Children's home run by Lioncare Ltd Operating as The Lioncare Group in Epping Forest

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’s provision is inadequate because:

 Safeguarding concerns are not consistently well reported and recorded. Leaders and managers failed to take effective action in response to concerns about the young people’s safety.  Staff supervision of the young people does not meet their assessed needs. When young people require constant monitoring, this is not always in place. This has resulted in a number of incidents of harm to young people.  The furnishing of the home does not protect the young people from known risks. The bedroom of a young person who self-harms did not provide a safe environment in line with identified risks.  Impact risk assessments are not effective and do not provide useful guidance to underpin placement decision-making. This has resulted in disruption and volatility among the group of young people in the home.  Staff shortages lead to the use of agency staff, whose qualifications and experience do not meet the young people’s needs. Insufficient and

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The children’s home’s provision is inadequate because:

unsuitably qualified staff have failed to protect young people, resulting in significant safeguarding incidents.  On multiple occasions, staff have restrained young people outside of guidance given in staff training and against the home’s policy. When young people say they are hurt during a restraint, this is not actioned effectively or recorded. In addition, electronic records do not enable the effective monitoring of restraints to ensure that they meet young people’s needs.  Young people in the home are known by staff to have online safety risks. There is little evidence of work with the young people to address their online safety needs. Insufficient monitoring of young people’s online use has resulted in unsafe online behaviour.  The registered manager has failed to notify HMCI, without delay, of serious events in the home.  The registered manager has repeatedly failed to provide HMCI with a copy

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The children’s home’s provision is inadequate because:

of quality of care review reports within the regulatory timescale.

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The children’s home’s strengths

 The home has undergone extensive redecoration and refurbishment. This provides a homely environment, which young people value. Improved maintenance systems uphold the improved standards in the home.  All young people understand advocacy and have advocates. This provides them with independent support and representation for their views, wishes and feelings.  The home works in partnership with external agencies to ensure that young people receive the specialist support that they need.  All young people are engaged in clubs and activities that they enjoy. Staff listen and respond to young people’s expressed interests. This is a significant achievement, especially for young people who have been disengaged for prolonged periods.

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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

6: The quality and purpose of care standard

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the quality and purpose of care standard, the registered person must: (1)(b) deliver care that meets young children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential, particularly in respect of online safety. 31/03/2017

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the protection of children standard, the registered manager must ensure that staff: * 12 (2)(a)(vi)(vii) take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. * 12 (2)(b) ensure that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. * 12 (2)(d) ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. 31/03/2017

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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 person must: 13 (1)(a)(b) ensure the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare. 13 (2)(c) ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. 13 (2)(d) ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child. 13 (2)(f) understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home. 31/03/2017 13 (2)(h) use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. Ensure that records are kept of an allegation of abuse or neglect, and the action taken in response.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that records, which may be kept in electronic form, are kept in an accessible manner. (Regulation 38 (h)(i)) 31/03/2017

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Requirement Due date

Ensure the registered person notifies HMCI and each other relevant person without delay of a serious event. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)) 31/03/2017

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Requirement Due date

* Ensure that the registered person supplies to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed. (Regulation 45 (4)(a)) 31/03/2017

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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 recommendation:  Ensure the home’s policies and procedures around the protection of children reflect any requirements of relevant legislation. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 44, paragraph 9.22) In particular, that the home’s restraint policy uses clear language to set out the purposes for which restraint can be used.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is run by a private organisation and is registered to provide residential care for five young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. Young people are able to access the organisation’s school and therapeutic support services.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 08/02/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness 07/07/2015 Full Good 17/02/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness 12/11/2014 Full Good

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Inadequate

Due to shortfalls in the provision of care and protection, not all young people’s placements have resulted in positive outcomes. One young person’s placement ended in his arrest after a safeguarding incident. Another young person’s placement ended, unplanned, due to his behaviour posing too great a risk to the other young people in placement.

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Inadequate

The registered manager fails to lead the home with a culture that helps all young people to fulfil their potential and promotes their welfare. Records in respect of a sexual assault do not recognise and support the young person as a victim. Staff supervision records imply a blame culture of staff towards young people. Furthermore, discussion with managers indicates that they take less seriously allegations made by young people with a history of making such reports.

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Inadequate

Due to poor consideration of the needs of the group of young people placed together, there have been periods of volatility in the home. The home’s independent visitor reported, ‘The group of young people continue to fight, blame and attack each other.’ Managers informed inspectors that one young person in placement, ‘was fearful of the young people who have now moved on’. Another young person told inspectors about moving into the home, ‘It was scary. It was very loud. I was jumping a lot.’ The home has not always provided an environment where young people feel safe, secure and at ease.

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Inadequate

Despite identified shortfalls, inspectors observed positive interactions between young people and staff during the inspection. One young person said that she shares her concerns with staff, and described staff as ‘caring’. There is also evidence of the effective long-term support of some young people, including one care-leaver to whom the organisation continues to provide accommodation and outreach support.

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Inadequate

Staff refer young people to the services that they need, including child and adolescent mental health services, advice and counselling services, careers advice and in-house therapy provision. The home has also worked hard to promote advocacy services to young people; currently all young people in placement have an advocate to represent their views.

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Inadequate

Young people work to individualised goals. They are aware of their goals and the rewards that they are working to attain. All young people are engaged in activities that they enjoy. They attend the local gym, boxing club, horse-riding, youth club and music groups. Staff have worked effectively to re-engage young people who, prior to placement, had been disengaged for prolonged periods.

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Inadequate

Staff are thoughtful in linking young people with education and college courses that support their interests and meet their academic needs. This is an achievement as some young people had a history of entrenched non-engagement with education prior to placement. Staff are supporting one young person, currently out of education, with apprenticeship applications. However, while out of education, he does not have a clear daily activity plan to maintain his routine. When asked about his daily plan he informed the inspector that he, ‘was just chilling’.

