Children's home run by Medway Council in Medway

Inspection report children’s home: SC066166 1 SC066166 Registered provider: Medway Council

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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 home provides short breaks for up to five children at a time who have severe learning disabilities and who may have an associated physical disability and/or present challenging behaviour. Currently, there are 49 children registered with the service. The local authority, primary care trust and clinical commissioning group fund the home.

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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 serious and widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded, and 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: 20 December 2016

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: Good

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Enforcement action since last inspection

None Inspection report children’s home: SC066166 2

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Key findings from this inspection

This children’s home is inadequate because:

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staff have worked with children without full vetting procedures being completed.  The induction of new staff has not ensured that they have the training and skills needed to safely care for the children. This has left children exposed to potential harm.  Leadership in the service has been divisive and disruptive. This has undermined team working and the effective running of the service.  Managers’ responses to safeguarding incidents have been poor and lessons learned have not been used to improve the service.

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Key findings from this inspection

 A small core of committed staff has maintained a basic service during a period of significant disruption and uncertainty.  Newly appointed staff display commitment to the service and focus on the well- being of the children.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/12/2016 Full Good 01/06/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 02/02/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness 09/09/2015 Full Requires improvement Inspection report children’s home: SC066166 3

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

12. (1) The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— (a) that staff— (i) assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child; (ii) help each child to understand how to keep safe; (iii) have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm; (iv) manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other; (v) understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; (vi) take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and (vii) are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child

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Requirement Due date

13. (1) The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that— (a) helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and (b) promotes their welfare. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 25/09/2017 Inspection report children’s home: SC066166 4 (a) lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose; (b) ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate; (c) ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; (d) ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child; (e) ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child; In particular, ensure that each shift has sufficient staff with the

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Requirement Due date

knowledge and skills necessary to care for the children staying at that time. *32. (1) The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety. (2) The registered person may only— (a) employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or (b) if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3). (3) The requirements are that— (a) the individual is of integrity and good character; (b) the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform; (c) the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and (d) full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the

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Requirement Due date

individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32(1) and (2)(a)(b) and (3)(a)(b)(c)(d)) In particular, ensure that all recruitment files contain the evidence that safer recruitment requirements are fully met. Also, to ensure that policies and procedures for the safe recruitment of staff are fully implemented, monitored and audited. 25/09/2017

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Requirement Due date

33. (1) The registered person must— 25/09/17 Inspection report children’s home: SC066166 5 (a) ensure that each employee completes an appropriate induction; and (b) ensure that each permanent appointment of an employee is subject to the satisfactory completion of a period of probation. In particular, review the induction of recently appointed staff and ensure that all actions necessary to confirm completion of a satisfactory probation period are undertaken. 33. (2) The registered person must operate a disciplinary procedure which, in particular— (a) provides for the suspension from work of an employee if necessary in the interests of the safety or welfare of children. In particular, review any significant incidents that have occurred during this inspection period and implement any measures that may be applicable. 25/09/17

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Requirement Due date

33. (4) The registered person must ensure that all employees— (b) receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. 25/09/17

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Requirement Due date

40. (4) The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if— (a) a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation; (b) an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious; (c) there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there; (d) a child protection enquiry involving a child— (i) is instigated; or (ii) concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or (e) there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. 25/09/17

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Requirement Due date

* This requirement is the subject of a compliance notice. Inspection report children’s home: SC066166 6

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

New staff are inadequately prepared to understand and meet the complex needs of the children in their care. Key information about children’s communication, dietary and personal care needs is not readily available to staff. Information that is available is often outdated and unclear. Staff are unable to provide children with the care that they need to keep them safe or help them achieve their potential. For example, staff without training in managing epilepsy were working with children who have this diagnosis. New staff are given insufficient time to learn and understand the complex needs of the children before working directly with them. Not all staff are aware of the methods of communication used by the children. This makes it difficult for the children to form secure and trusted relationships with staff or effectively communicate their wishes and feelings. Plans for children’s stays are unclear, unspecific or absent. Important issues such as

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

managing hygiene and addressing challenging behaviours are not sufficiently detailed in children’s plans. As a result, some staff do not have sufficient knowledge to meet the children’s needs. Opportunities to increase independence and expand dietary and activity choices are being missed. Children are not benefiting from joined-up working between the service, their school and parents/carers to help them make progress and overcome difficulties. There is no system in place to provide parents and carers with timely feedback on their child’s stay, or of feedback from parents and carers being sought or provided. This limits children’s progress and makes building on achievements and gains and sustaining progress difficult.

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

Standards of safeguarding practice have been significantly compromised and this has left vulnerable children at unacceptable levels of risk. Significant shortfalls were identified in recruitment practices. These included:  evidence of name changes not being verified  references not being verified  the authenticity of some questionable references not being challenged. Records showed that at least five members of staff, one promoted to a key managerial role, were appointed and working with children without the requirements for safer recruitment having been met. The inadequate arrangements made for the induction of new staff have exposed the children to further risks. Eight new staff have started working with children without having completed a satisfactory induction. New staff have not completed key mandatory training, such as child protection for complex needs, epilepsy safety and the Inspection report children’s home: SC066166 7

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

administration of medication. In addition to the increased safety risks for the children, this has placed an additional burden on experienced staff who are undertaking the necessary tasks to care for the children, as well as supervising and guiding inexperienced staff. Key documents do not contain sufficient detail to guide staff. Most risk management plans are outdated and important information is difficult to access. This makes it difficult for staff to respond appropriately to issues of emerging risk, such as triggers for self- injurious behaviours, and leaves children vulnerable to harm from avoidable incidents. A failure by staff to apply risk plans and follow standard procedures led to an incident that could have resulted in serious injury to children and staff. This incident has not been fully investigated in accordance with the home’s procedures. Consequently, learning has not been sufficient to identify failings in practice, training needs or to

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

improve services. This leaves children at risk of similar incidents occurring again. Untrained staff have prepared meals and not followed hygiene procedures, leaving children at risk of ill-health.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There have been wholesale failures by managers and leaders at all levels of the organisation. Unsafe recruitment practice has not been fully rectified, despite senior managers being alerted to concerns some months ago. As a result, children using the service have continued to be exposed to possible risk. Staff have not been able to work effectively as a team and this has undermined their capacity to maintain a proper focus on the welfare of children. The service has not been run in accordance with the statement of purpose. Serious allegations have been made against the appointed manager and the subsequent investigation is ongoing. The allegations include concerns such as nepotism and favouritism. Grievances against colleagues have been lodged and staff have expressed a general dissatisfaction with how the home is managed. Following the suspension of the manager, interim arrangements have been made. An

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

interim manager has been appointed who has very limited experience in residential care and does not have a thorough working knowledge of the regulations. She has been able to address some of the staffing dynamics through effective team meetings and has focused on ensuring that children are able to have their planned stays. Leaders and managers have failed to make sure that proper plans are in place that will ensure that children have a safe and beneficial stay that effectively meets their needs for respite, enjoyment, social development, and increased independence. There has been a widespread failure to provide staff with regular supervision and team meetings have been irregular, with minutes not being circulated. This has added to poor staff morale and cohesion. There are significant failures in making notifications to Ofsted in terms of regulation 40, within the required timeframe. A new management structure has very recently been put in place. The new interim

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

manager and his deputy fully recognise all the identified failings and shortfalls and Inspection report children’s home: SC066166 8 display an urgency to address these.

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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: SC066166 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Medway Council, Gun Wharf, Dock Road, Chatham, Kent ME4 4TR

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Inspector

John Pledger, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC066166 10 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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