Children's home run by Merryvale Children’s Home Limited in Merton

Inspection report children’s home: SC476069 1 SC476069 Registered provider: Merryvale Children’s Home 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

This is a privately run home registered to care for up to five children and young people 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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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are widespread failures that mean that the welfare of children and young people is not promoted or safeguarded, the care and experiences of children and young people are poor and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Date of last inspection: 1 September 2016

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: Requires improvement

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Key findings from this inspection

This children’s home is inadequate because:  The leadership and management of the home is poor. There has been no registered manager since 2014. This has resulted in a lack of cohesion and strategic oversight, ineffective partnership working and inadequate care monitoring. Inspection report children’s home: SC476069 2  Managers do not ensure that they have sufficient information before admitting young people to the home. This has resulted in the admission of some young people whose needs the staff team cannot meet. This has had a significant disruptive effect on the existing group of young people.  Managers fail to evidence the positive progress of young people from their starting points. Individual care plans do not identify clear targets for progression or interventions to support improvements.  Risk assessments are inadequate. The process fails to provide staff with appropriate guidance or strategies to manage or reduce the risk young people

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Key findings from this inspection

present to themselves or others.  Staff are unable to adequately prevent young people from engaging in risk- taking behaviour. Young people are involved in high levels of missing from care episodes, drug and alcohol misuse, risk of sexual exploitation, and anti-social and criminal behaviour.  Staff are ill equipped to manage the challenging behaviour of young people. As a result, physical altercations between young people in the home have taken place. This has led to managers giving notice on some placements, which increases the sense of instability in the home.  Recruitment procedures are poor. The registered person has not ensured that she has safely recruited all staff and that they have all the required checks in place.  Managers have failed to address a large number of the requirements and recommendations set at the last inspection.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Most young people enjoy warm relationships with staff. One young person in particular appreciates the time spent with his keyworker and they share good- humoured moments together.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/09/2016 Full Requires improvement 17/05/2016 Full Inadequate 14/01/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness 11/08/2015 Full Requires improvement Inspection report children’s home: SC476069 3

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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

Engaging with the wider system to ensure that children’s needs are met. In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff: - seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s need; - if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans; - 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. In particular, the standard requires the registered person to ensure that staff work in partnership with virtual headteachers

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Requirement Due date

when a child has been excluded from education for extended periods. In particular, this relates to the need for staff to work in partnership with the placing authority and police when there are escalating concerns when young people go missing from the home. (Regulation 5(b)(c)(d)) 14/07/2017

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationship standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from relationships based on: - mutual respect and trust; - an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and - positive responses to other children and adults. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the 14/07/2017 Inspection report children’s home: SC476069 4 registered person to ensure that staff: - encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding; - help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone; - communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands these expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding; - help each child to understand in a way that is appropriate according to the child’s age and understanding, personal,

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Requirement Due date

sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful; - understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children; - strive to gain each child’s respect and trust; - are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children and to help children to do the same; - de-escalate confrontations with children, or potentially violent behaviour by children; - have the skills to recognise incidents or indications of bullying and how to deal with them; - each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others. (Regulation 11 (1) (2)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(viii)(ix)(x)(xi)(xiii) (b)) The protection of children standard is that children are

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Requirement Due date

protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff: - have the skills to identify and act on signs that a child is at risk of harm; - understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; - take effective action whenever there is a serious concern 14/07/2017 * Inspection report children’s home: SC476069 5 about a child’s welfare; and - are familiar with and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. 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. In particular, this is in relation to helping young people reduce the risk that they may be to themselves or others. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii) (b)).

