The provider has no clear strategy to reduce the risk of him going missing.  The provider has not successfully updated the statement of purpose. In particular, it does not include a description of the provider’s approach to children’s rights.  The responsible person fails to ensure that monitoring visits by an independent person occur monthly. Therefore, the home is not

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The children's home provision is inadequate because:

independently scrutinised as required.  Managers do not receive the level of support and guidance necessary to effectively run the home. In particular, the acting manager does not receive appropriate professional supervision.  The responsible person has not supplied important information requested by the placing authority.  Medication is not safely recorded. Consequently, the manager cannot evidence the receipt and safe storage of medicines, placing the current young person and staff at risk.

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The children's home strengths

 The present young person says that he feels safe and settled in the home and has developed good relationships with the staff.  The staff work well with education providers and the current young person has commenced full-time education.  Staff encourage the young person to cook meals and learn self-help skills.  The staff work with the current young person to meet his cultural needs.

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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 within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

16: Statement of purpose 16.—(3) The registered person must— (a) keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and (b) notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (3)(a)(b)) 6 September

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Requirement Due date

33: Employment of staff 33.—(4) The registered person must ensure that all employees— (b) receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. In particular, to ensure that the acting manager receives appropriate supervision. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)) 6 September

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Requirement Due date

44: Independent person: visits and reports 44.—(1) The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children's home at least once each month. (7) The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person's report to— (a) HMCI. (Regulation 44 (1) (7)(a)) * 6 September

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Requirement Due date

28: Fitness of manager 28.—(1) A person may only manage a children's home if— (a) the person is of integrity and good character; (b) having regard to the size of the home, its statement of purpose, and the number and needs (including any needs arising from disability) of the children— (i) the person has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills to manage the home effectively and lead the care of the 6 September children; and (ii) the person is physically and mentally fit to manage the home; and (c) full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the person in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 28 (1)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

45: Review of quality of care 45.—(1) The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children ('a quality of care review') at least once every 6 months. (3) After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review. (Regulation 45 (1) (3)) 6 September

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Requirement Due date

23: Medicines 23.—(1) 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)) 6 September

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Requirement Due date

25: Fire precautions 25.—(1) After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must— (a) take adequate precautions against the risk of fire. In particular, ensure that the fire risk assessment is complete and details the frequency of testing of safety equipment and staff training required in fire safety. (d) ensure, by means of fire drills and practices at suitable intervals, that persons working at the home and, so far as reasonably practicable, children are aware of the procedures to be followed in case of fire. In particular, hold fire practices at least every three months. (Regulation 25 (1)(a)(d)) 6 September

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Requirement Due date

12: The protection of children standard 12. In order to meet the protection of children standard, with particular reference to the protection of children and young people accommodated in the home and its location, the registered provider must ensure— (2)(c) that the premises used for the purposes of the home are located so that children are effectively safeguarded. 6 September 10: The health and well-being standard 10. In order to meet the health and well-being standard, with particular reference to permissions for medical treatment, the registered provider must ensure— (2)(c) that each child has access to such medical services that the child may require. 6 September

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard 13. In order to meet the leadership and management standard, with particular reference to staff development, the registered provider must— (2)(c) ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. 6 September

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Requirement Due date

5: Engaging with the wider system to ensure children's needs are met standard 5. In order to meet the engaging with the wider system to ensure children's needs are met standard, with particular reference to communication with the placing authority, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff— (d) seek to develop and maintain effective professional relationships with such persons, bodies or organisations as the registered person considers appropriate having regard to the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the children's home is to provide care and accommodation. 6 September

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Requirement Due date

38: Storage of records etc. 38. The registered person must ensure that the following items, which may be kept in electronic form, are kept in an accessible manner— (a) the statement of purpose; (b) the children's guide; (c) placement plans for children who are not looked after (see Regulation 18); (d) the policy for safeguarding children (see Regulation 34); (e) the policy for preventing bullying (see Regulation 34); (f) the missing child policy (see Regulation 34); (g) the behaviour management policy (see Regulation 35); (h) records of the use of measures of control, discipline or restraint (see Regulation 35); (i) children's case records (see Regulation 36); 6 September (j) other records (see Regulation 37); (k) the procedure for considering complaints (see Regulation 39); (l) records of complaints (see Regulation 39); (m) the independent person's reports (see Regulation 44); (n) quality of care reviews (see Regulation 45);

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Requirement Due date

(o) annual reviews of the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the home's premises (see Regulation 46).

