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

Inspection report children’s home: SC068067 1 SC068067 Registered provider: Lioncare Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The children’s home is privately owned. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to five children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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requires improvement to be good

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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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 26 January 2017

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Inadequate

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Enforcement action since last inspection

Four compliance notices were issued on 10 February 2017. The date set for meeting all of the compliance steps was 31 March 2017. A monitoring visit was undertaken on 20 March 2017. Not all of the compliance notices were met. An extension to the compliance timescale has been granted. Inspection report children’s home: SC068067 2

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Key findings from this inspection

This children’s home requires improvement to be good because

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Key findings from this inspection

 The home’s care plans for young people lack clarity. Some young people’s risk assessments do not provide staff with clear guidance to keep young people safe.  The home’s behaviour management plans are ineffective. There is no behaviour management plan for one young person. For another young person, behaviour plans provide inconsistent guidance to staff, particularly in respect of restraint use. Staff have sustained significant injuries while attempting to manage young people’s challenging behaviour.  Local authority social workers have questioned the effectiveness of behaviour management in the home. One has highlighted shortfalls in the ability of staff to provide clear boundaries when young people use offensive language. Another local authority social worker questioned the effectiveness of staff in managing a young person’s behaviour.  Managers have failed to address safeguarding requirements identified at the

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Key findings from this inspection

previous inspection. There is a continued failure to keep records of the reporting of, and action taken in response to, safeguarding concerns.  Managers do not demonstrate a clear understanding of safeguarding procedures; there is ongoing inaccurate reporting of safeguarding concerns to the local authority designated officer. Managers have not had sufficient safeguarding training to equip them for their roles.  The home’s location risk assessment does not identify key risks, including neighbouring hostel accommodation and the availability of drugs within the locality.  Managers’ monitoring has failed to identify and rectify errors within young people’s care plans and risk assessments.  The organisation has failed to provide sufficient support to managers, including when managers raise support needs during supervision. New managers have had to take on duties prior to completing relevant training and with limited

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Key findings from this inspection

induction.  The qualifications of agency workers do not always meet regulatory requirements for employment, specifically the level 3 diploma for residential childcare.  The home fails to demonstrate proactive action to equip young people with life skills for their future. There are delays in undertaking identified life skills work and records kept fail to provide a clear record of young people’s progress in this area.

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Key findings from this inspection

The children’s home’s strengths  The new manager demonstrates ambition to raise standards within the home; she is implementing plans designed to bring improvement to the home.  Staff value young people’s views. Young people contribute to the recruitment of Inspection report children’s home: SC068067 3 staff. Young people are also contributing increasingly to the formulation of their care plans and risk assessments.  The home works in partnership with local agencies to provide young people with the support that they need, for example, local drug support services, advocates, careers advice services and therapeutic support services.  Previously disengaged young people are now undertaking activities that they enjoy, including horse-riding, piano lessons, boxing club, gym and local youth clubs.  All young people have undertaken a summer holiday suited to their individual needs, including a holiday abroad for two young people.

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Key findings from this inspection

 A young person with a history of missing behaviour, gang involvement and offending has discontinued his previous negative behaviours.  The home has demonstrated proactive and successful work with a young person with a history of self-harm; this is a significant improvement from the previous inspection.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

26/01/2017 Full Inadequate 20/07/2016 Full Requires improvement 08/02/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness 07/07/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC068067 4

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet 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:

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Requirement Due date

6(1)(b) deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this is required in respect of life skills training and a daily structure for young people out of formal education. 16/07/2017

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the positive relationships standard, the registered manager must ensure that staff:

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Requirement Due date

11(2)(a)(i) meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that all children have a clear and applicable behaviour management plan. 16/07/2017

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the protection of children standard, the registered manager must ensure that staff:

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Requirement Due date

12(2)(i) assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, particularly that risk assessments provide clear guidance to staff to minimise risk.

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Requirement Due date

12(2)(c) ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are located so that children are effectively safeguarded.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the location risk assessment identifies 16/07/2017 Inspection report children’s home: SC068067 5 all known locational risks.