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that: - helps children to aspire to their full potential; - promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to: - ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; - 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; - use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1) (2)(c)(f)(h)) 14/07/2017 *

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children receive well-planned care from the home and have a positive experience of admission and transition processes. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure: - that the child’s placing authority is contacted, and a review of that child’s relevant plans is requested, if— - the registered person considers that the child is at risk of harm or has concerns that the care provided for the child is inadequate to meet the child’s needs; - the child is or has been persistently absent from the home without permission. In particular, this relates to the failure of managers to obtain sufficient information on young people prior to admitting them into the home. In addition, the failure by managers to convene 14/07/2017 * Inspection report children’s home: SC476069 6 strategy meetings with placing authorities to review the placements of young people who frequently go missing from the

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Requirement Due date

home. (Regulation 14 (1) (2)(e)(i)(ii)) Medicines The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the home. In particular, that staff follow the home’s own policies and procedures when giving young people medication. (Regulation 23 (1)) 14/07/2017

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Requirement Due date

Fitness of manager A person may only manage a children’s home if: - full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the person in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. This is in particular reference to ensuring that two written references, including a reference from the person’s most recent employer, are obtained. (Regulation 28 (1)(c )) 14/07/2017

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review, the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating: - the quality of care provided for children; - the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and - any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children. The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (2)(a)(b)(c) (5)) 14/07/2017

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are the subject of compliance notices.

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Recommendations

Inspection report children’s home: SC476069 7 To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  Where children placed in a home are not participating in education because they have been excluded, or are not on a school roll for some other reason, the registered person and staff must work closely with the placing authority so that the child is supported and enabled to resume full-time education as soon as possible. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.15)  The behaviour management strategy should be understood and applied at all times by staff, and must be kept under review and revised where appropriate. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.34)  The registered person must challenge (under regulation 5(c)) any placing

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Recommendations

authority who asks them to accept a child in the absence of a complete and current relevant plan, as the expectation that a placement of a child without the necessary information would go ahead (in circumstances other than an emergency) is inadequate in relation to their role. It is essential that homes understand what will be required of them before they accept responsibility for a child’s placement, to avoid disruption and instability for the child in future and for other children in the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.5)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Young people do not make sufficient progress. Managers fail to capture the progress and experiences of young people and identify how the home is making a difference to their lives. All young people are out of mainstream education. Some are in receipt of tuition in the home. However, attendance by young people is sporadic and, therefore, the opportunities for them to make academic progress are limited. The amount of tuition offered to young people falls below their statutory entitlement. In addition, managers fail to challenge virtual school heads and other relevant professionals. This means that, when young people face temporary school exclusion, there is a lack of planning to enable them to resume full-time education. Young people live in an unsettled and continually changing home environment. This is due to frequent changes in both the management and the staff team. The provider has appointed three interim managers since the last inspection; two of these have

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

subsequently left. The lack of stability in the management arrangements has had a negative impact on the overall progress of young people. Young people’s progress has significantly declined during this period. For a number of young people, there are no discernible signs that living in the home is having a positive impact on meeting their needs. For example, some young people have been excluded from education due to a deterioration in their behaviour. The frequency of young people going missing from care has increased since they moved in. There have also been occasions when physical altercations have taken place between young people in the home. These events contribute to an unsettled environment and, consequently, young people have felt Inspection report children’s home: SC476069 8 insecure. Staff try to form positive relationships with young people. However, a failure by managers to gain sufficient information before agreeing for young people to move in

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

makes this task difficult. Because information is not always obtained from placing social workers, previous placements or young people’s families, staff are unable to build a full picture of the young person’s needs. The lack of information has had a negative impact on the ability of staff to set clear and consistent boundaries, resulting in an increase in young people’s challenging behaviours. A number of young people do not fully engage with the home’s care planning process, meaning that their progress is limited. This is particularly the case for planning and supporting young people’s education and developing their independent living skills. Two young people have moved into the home since the last full inspection. For one young person, their placing authority provided a full assessment of his needs to the home. However, the social worker for the young person commented, ‘Due to the staff not reading the information provided, they were unable to effectively work with X or

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

understand his needs for several weeks following his admission.’ For another young person, a failure by managers to challenge the placing authority to ensure that they had full information has resulted in an inappropriate placement. This young person has caused instability in the home, due to his negative interactions with others and a failure by staff to understand his often complex behaviours. Care planning in the home is generalised and lacks sufficient information on how young people will be cared for. For instance, keyworkers do not set overall goals for young people to achieve. Therefore, it is unclear what steps need to be taken by staff to help young people to manage change and make progress. Furthermore, daily support plans do not capture young people’s views on how they wish to be cared for. Key-working sessions between staff and young people take place on an ad hoc basis and, therefore, lack structure. Staff say that they work ‘reflectively’ with young people. However, due to