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to statutory requirement notice.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:

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Recommendations

 Ensure that staff are continually and actively assessing the risks to each child. In particular, that their risk assessments and care plans evidence their progress (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5).  Ensure that staff understand the system for rewarding and celebrating positive behaviour and recognising where children have managed situations well (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.39).  Ensure that the necessary support is given to children to enable them to access their education or training (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.13).  Complete a workforce plan which can fulfil the workforce related requirements of Regulation 16, schedule 1 (paragraphs 19 and 20) (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8).

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Recommendations

 Ensure that where there is a possibility that a child will run away or go missing from a children's home placement, their placement plan should include a strategy to minimise this risk. If the child is looked after, their care plan should include such a strategy (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.24).  Inform staff that immediate searching may be necessary where there are reasonable grounds for believing that there is a risk to the child's or another person's safety or well-being. Any search should be appropriately recorded including the reasons for the search (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, page16, paragraph 3.20).

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Information about this children's home

This privately owned children's home may provide care and accommodation for no more than three young people who may have emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

9 February 2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness

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Inadequate

The provider has met the compliance notice with regard to maintaining the records in Schedule 4, but has not met all requirements and recommendations set at the last inspection. In particular, they have not made sufficient progress in leadership and management and in structuring their work with the current young person. He has been involved in serious incidents inside and outside the home. However, he loves the home and feels cared for, supported and safe there. He said, ‘I like it here. They have given me the opportunity to get back into school. I never had that in any of the other homes I have been in. It is teaching me to be independent and get ready to look after myself. I don’t think this is a bad home. I like it. It has dealt with my altercations which nowhere else did.’ The lack of action to address issues such as the leadership of the home undermines the direct work of the care staff with the present young person.

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Inadequate

The current young person has developed positive relationships with staff in the home. He enjoys living here and engages positively in discussions with staff. He is clear about how to negotiate with staff rather than use his previous temper outbursts. He engaged positively throughout the inspection process and presented in a mature and considered way. The young person believes he has made progress with his temper control and reducing his aggressive and abusive language. However, the acting manager has not established a system for monitoring his behavioural progress. His care plan does not set targets for all of his behaviours, including aggressive behaviour and involvement in knife crime. In addition, the risk assessment does not have targets for the reduction of aggressive behaviour and language. The present young person did interact positively during the inspection. He negotiated with staff and tolerated delays in getting the acting manager’s

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Inadequate

attention. The young person said, ‘I can negotiate now. When I first came here I would just shout and threaten but I can discuss and negotiate now.’ The young person appears to be making progress in his anger management, but there is no monitoring of this and no evidence of which, if any, staff interventions have been successful. This lack of good planning, monitoring and recording hinders the identification of effective ways of reducing the young person’s aggression. The present young person has expressed a desire to engage in education: staff have supported him in this. The acting manager has included clear guidance in his care plan on how the young person could get full-time education and has successfully followed this well-constructed plan. She worked closely with the virtual school, initially providing home tuition. However, the young person did not regularly attend or engage fully in this programme. The manager believed that the

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Inadequate

young person attended at least two or three sessions a week. However, in the six weeks up to the May half-term holiday, the young person only once attended more than one day a week. The acting manager continued to seek full-time education for the young person, which was eventually successful. The young person has now commenced full-time education and has made a relatively positive start. The manager said that the young person has more than 90% attendance at school. However, records show that this is 75%. To attend school is a significant improvement for the young person. However, during the inspection, he attended school on the first day, but not on the second day. Staff have not previously acted with sufficient rigour to support the young person’s education, in part due to their poor analysis of his attendance. The young person has significant gaps in his education and requires staff support to enable him to make progress and achieve

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Inadequate

his potential. The school says that the home is supportive of the young person and provides assistance when requested. However, the acting manager has previously failed to pick up patterns of absence and respond appropriately. The young person has not yet made satisfactory progress with his education and requires immediate, planned support from the staff at the home when absences occur, to ensure that he is successful. The current young person has been absent for extended periods of time since the last inspection. Following a serious assault upon him and the imposition of a tag, he has not gone missing. However, he remains at high risk of future absences and staff have no structured approach to the reduction of his absences, placing him at high risk of re-occurrence. The present young person has remained involved in criminal activities. This includes serious knife crime and threatening behaviour. Staff are working with the

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Inadequate

youth justice service to implement a programme addressing his interest in knife use. This has not yet been effective. Staff do not have any clear strategies for dealing with incidents when they suspect that he is carrying a knife. The young person has not reduced his offending behaviour and remains a high risk to the public. The current young person says that the home is helping him to gain self-help skills. He cooks meals, shops for ingredients and plans menus for the home. He says that the acting manager gets him thinking about staying fit, including healthy eating. During the inspection, he cooked snacks for everyone and prepared dinner. However, staff do not track his progress in developing skills such as budgeting, menu planning or heathy eating. The acting manager of a sister home has supplied a comprehensive form, which provides a good structure for monitoring progress in all self-help and personal care issues. This is not yet in use in the home. Currently,

