Children's home run by Sherico Care Services Limited in Westminster

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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The children's home provision requires improvement because:

 The leadership and management outcome area is judged to be inadequate.  The home has had no registered manager for 11 months.  The home has had no manager for nine months.  Children do not make significant progress while living at the home.  Managers do not always notify Ofsted of significant events as required.  Staff’s recording in some areas is weak.  Children are not promptly advised of the outcomes of their complaints.

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The children's home strengths

 The service has recently appointed a permanent manager.  Staff support children to build trusted relationships within the staff team.  Young people are working on developing independent living skills to help prepare them for adulthood.  The home’s staff recruitment and vetting practices are safe.

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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

In order to meet the protection of children standard, the registered provider must:

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Requirement Due date

(2)(a)(v) ensure that staff understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person. In particular, that staff strictly adhere to the home's policies and procedures when children are missing. This includes the completion of missing person's risk assessments. 02/02/2017

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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, the registered provider must:

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Requirement Due date

(2)(h) use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. In particular, to monitor the adequacy of staff documentation in relation to missing children, the administration of medication and room searches. 02/02/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if –

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Requirement Due date

(e) there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40(4)(e)) 02/02/2017

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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

 Children should be able to see the results of their views being listened to and acted upon. In particular, that they are informed of the outcome of any complaint that they have made. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.11)

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Recommendations

 The registered person must challenge (under Regulation 5 (c)) any placing authority who asks them to accept a child in the absence of a complete and current plan. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.5)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that staff understand and apply the behaviour management strategy at all times. These must be kept under review and revised where appropriate. Staff to consider the use of restorative justice to address behaviour resulting in criminal damage. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.34)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children are offered a wide range of activities both inside and outside the home and are encouraged to participate in those activities. Staff to ensure the prompt repair of the home's communal computer. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 31, paragraph 6.5)

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Information about this children's home

This children’s home is one of a number of homes owned by a private organisation. The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for no more than three children with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 14/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 30/11/2015 Full Requires improvement 30/03/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness 27/01/2015 Full Good

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Requires improvement

In line with Ofsted guidance, the judgement of this outcome area is influenced by the inadequate judgement of the home’s leadership and management.

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Requires improvement

Children receive individualised care. However, they do not make significant progress from their original starting points upon admission to the home. Staff devise relevant placement plans, but do not consistently obtain care plans from the placing authority. This is important to ensure that all parties are clear of placement objectives.

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Requires improvement

Children do not engage in education and training and so their learning outcomes are not positive. This is also the case for children’s outcomes in relation to their healthcare needs. They do not regularly attend medical appointments and continue to misuse substances. Staff recording of the administration of medication is not consistent, and so medication practices are not safe. Children enjoy healthy, nutritional diets and participate in meal planning to ensure that meals are to their liking.

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Requires improvement

Children are generally satisfied living in the home and feel that staff meet their needs. They participate in key work and 1:1 sessions that are relevant to placement issues. Relationships with staff are good and children are able to openly share their views. For example, the home has a suggestions box for children to make comments anonymously and staff regularly hold residents’ meetings. In this forum, children are able to share their views and opinions about the service. Children have a good understanding about the home’s complaints procedure. Since the last inspection, one child has made a complaint. However, staff do not promptly share the outcome of complaints with the complainant and so children are unclear about any resolution.

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Requires improvement

Staff treat children with dignity and respect and pay attention to any identity needs. They help children to build emotional resilience and develop a positive sense of self-esteem.

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Requires improvement

Children have opportunities to participate in planned activities. However, they rarely choose to participate, preferring to socialise independent of the staff team. The home is equipped with recreational activities such as DVDs, board games and computer games for children’s use. Currently, children’s access to use of the computer is restricted due to the communal computer being under repair.

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Requires improvement

Older young people engage with staff to develop independent living skills in preparation for them leaving the home. Staff support them to develop practical life skills such as budgeting, meal preparation and the completion of laundry. Children benefit from the home’s flexible visiting approach. Children and their visitors are familiar with boundaries around visiting. Children’s family members and friends are welcome at the home and staff make good efforts to support contact. Staff encourage children to develop and build upon existing positive relationships and discourage relationships that are not in their best interest.

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Requires improvement

Children feel safe at the home and with the staff team. Bullying does not occur. The staff team has access to comprehensive child protection procedures. Safeguarding features strongly in staff training and induction.

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Requires improvement

However, despite this, shortfalls are noted in staff’s recording of missing person’s episodes. Staff do not routinely complete all recording tools as required. The service’s missing person’s risk assessments are often not complete and so do not alert the police to children’s particular vulnerabilities when they are away from the home. This does not help to keep children safe.

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Requires improvement

Children’s behaviour is sometimes challenging and staff’s management of such instances are adequate. Since the last inspection, staff have not restrained any child. Staff devise risk assessments and behaviour management plans that support their practice to reduce poor or challenging behaviour. Staff make consistent use of a rewards and incentives system to promote positive behaviour. This has some effect.

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Requires improvement

Staff do not impose sanctions and they do not promote restorative justice as an approach to address criminal damage for example. Children do not therefore learn to take responsibility for their actions and behaviour. This does not prepare them to manage conflicts and difficulties.

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Requires improvement

Staff periodically conduct room searches to ensure that rooms do not contain items that pose risks to children. These room searches are necessary for the protection of children. However, staff records do not evidence on every occasion that two staff members are present. This is important to verify what, if anything, staff discover and remove from children’s bedrooms.

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Requires improvement

Staff benefit from the service’s training and policies and procedures about the management of allegations. Since the last inspection, there have been no allegations made against any staff member.

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Requires improvement

The service’s staff recruitment and vetting practices are safe. This ensures that only suitable people are employed to work with children.

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Requires improvement

The home’s premises are physically safe and appropriately secure. Staff routinely conduct health and safety checks and there are good fire precautions in place.

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Inadequate

This inspection notes shortfalls in the leadership and management of the home. The service has very recently appointed a permanent manager. The previous manager left the service nine months ago. There is no registered manager and this has been the case for 11 months. In line with revised Ofsted guidance, the absence of a registered manager beyond 26 weeks results in an inadequate judgement for the leadership and management outcome area.

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Inadequate

The organisation employs a consultant to improve the home’s monitoring systems and overall effectiveness. The consultant conducts monthly monitoring visits, which review key areas of the home’s function and operation. The home’s monitoring systems are not sufficiently robust, as they do not highlight for example, shortfalls in staff recording of children going missing, the administration of medication, room searches and the absence of local authority care plans as required.

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Inadequate

Managers do not notify Ofsted of all significant events as required. This is a breach of the regulations.

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Inadequate

The home employs a sufficient number of staff as outlined in the home’s statement of purpose. Staff have access to adequate training opportunities that help them to develop skills to care for children. New members of the team undergo induction training. Staff support and supervision are good. Staff share good working relationships with external partners. This ensures that all parties are aware of placement issues.

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Inadequate

The home is financially viable and appropriately resourced. The business plan outlines plans to improve the service. The home’s statement of purpose describes the home’s services, facilities and the manner in which the home operates. The residents’ handbook is a useful summary of the home’s service, appropriately written for children.

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Inadequate

The home’s overall effectiveness requires improvement if the home is to have greater impact on the protection, progress and experiences of children.

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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

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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