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

the lack of information gained on young people before they move in, it is unclear how this work is undertaken or, indeed, whether staff have a clear understanding of reflective supervision. Consultation with young people is mixed. Young people have the opportunity to attend regular house meetings. This allows them to contribute to the planning of events, such as activities. However, independent advocacy is not routinely available when young people first move in. This denies young people important advice and guidance from a trusted source, separate from the placing authority and care staff. There is insufficient evidence of staff helping young people to develop their independent living skills. Opportunities to capture the progress made by young people in undertaking daily tasks, such as improving cooking skills, are lost. This means that other care professionals working with the young person, including social workers, do not receive

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

accurate information regarding the progress made by young people. This shortfall increases the risk of ill-informed care planning decisions. Staff offer young people appropriate activities and opportunities to try new things. A number of young people enjoy a range of activities including bowling, ice-skating, and trips out. These leisure times help to promote positive relationships between young Inspection report children’s home: SC476069 9 people and staff. One young person commented, ‘My keyworker is a good man, he’s always there and we agree on most things.’ Despite this approach, other young people largely prefer to entertain themselves, independent of staff, or to spend time in the community with their peers. Young people enjoy contact with family members and friends in accordance with the local authority care plan. However, staff require training in understanding their role when supervising contact. Young people are encouraged to have visitors in accordance

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

Young people receive inadequate staff intervention and support to address their challenging and complex behaviours. When risks are high, the day-to-day arrangements to manage concerns are weak. For example, despite physical altercations taking place between some young people in the home, strategies to prevent further incidents are not identified. This means that staff fail to receive clear guidance as to how to manage the negative behaviours of young people when similar incidents reoccur. Safeguarding practice, staff knowledge and training are variable. Staff have undertaken training in relevant areas of child protection such as child sexual exploitation, behaviour management and physical intervention. However, the application of this learning is inconsistent due to a lack of consistent positive management supervision and oversight. Care planning documentation fails to accurately describe the needs of young people.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

Risk assessments for individual young people are generalised and do not support new and existing staff to assess potential risk to young people or others in the community. This means that vulnerable young people do not receive the support and intervention needed to promote their safety. The staff approach in responding to the occasions when young people go missing from the home is unreliable and fails to properly safeguard young people. The frequency of young people going missing from the home has increased since the last inspection. This is in part due to managers admitting young people into the home who have a prior history of regularly running away from care. These facts, combined with the staff team’s inability to reduce such behaviour, mean that young people continue or increase their previous patterns of behaviour. In addition, ineffective recording and the lack of management oversight to maintain consistent structures and boundaries exacerbate the

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

problem. A social worker commented, ‘X is not effectively safeguarded in the home, she is often missing and the home has no knowledge of her whereabouts.’ Staff attempt to maintain telephone contact when young people go missing from the home and inappropriately use this contact as reassurance that young people are safe. Furthermore, not all staff were able to demonstrate a good understanding of missing from care protocols and the action that has to be taken when a young person is away from the home or missing. This is particularly poor practice and raises the risk that young people may be placed at risk of harm. When managers and placing authorities have identified that the home is not meeting the needs of young people, placements have been terminated. It is concerning that young Inspection report children’s home: SC476069 10 people continue to remain in the home after the termination date. With no clear exit or

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

transition plans in place, managers and staff are unable to assist the young person to consider the best way forward to meet their identified needs. Although physical incidents have occurred between young people in the home, bullying is not a frequent occurrence. Some young people share trusting relationships with the staff group. Young people have access to the home’s complaints procedure. They say that they understand how to make a complaint. The complaints procedure is outlined in the children’s guide. No complaints have been made since the last inspection. The administration of medication is poor. Records of the giving of medicines consistently fail to clarify what the medication is for, or the correct dose. The home’s own policies and procedures state that there should always be two staff to administer prescribed controlled medicines. However, young people who have been prescribed such medication have been asked on several occasions by staff to sign to confirm that they