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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:

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Requirement Due date

13 (2)(h) use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. 16/07/2017

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Requirement Due date

Ensure a person managing the children’s home has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills to manage the home effectively and lead the care of children; (Regulation 28(1)(b)(i)) In particular, that managers undertake safeguarding lead training. 16/07/2017

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Requirement Due date

Ensure an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification. (Regulation 32(4)(a) and (b)) 16/07/2017

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that each employee completes an appropriate induction and receives practice related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; (Regulation 33(1)(a) and (4)(b)) In particular, ensure that there is sufficient induction and responsive supervision for new managers. 16/07/2017

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that records are kept of an allegation of abuse or neglect, and the action taken in response. (Regulation 34(2)(d)) 16/07/2017

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Recommendations

 Ensure that children’s case records are kept up to date, to enable the effective monitoring of children’s engagement and progress. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3) Inspection report children’s home: SC068067 6

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improvement to be good

Young people in the home have complex needs and challenging behaviours. Young people are making progress from their starting points. For example, a young person with a history of gang involvement and offending has ceased these negative behaviours. Another young person with a significant history of self-harm shows marked improvement in her behaviour. However, the entrenched behaviour of some of the young people, including cannabis use and violent and aggressive behaviour, persists. The new manager is starting to take action to address this, and is improving partnership working with the professional network for the young people who are not demonstrating progress.

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improvement to be good

Where young people are out of formal education for a prolonged period, the home has failed to provide a clear daily structure that young people understand and adhere to. This lack of routine creates a culture of young people out of education ‘hanging round’ the home, without a clear routine or structure to their day.

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improvement to be good

There are shortfalls in the home’s work with young people to prepare them for independence. There are delays in commencing required life skills work with some young people. If young people do not wish to engage with life skills training there is a lack of perseverance on the part of staff to explore alternative ways to engage them. In addition, the home’s records of life skills work lack detail and do not evidence young people’s strengths and weaknesses; this misses opportunities to provide further targeted training if this is required.

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improvement to be good

Inspectors observed trusting relationships between young people and staff. Young people speak to staff about their concerns and receive the support that they require. A local authority social worker commented favourably on the open, honest and understanding relationships that one young person had developed with staff.

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improvement to be good

Staff listen to young people and increasingly use their feedback to develop the home. For example, young people have recently become involved in staff recruitment decision- making. Young people’s complaints are taken seriously and are explored and resolved within timescale. Staff also work well in the management of relationships between young people. Any relationship difficulties are explored and thoughtfully resolved; as a result, bullying is infrequent in the home.

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improvement to be good

Young people are receiving the services that they require, including individual therapy sessions, careers advice, substance misuse support and advocacy. Where young people exhibit a need, staff seek relevant services to meet their need. Staff have sourced individualised education and training schemes for young people. One young person has Inspection report children’s home: SC068067 7 recently started a confidence-building educational course, and another young person was supported to successfully gain voluntary work in a local shop.

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improvement to be good

Staff encourage previously disengaged young people to try out new activities. All young people are involved in leisure pursuits that they enjoy, including piano lessons, horse- riding, boxing, the local gym and local youth clubs. In addition, young people have all undertaken a holiday suited to their needs; for two young people this involved a trip overseas.

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improvement to be good

There are shortfalls in safeguarding practices in the home; however, there are no serious failures that have resulted in the harm or risk of harm to young people.

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improvement to be good

Managers report all safeguarding issues to external professionals; however, safeguarding practices in the home do not meet regulatory requirement. There are no records of the reporting and follow-up of safeguarding concerns. The home’s newly appointed manager lacks safeguarding lead training to equip her in her role. She demonstrates an unclear understanding of the role of the local authority designated officer and is reporting child protection concerns to the local authority designated officer inappropriately.

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improvement to be good

Young people’s risk assessments provide unclear guidance to staff. Inspectors observed errors and inconsistencies in the home’s risk assessments for young people. The inconsistencies noted do not ensure that staff follow a cohesive approach when addressing young people’s risks. Furthermore, the home’s location risk assessment fails to highlight significant risks in the immediate vicinity of the home, including hostel accommodation alongside the home and drug use within the locality.

