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

Inspector Sandra Jacobs-Walls

This monitoring visit . Ofsted conducted an inspection of this children’s home on 23 November 2016, which resulted in a judgement of inadequate with seven requirements, five recommendations and compliance action. As a result, Ofsted issued two compliance notices on 12 December 2016.

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Inspector Sandra Jacobs-Walls

Ofsted conducted a monitoring inspection on 9 January 2017 to check the provider’s progress against the two compliance notices. The service has no registered manager in place and currently has no children on roll and is closed. There are no staff on-site and so this monitoring visit was announced on the morning of 9 January 2017. The organisation’s quality assurance manager was present for the monitoring visit and offered assistance during the visit.

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Inspector Sandra Jacobs-Walls

The provider has successfully addressed the compliance notice that relates to staff’s understanding of their role and responsibilities in managing situations when children are missing from the home.

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Inspector Sandra Jacobs-Walls

On 20 December 2016 staff received one day’s training in the home’s missing persons policies and procedures. The quality assurance manager comments that the training had a strong emphasis on staff’s adherence to the home’s general child protection policies, but in particular, policies, procedures and practice relating to missing persons. The training agenda included a focus on risks posed as a result of children going missing and links with child sexual exploitation, gang affiliation, drug possession and the sale of drugs. Staff are to encourage the placing authority to complete return home interviews with children.

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Inspector Sandra Jacobs-Walls

The training emphasised the need for staff to make clear and accurate recording of pertinent information. Staff are to maintain a central missing persons log, completed for each missing persons incident. Individual children’s case files will also reflect any episode of going missing.

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Inspector Sandra Jacobs-Walls

In addition, on 30 January 2017 an external trainer is scheduled to provide further training to staff in managing incidents when children are missing from the home. This is to offer staff an independent perspective on associated risks and research material. All staff are required to attend.

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Inspector Sandra Jacobs-Walls

The training prompts the staff team to build effective working relationships with the police and other external professionals. Senior managers of the service have invited the local missing persons police team to meet with staff at the home to discuss partnership working.

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Inspector Sandra Jacobs-Walls

Individual staff supervision will now have a strong focus on missing children, to ensure that staff can demonstrate a good understanding of their role and responsibilities in the event that a child goes missing. The provider is to ensure that managers reinforce learning from the training at team meetings. The provider has successfully addressed the compliance notice that relates to staff producing accurate and clear recording of information, particularly in relation to when children go missing.

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Inspector Sandra Jacobs-Walls

The quality assurance manager confirms that the staff team received training on 29 December 2016 which focused on improving staff’s skills in recording information on key documents, including records of episodes of going missing. The training emphasised the importance of accurate recording and the impact that poor staff recording had on the inadequate inspection judgement at the home’s recent full inspection. The quality assurance manager is confident that staff are clear that it is the organisation’s expectation that staff now demonstrate improvement in the quality of their records.

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Inspector Sandra Jacobs-Walls

To support staff practice, all children’s case files and key logs are to be audited by managers on a fortnightly basis. A new auditing form has been devised to evidence this practice. Managers are to make daily checks of staff handover records to monitor the detail and quality of shift records. In addition, the Regulation 44 visitor is to review and comment in reports on the quality of staff recording and to highlight any issues of concern.

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Inspector Sandra Jacobs-Walls

Currently, the home has no children on roll. The last child resident at the home left the placement on 24 December 2016 and so the inspector is unable to assess the effectiveness of measures in place to improve staff’s management of children missing from placement and the quality of records. This will be evaluated at the home’s next inspection. The inspector is satisfied that the provider has taken appropriate action to comply with the two compliance notices issued following the last full inspection on 23 November 2016.

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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 who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children's home since its last Ofsted inspection. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. out in 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 this guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

to 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, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for children looked after 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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