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

have received medication when there is only one member of staff available to administer it. These shortfalls increase the risk to young people of being given inaccurate doses of medication. Furthermore, the expectation that young people take responsibility for administering their own controlled drugs, without any written assessment, is inappropriate and unsafe practice. Staff recruitment practice is inadequate. The home’s recruitment and vetting process fails to adequately check the suitability of newly appointed senior staff. In particular, the registered person fails to obtain references from previous employers. These shortfalls mean that the suitability of adults to work in the home with young people cannot be verified. Staff manage the home environment safely. There are health and safety precautionary measures in place, together with good upkeep of the home. The location risk assessment provides good information on potential risks in the local and wider

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Significant weaknesses exist in the leadership and management of the home. These compromise the safety and well-being of young people. Young people’s safety is at risk due to the provider’s inability to robustly monitor the operation of the home. The home has been without a registered manager since October 2014. Following the last inspection, three interim managers have been appointed and have submitted applications to register with Ofsted. However, two of these managers subsequently withdrew their application to register and left the home. As a result, there is a chronic lack of consistent and effective leadership. A new manager took up her post in November 2016. This manager is suitably qualified and experienced in managing children’s homes and states that she is preparing her application to register with Ofsted. She is currently evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the home. The manager has

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

identified priority areas for further development such as staff development and training and closer working relationships with other professionals to ensure good outcomes for young people. Inspection report children’s home: SC476069 11 Staff describe the new manager as a ‘positive force’. As well as changes in the management team, several staff have left and new staff have been appointed. Despite these changes, a core group of experienced and stable staff remains. The registered provider has failed to address four of the six requirements and two of the four recommendations made at the last inspection. This demonstrates a lack of understanding in relation to the home’s obligation to provide safe care in line with regulatory requirements and, as a result, a large number are repeated at this inspection. The continued shortfalls in leadership and management have a detrimental impact on the quality of care provided to young people. For example, placement planning meetings

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

are not convened within specified timescales. In addition, managers fail to carefully consider the needs of young people referred to the home or the dynamics of other young people already living there. Managers fail to engage and appropriately challenge partner agencies to ensure that comprehensive and up-to-date information is in place to ensure the safety and well-being of young people. As a result, young people who pose a high risk through their risk taking and negative behaviours are inappropriately admitted to the home. In addition, a lack of relevant care and behaviour management plans means that staff do not receive appropriate guidance as to how to support and engage with young people. Managers respond poorly when it is clear that young people are inappropriately placed at the home. When managers have terminated the placements of the young people they cannot adequately safeguard, the same young people have remained living in the home

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

long after the notice period for them to move on has expired. With no clear moving on plans in place, the young people are uncertain and unsure about their future. These practices are poor and fail to demonstrate a robust referral and admission process. Staff say that they feel supported and receive supervision from managers. However, there are a number of gaps in the recording of formal supervision sessions. The continual changes in managers mean that there is not an adequate staff development plan in place. A workforce development plan is in place, which identifies strategies to better monitor the function and operation of the service. The home employs a sufficient number of qualified and experienced staff. The home’s monitoring systems show some improvement. The independent visitor report is now more thorough. However, the reports still lack analysis and insight into the strengths and weaknesses of the home. Similarly, the manager’s quality of care reports

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

do not fully evaluate or analyse the quality of care provided to young people. In addition, both the internal and external monitoring reports fail to capture the views and opinions of young people, parents and relevant professionals. The quality of the home’s record keeping is poor. Managers have not implemented an electronic data system. Some key records are not fully completed and/or reviewed, such as health records, behaviour management plans and formal staff supervision. Social workers commented that records are often missing or not in place, and navigating individual handwritten notes presents ‘a challenge’. This lack of appropriate record keeping does not contribute to an understanding of the young person’s experience or progress during their time at the home. The home’s statement of purpose is up to date and relevant. The children’s guide is age- Inspection report children’s home: SC476069 12

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

appropriate and sets out a good summary of the services provided by the home.

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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 who 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: SC476069 13

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Merryvale Children’s Home Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Beech Farm House, Beech Farm Road, Warlingham, Surrey CR6 9QJ

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Inspector

Juanita Mayers, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC476069 14 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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