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Inadequate

There is a marked improvement in the quality of the accommodation since the previous inspection. Extensive investment and refurbishment mean that the home now provides a pleasant environment that young people invest in and value.

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Inadequate

Safeguarding shortfalls across a range of areas mean that young people do not consistently receive an effective and immediate safeguarding response that protects them and promotes their welfare.

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Inadequate

At the previous full inspection in July 2016, Ofsted made a requirement that the home take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a young person’s welfare. Further shortfalls identified during this inspection signify that safeguarding deficits persist. One young person informed staff of their involvement in a physically abusive peer relationship; delays in reporting this issue meant that the young person did not receive immediate help and protection from harm. There were no records of the reporting and follow-up in respect of a significant online safeguarding concern. In addition, the registered manager failed to report, to the designated officer, the professional misconduct of a member of agency staff in their supervision of young people. The poor response in recording and reporting safeguarding issues is not in accordance with the home’s child protection policies and does not offer young people effective protection from harm.

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Inadequate

The registered manager could provide no restraint records documenting the concerns of a young person who, managers informed inspectors, had often said that he was hurt during restraint. When this young person phoned the police to report being hurt by a member of staff during a restraint, the staff failed to discuss this issue with the young person for three days. They did not record or report his concerns, and there was no review of the restraint to ensure that it met the young person’s needs. This fails to respond to young people’s concerns and to take action to protect them.

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Inadequate

The registered manager does not notify Ofsted when serious incidents occur in the home. He demonstrates a poor understanding of the reasons and requirements for notifications. Not all serious incidents are reported to Ofsted, and when they are there is sometimes significant delay.

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Inadequate

At the previous full inspection in July 2016, Ofsted made a requirement that the home delivers care to keep each child safe from harm. This inspection identified an ongoing lack of effective staff supervision of young people. A check of records during the inspection, regulation 44 reports and notifications to Ofsted indicate that, on multiple occasions, young people are unsupervised in one another’s bedrooms. This has resulted in serious safeguarding incidents and the criminalisation of one young person. Staff failure to supervise young people’s internet use resulted in a young person putting themselves at risk by posting inappropriate images online. Supervision of young people is not in line with their care plans and risk assessments, so this fails to provide a safe environment that protects young people and meets their needs.

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Inadequate

When young people in the home are known to have online safety risks the staff fail to demonstrate that they have provided guidance and information to young people. The registered manager has recommended that some young people undertake specific training in online safety; inspectors saw limited evidence of this work. Young people remain vulnerable online due to the lack of response by staff.

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Inadequate

The furnishings in the home do not align to young people’s known risks. In one case, the home’s impact risk assessment highlighted the danger of blind cords. Inspectors found blind cords in this young person’s bedroom. When the manager was made aware of the concern he did not take action immediately. Staff failed to demonstrate a thorough understanding of risk, and to provide safe accommodation to meet this young person’s needs.

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Inadequate

Young people with a history of missing and gang-related activity make good progress. Young people rarely go missing. When they do, staff action to protect them is effective.

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Inadequate

The inspection highlighted management failings on the part of the registered manager and senior managers. Management shortfalls identified diminish the experience of young people living at the home.

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Inadequate

Managers fail to demonstrate a clear understanding of impact risk assessments. These do not underpin the offer of a placement to new young people. In one instance, the acceptance of a new placement was prior to the completion of an impact risk assessment. Another failed to consider the impact of a young person being the only female in an otherwise all-male home. This has led to the placement of young people whose needs the home is unable to meet effectively.

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Inadequate

Insufficient staffing levels have resulted in risks to young people and staff. Young people have assaulted lone members of staff on a number of occasions, sometimes requiring police intervention. The home’s system for calling for staff support at night-time fails to provide emergency assistance. On some nightshifts, both members of staff are male. This fails to meet the needs of the lone female resident in placement.

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Inadequate

The home’s restraint training does not teach single person holds, yet because there are insufficient staff, staff undertake single person holds regularly. This does not provide safe restraint for young people or staff. The director has recently introduced a log of staff non-accidental injury. He states in a recent regulation 44 report, ‘It is a fact that there are members of our workforce that feel unsafe most days.’ Managers have failed to evaluate and address the impact of staffing levels in the home effectively, and to ensure that staffing meets young people’s needs.

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Inadequate

The home’s physical intervention policy has unclear wording, which may mislead staff into thinking that restraint is permissible as a sanction. Agency staff receive no training in the home’s physical intervention method. They are unable, if required, to manage young people’s behaviour using restraint. The registered manager has failed to ensure that agency staff training and experience equips them with the skills to care for the young people in the home. The use of agency staff who lack the capacity to meet young people’s needs has resulted in significant safeguarding incidents.

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Inadequate

The home keeps records electronically and these systems do not enable effective management monitoring. For example, the registered manager was unable to provide inspectors with data on one-person restraints, without opening and reading each restraint record. He was also unable to monitor key-work sessions undertaken with young people without reading each key-work report. In addition, the home did not have local authority placement agreements for two young people. The service manager informed inspectors that he had forgotten to chase the local authority for these key documents. Monitoring in the home is not effective. Systems do not equip managers with oversight of the practice in the home or alert them to follow up outstanding tasks.

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Inadequate

At the previous full inspection in July 2016, Ofsted made a requirement that the registered manager submit quality of care reports to HMCI within regulatory timescales. At this inspection, inspectors noted ongoing shortfalls in completing and submitting monitoring reports. Managers do not demonstrate a thorough understanding of and adherence to the regulatory requirements in respect of quality of care monitoring.

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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 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, 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

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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Information about this inspection

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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