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Inadequate

staff are not ensuring that the young person makes continuous progress in the development of these skills due to the lack of targets in his care plan and poor monitoring and recording of his activities. Staff assist the present young person to meet his personal and cultural needs. He enjoys discussions with staff about his family and home background, including dialect and food. Staff are sensitive to his needs and support him to explore his family background. Judgement grade

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Inadequate

The current young person feels safe in the home and trusts staff. He has particularly strong relationships with his key worker and the acting manager. He will discuss personal issues with them and is relaxed in their company. He relies on staff support to aid him in dealing with anxieties, such as travel to school. Staff increased their recording of one-to-one contacts and key working sessions immediately following the last inspection in April 2016. However, this good level of recording has decreased to less than once a week in the last month. The present young person believes he is making progress in the home and that his outbursts have reduced and he is ‘more chilled’. However, staff have no targets to monitor to evidence his progression. Rewards are awarded subjectively and do not fairly recognise his achievements. For example, his attendance at education, one of his reward areas, is not consistently recognised. Sanctions are inconsistently used.

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Inadequate

For example, when he went missing there was a formal sanction of a supervised spend where he is accompanied to the shop, chooses what he wishes to buy and staff pay for it. This was used once and the manager said it was effective, but it was not used on any other occasion when he went missing. There have only been two sanctions used and these have not been restorative in nature. Staff have no consistent or effective rewards and sanctions to encourage desired behaviours in the young person. The current young person’s care plan has been updated since the last inspection, but there are no targets or directions to staff in relation to his aggressive language or knife crime. There is a brief mention in the plan for staff to provide alternative and productive activity to take him away from crime, but this has no targets and actions for staff. There is ongoing work with the local authority around his knife

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Inadequate

crime. Staff are working closely with the youth offending team worker on this. However, the young person has not reduced his involvement in knife crime and since the last inspection has been involved in two serious incidents involving the use of knives in a threatening way. On one of these occasions, he suffered a serious injury. Staff do not have effective internal controls to address this possession of knives and care plan targets to reduce offending are undeveloped, leaving the young person at increased risk of reoffending. Staff have conducted searches of the present young person’s room, looking for knives or other contraband. However, they do not have a structured approach to searches. They do not appropriately record searches, including the reason for the search. The young person has carried and hidden knives. However, the need for searches is not included in risk assessment or behaviour management plans.

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Inadequate

Where staff know that the young person has a knife but do not find it, there is no recording of any further actions to keep all parties safe. Staff are not ensuring the safety of the young person, staff or the broader community by this lack of consistent planning, action and recording. The current young person is at high risk of going missing. Staff have updated his risk assessment to include comment on incidents where he went missing, but it does not include risk reduction strategies. The care plan comments on going missing behaviour, but does not provide a plan for reducing the young person’s absences. However, he has had significant absences since the last inspection. These have placed him in situations of high risk, including one where he sustained a knife wound. Although he has recently been complying with his curfew and has not been going missing, there is no effective plan in place to reduce the young

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Inadequate

person’s absences from the home. There is a positive handling and behaviour management plan. Staff have not updated this since 23 November 2015. The plan gives good advice on actions to take in various situations, but has no targets. There has been no review to adjust the programme following serious incidents involving the young person or to consider progress in developing social skills. The plan does not reflect changes in the young person’s behaviour and does not set targets for improvement. It is not effective as an active behaviour management plan. The provider has recently introduced a new system for recording medication. However, the quantity of medication received has not been recorded and there is no running record. Staff could not produce medical permissions for the young person to receive treatment; this places the young person at risk. The acting manager has constructed a suitable recording system, which provides a structured

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Inadequate

approach to the issuing, monitoring, recording and disposal of medication. This new system is not yet in use. Consequently, the provider is not providing safe control of medication for the young person. The fire risk assessment does not list the frequency of testing fire detection equipment, for example emergency lighting and smoke detectors. Staff do conduct tests. However, they have changed the frequency of testing of emergency lighting from weekly to monthly without any identifiable assessment of risk. There is no staff training identified in the risk assessment, although staff have completed training in fire safety. The frequency of fire drills is only two per year. The acting manager has not taken adequate measures to evidence that fire hazards are being safely managed. Judgement grade