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improvement to be good

Behaviour management plans are an area of weakness. One young person has no behaviour management plan; this results in staff managing the young person’s behaviour inconsistently. A local authority social worker questioned how staff at the home are maintaining boundaries in respect of this young person. The behaviour management plans for another young person are confused and contradictory; they do not provide clear guidance to staff, particularly in respect of restraint use. Staff provided inconsistent response to inspectors about their use of restraint for this young person, demonstrating that they lack a clear and confident understanding of how to respond collectively to the young person’s challenging behaviour. Ineffective behaviour management has led to a significant number of staff injuries. However, a recent increase in staffing levels in the home has alleviated this risk.

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improvement to be good

Alongside practice shortfalls, inspectors noted areas of improving safeguarding practice. Young people are increasingly involved in drawing up their risk assessments; this supports them to become active partners in the plans in place to keep them safe. A local authority social worker commends the result of this work. Inspection report children’s home: SC068067 8 The monitoring of young people’s online safety is proactive; this is accompanied by online training for young people. There is evidence of an ongoing conversation between staff and young people about keeping safe online.

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improvement to be good

Inspectors noted significant improvements to health and safety within the home. The organisation has invested in furnishings that protect and promote the welfare of young people. Weekly management health and safety checks, along with regular health and safety checks by a trained independent person, mean that any maintenance and health and safety issues are addressed without delay.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Shortfalls in management practice, at both registered manager and senior management level, have led to deficiencies in the functioning of the home. There is no registered manager of the home currently. A recently appointed manager is yet to submit her registration application.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The organisation has failed to provide effective support to the new manager and deputy manager in the home. Their induction lacks detail and fails to identify and address support and learning needs. The deputy manager’s duties include undertaking staff supervision, prior to undertaking training. The new manager has utilised her own supervision to highlight her support needs; there was ineffective action taken to address her concerns. Senior managers have insufficient oversight of the home and have failed to ensure that managers in charge have the skills and support that they require to lead the home effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Managers have failed to address safeguarding practice shortfalls identified at the previous inspection. The recording of safeguarding concerns and action taken to address them is poor and fails to leave a clear audit trail. This impedes management monitoring of safeguarding practice in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The home currently has staff vacancies, recruitment for which is in process. Agency staff are providing care as an interim measure. Not all agency staff have the required mandatory training, particularly the level 3 diploma in residential childcare. This fails to ensure that staff caring for young people have the training required to meet their needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The home’s care plans for young people lack clarity; this is an ongoing failure in the home. Inconsistencies in some young people’s care plans and risk assessments do not provide clear guidance to staff. For example, the care plan for one young person advises staff to supervise his internet use, whereas another document states that his internet use is to be unsupervised. Management monitoring has failed to identify and rectify errors within young people’s care plans; this does not promote the safety and welfare of young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The home’s case records for young people are incomplete. For example, young people’s therapy records fail to record their attendance consistently. This does not give managers Inspection report children’s home: SC068067 9 a clear understanding of the progress that young people are making or enable them to take effective action where young people are not making progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Managers have failed to respond to the request of a placing authority to review the local authority case records of a young person placed at the home. This piece of work has now been outstanding for a prolonged period, meaning that staff lack historic information to inform their care of the young person. Furthermore, the home has failed to complete its baseline assessment of need for this young person; this fails to meet its statement of purpose and means that staff lack a clear and assessed understanding to guide the care that they provide.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference made to the lives of children and young people. They watched how professional staff work with children and young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to children and 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 whom it is trying to help, protect and look after.

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Information about this inspection

Using the ‘Social care common inspection framework’, this inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. Inspection report children’s home: SC068067 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Lioncare Ltd, 186 Forest Road, Loughton, Essex IG10 1EG

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Inspectors

Lucy Chapman, social care inspector Stephen Collett, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC068067 11 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, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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