Children's Home run by Benjamin UK Ltd in Buckinghamshire

Inspection report children’s home: SC062317 1 SC062317 Registered provider: Benjamin UK Ltd

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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 children’s home is registered to take up to four young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home is one of a group of homes owned and operated by a private organisation.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: declined in effectiveness

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people are enabled to form secure and meaningful relationships with supportive staff.  Young people are helped to understand and learn more about their cultural Inspection report children’s home: SC062317 2 identity.  Young people are supported and helped to keep themselves safe.  Staff’s implementation of individualised care plans provides young people with the support and guidance they need.  The staff team is well supported by managers.  The manager is committed to the continuous development of the home and she ensures that staff access a wide range of training.

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Key findings from this inspection

The children’s home’s areas for development:

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Key findings from this inspection

 Clear and prescriptive fire safety policies are not always followed in practice by the staff.  Regular and detailed discussions in supervision meetings lack clarity and focus. Records of these sessions do not evidence tight decision-making.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/01/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness 18/05/2016 Full Requires improvement 05/01/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness 18/05/2015 Full Requires improvement Inspection report children’s home: SC062317 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

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must – (a) take adequate precautions against the risk of fire. (Regulation 25(1)(a)) In particular, follow the home’s guidance when hearing the fire alarm sound and ensuring that a record is made of the steps taken. 18/08/2017

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Recommendations

 A record of supervision should be kept for staff including the manager. The record should provide evidence that supervision is being delivered in line with regulation 33(4)9b). (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.3)  The registered person should actively seek independent scrutiny of the home and make best use of information from independent and internal monitoring (including under regulations 44 and 45) to ensure continuous improvement. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are well supported to move in and out of the home. The current group of young people get along and are forming positive relationships with each other. Staff are able to meet their needs. Referral information about prospective admissions is carefully examined. It is reliably used to consider the group dynamics and to mitigate any risks that may arise. Newly admitted young people are embraced by caring staff whose thoughtful actions encourage their immediate sense of belonging. One young person was helped to decorate her bedroom before moving in. Another described her earliest thoughts as ‘being like a family here’ and feeling looked after.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Safe and consistent daily routines help to reduce the young people’s anxieties and concerns. A sense of order promotes their feelings of security. The kitchen/diner is a Inspection report children’s home: SC062317 4 focal point where the young people are encouraged to talk about their day with the staff and each other. Mealtimes bring the group together and provide an opportunity to socialise. Encouraged but not pressured, the young people sit together to eat.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Supportive staff help the young people to keep in contact with those who are important to them. Staff’s strong relationships with parents ensure that they are able to help the young people’s developing sense of identity. Complex and difficult relationships have been skilfully challenged and supported by staff. Such practice repairs relationships and has resulted, in one recent instance, in a successful planned return home. One parent described the support provided by the staff as ‘joined up’ and ‘consistent’. Another parent said, ‘Without the staff team’s support, a move home would not have been possible.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Proactive staff promote the needs and interests of young people from diverse backgrounds. Links with the local mosque are helping one young person to understand his cultural identity. This young person said that he wants to be ‘more westernised’. Staff understand the importance of his need to control his own personal journey. They provide a range of resources to enable this exploration. Access to a local mosque, halal food and key workers with similar heritage is assisting his decision-making.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Embraced by the manager, the in-house therapy provision helps the young people to cope with their anxiety. Regular input from the therapist has also increased staff morale. Staff encourage all of the young people to engage in the therapeutic process. Effective ways to manage anger have reduced the aggression in one young person who now takes time out to calm down when things get difficult.

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

The manager has developed a safeguarding culture where the staff are able to report concerns and the young people feel listened to. This includes clear expectations around professional boundaries and relationships based on mutual trust and respect. The staff are able to challenge the practice of colleagues because the prevailing culture empowers them to do so. This practice protects the young people.

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

Staff’s consistent daily practice challenges and educates the young people’s individual risky behaviours, such as drugs and alcohol misuse. Being aware of the young people’s vulnerabilities, the staff also take proactive steps to minimise the risks associated with these behaviours. This includes talking to local shopkeepers and requesting that they do not sell cigarettes or alcohol to the young people and closely monitoring internet and social media use. During the inspection, one young person sat with a staff member and completed a Facebook cleanse of people she did not know.

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

Young people live in a safe and secure physical environment; however, the manager recognises the need for some improvements to the internal decoration. Equally, while the staff take fire safety seriously, they have not always followed the internal procedure. This includes not calling the fire brigade after evacuating the building in the belief that it was due to a false alarm. Inspection report children’s home: SC062317 5 Functions carried out by the wider organisation, including recruitment and training, ensure that the staff are suitably vetted and have the skills, knowledge and experience to understand and support the young people to meet their individual needs. Improved recruitment practice in relation to pre-employment checks follows good practice guidance.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

An experienced and suitably qualified manager from within the organisation took on the role of acting manager in December 2016. At that time staff morale was low, there was a significant staff turnover and a high number of young people had moved in and out of the home. Recognising these issues and by role modelling good practice, the manager has created a stable and nurturing environment. This has resulted in the staff team feeling supported and the current young people feeling safe. Staff are even more reassured that she is in the process of registering to become the manager permanently.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has an excellent knowledge of the purpose of the placements for all of the young people. Her high aspirations and drive permeate across the team and is evident in the way that the staff work to deliver high standards of individualised care. Parents and professionals attribute the positive impact that living in the home has had on the young people to the manager’s leadership and management style. Working closely with the local community, including the local mosque, has resulted in the young people developing a sense of belonging, security and purpose.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Arrangements in place to supervise the staff regularly follow the hierarchy within the home. Records relating to the acting manager’s own supervision are comprehensive and provide evidence that it is taking place regularly and that a wide range of topics are discussed. However, the format used to record supervision for all staff does not evidence clear decision-making or set specific actions or timescales. Similar shortfalls are noted with regards to new staff’s induction and probation records.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

By focusing attention on the day-to-day running of the home, the acting manager has provided consistency and stability for the staff team and the young people. This has been necessary and appropriate. However, as a result there have been some gaps in relation to the leadership and management tasks; this includes the regular formal monitoring of the quality of the care provided. This lack of wider strategic thinking runs the risk of compromising the continued development of 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 Inspection report children’s home: SC062317 6 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: SC062317 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Church Farm Offices, Station Road, Tring HP23 5RS

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Claudette Deysel

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Inspector

Amanda Harvey, social care regulatory inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC062317 8 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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