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Inadequate

The home has no registered manager. The acting manager has been working as a manager in this and another setting owned by the company since 8 June 2015. She has lengthy and suitable experience and a social work qualification. She has also applied for a level 5 management qualification and is awaiting confirmation of a place on the course. On 19 June 2015 the registered provider submitted an incomplete application to Ofsted, to register her as manager for this setting. Ofsted returned the application with a request for a complete application. The registered provider submitted an application on 25 May 2016. Ofsted returned this to the applicant as it did not include all necessary or up-to-date information . The provider submitted another application on 29 June 2016. However, the applicant has incorrectly completed this, delaying the application further. The failure to apply successfully to register calls into question the competency of the provider and

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Inadequate

removes the ability of the regulator to determine if the applicant is a fit person to manage the home. Supervision is regular for all staff. However, the level of detail in the records is variable and some records lack sufficient detail to aid staff development. In addition, the manager’s supervision is not from a suitably qualified person. The independent visitor discussed this with the acting manager. Following this, the acting manager has completed supervision notes to a new format. The new format is much more detailed and provides helpful information on staff development and evidences reflective and supportive supervision. The responsible individual has put in place a database, which lists the training completed and refresher training required. However, there is no training plan and no identification of the training needs of the staff team other than refresher courses. The responsible individual has not updated the workforce development

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Inadequate

plan to include missing information as detailed at the last inspection. The acting manager has constructed a development plan for the home, in which she details the induction process and timescales for completion of core training. She proposes the identification of staff training needs from an evaluation of supervision records and a skills audit. This work has not yet commenced and the lack of completion of the workforce development plan impedes the effective professional development of the staff team. The responsible person had not ensured that an independent person visits the home at least once a month. These visits had recommenced prior to the last inspection, with one visit occurring in March. The report supplied was detailed, analytical and set helpful and suitably challenging targets for the home. However, no further visit occurred until May. Following this visit, the registered person did not forward the report to HMCI, failing to meet a statutory requirement. The acting

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Inadequate

manager provided a copy of the report during the inspection. The report is detailed, analytical and helpful in identifying further actions for the acting manager. This lack of consistency in external monitoring leaves the current young person vulnerable to poor care and removes an important safeguard from the regulator. The manager has submitted a review of the operation of the home to HMCI. She underpins her report by the quality standards and comments on the experiences of the present young person living in the home. However, the report lacks sufficient evidence of improvements in the young person’s behaviour and of the impact that staff are having on him. Evidence is poor and often inaccurate. For example, the section on the education standard does not comment on the young person’s progress, but says that his attendance is improving. However, records in the home show that his attendance had not improved. The report lacks sufficient detail and

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Inadequate

analysis to provide evidence of the manager’s knowledge of any strengths and weaknesses in the home. The manager has not used the report to set her priorities for the coming six months and there is insufficient evidence of learning from the events of the past six months to demonstrate that she is providing a safe and nurturing environment for the young person. The manager has revised the statement of purpose, including information on anti- discriminatory practice. However, the statement still does not clearly explain the children’s rights and continues to have limited information on staff experience and qualifications. The registered provider submitted the revised statement to HMCI following the last inspection. Staff questioned about the statement of purpose during this inspection, outlined many ways in which they provide for children’s rights. However, there is no information on the approach to meeting children’s

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Inadequate

rights contained in the statement of purpose. This is a serious repeated failure to describe how young people’s rights are safeguarded. The assessment of the location of the home contains information about the history of the area and statistics, without drawing any clear conclusions from them. The assessment does include information on local resources, but does not say how or if the home uses them. The structure of the assessment is unhelpful and does not analyse the data included. It does not evidence consultation with relevant people and does not clearly identify that the home is appropriately located. The current young person confirmed that his key worker had gone through his care plan with him. He said, ‘I know I can see it at any time. I did go through it with my key worker because he said I should. To be honest I did not really pay attention. I am interested in my family background and looked at that.’ The acting manager is

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Inadequate

improving care plans and ensuring that staff update risk assessments. However, staff have not identified all high-risk areas in the care plan and risk plans still do not incorporate risk reduction strategies. The home has many records online, including staffing details, policies and ongoing records. During the inspection, records were often not available due to glitches in the system. The responsible individual supplied the manager with access to personnel records, which he indicated was her team. However, he did not provide complete access, as two people’s records were unavailable. The difficulty in accessing information hinders the effective working of the service. The provider has not effectively met all requirements and recommendations set at the last inspection. Neither has the acting manager supplied information to the placing authority in a timely manner. A particular concern for the placing authority

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Inadequate

was the non-submission of an action plan to address the shortfalls identified at the last inspection.

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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 that 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

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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