New Park Project (The)

Inspection report children’s home: SC065046 1 SC065046 Registered provider: Beaufort Care Group

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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 privately-owned children’s home is one of a group of four operated by the same company, all in the south of England. The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four children and young people who may 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 requires improvement to be good

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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: 15 December 2016

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Improved effectiveness

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

None. Inspection report children’s home: SC065046 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

 Two serious incidents took place while managers were on leave. Although staff dealt well with the incidents themselves, neither incident was recognised as a child protection matter. The incidents were, therefore, not notified as a child protection concern to the local authority or to Ofsted.  When these serious incidents took place, the young people’s risk assessments were not updated straight away. This means that the staff did not have quick access to the latest information to help them to keep the children and young people safe.  One out of the four young people has an incomplete placement plan. This plan lacks some basic information which would help the staff to give high-quality care. The other three placement plans are of a good standard.  Restraints are not always recorded in sufficient detail. This means that it is sometimes difficult to determine the exact sequence of events. This, in turn,

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Key findings from this inspection

makes management monitoring difficult. The manager does not always record his comments in detail on the restraint log.  The statement of purpose and children’s guide contain grammatical and spelling errors. This is a bad example to the young people.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The staff are very caring and supportive. The young people respond well to the staff and enjoy really good relationships.  The staff spend lots of time with the children and young people and consult them about their views. The quality of individual work is extremely good.  The company has a safe system of staff recruitment with good attention to detail. This enables the company to recruit a diverse staff team and to keep the children and young people safe from potentially unsuitable adults.  The staff are very experienced. Most are either qualified at level 3 in the care of children and young people, or enrolled on this award.  The staff work well together as a team. They are very well supported through supervision and training. The staff and manager receive regular clinical supervision to support their practice.  The building has been refurbished and redesigned to a high standard. It is a comfortable and homely place to live.

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Key findings from this inspection

Inspection report children’s home: SC065046 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/12/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 20/07/2016 Full Good 26/01/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 16/09/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC065046 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

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff 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 and manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other. (Regulation 12(1)(a)(i) and (iv)) 30/09/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes a description of the measure and its duration. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(iv)) 30/09/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child; are kept up to date; and are signed and dated by the author of each entry. In particular, ensure that all young people who are looked after in the home have an accurate and up-to-date placement plan. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c)) 30/09/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation; an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious; there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there; a child protection enquiry involving a child is instigated; or concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)) 30/09/2017 Inspection report children’s home: SC065046 5

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Recommendation

The children’s guide must be age-appropriate and provided in an accessible format. In particular, the guide should be reviewed to remove typing and grammatical errors. The guide should be checked for inappropriate content before being given to children. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 24, paragraph 4.21)

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improvement to be good

The home was closed in December 2016 for refurbishment. The former registered manager, staff and young people moved to another home under the same ownership. The newly refurbished home reopened in May 2017. Within the last three weeks, there was a period when two of the children and young people did not get along. The staff could not prevent a 15-year-old physically manhandling a nine-year-old to the ground. Although not physically harmed, the younger child must have been frightened by this incident. There are shortfalls in record-keeping. One out of the four young people has an incomplete placement plan. This plan lacks some basic information which would help the staff to give high quality care. For example, the history and chronology for the young person is blank. The acting manager explained that the key worker for this young person has been absent from work recently. Discussion took place about the need for the manager to

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improvement to be good

take responsibility for all of the placement plans and to ensure that they are kept up to date. This important task should not be affected by one person’s absence from work. A requirement has been made. The other three placement plans are of a good standard. They were written in consultation with the children and young people. They contain all the information required to help the staff to care for them to a high standard. The young people have made good progress since their arrival in the home. Some residents made very good progress with their alternative education tutors. They are now enrolled in school. Another young person, who was excluded from school, has now been readmitted. This means that he can now continue his education. Even the young people who are new to the home have settled quickly. They have a history of disrupted placements and risk-taking. Since the young people arrived, there have been no

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improvement to be good

incidents and they have not gone missing. The home provides well-designed and comfortable accommodation for four children and young people. The bedrooms are spacious and light. The downstairs of the home has been redesigned to provide a spacious new kitchen. There are additional toilet facilities for the children and young people. They also have a laundry area outside, which saves Inspection report children’s home: SC065046 6 space in the kitchen. This represents a major improvement in comparison with the previous design. The children and young people enjoy a healthy diet. The food is home-cooked and nutritious. The home’s new kitchen provides good facilities for the children and young people. This gives them an incentive to prepare food and cook for themselves. This helps them to learn some skills that they will need when they become independent. Most of the children and young people are very active. Some go to the gym, while others

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improvement to be good

enjoy riding BMX bikes and have joined a team. This helps the child to develop relationships with other children and young people and to become involved in the community. The children and young people also enjoy walking, climbing and running. This helps to keep them all fit and healthy. Any young people with specific healthcare needs receive plenty of help and emotional support. Key-worker sessions are well recorded. This helps the staff and manager to track each child or young person’s progress. The children and young people do not usually enjoy house meetings. The staff offer these, but they are not held regularly. The residents have plenty of opportunities to put forward their views in other ways. All are confident and well able to approach the staff and chat to them. The home offers children and young people an independent advocacy service. This provides another source of support for them.

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improvement to be good

Over a two-day period in August, there were incidents of bullying and intimidation between a 15-year-old and a nine-year-old child. On 12 August, the young person was distressed about a personal matter. The younger child’s behaviour towards him triggered a violent outburst. He pursued the child up two flights of stairs, shouting, swearing and threatening him with violence. Staff acted swiftly to defuse the situation. A member of staff stayed with the younger child in his bedroom to support him. Other staff gathered outside and persuaded the young person to calm. The following day, the same young person again became angry. He manhandled the nine-year-old onto the ground. The incident report describes the child as being ‘thrown’, although this may not be accurately recorded. The staff challenged this assertively and stopped the incident from developing further. The young person apologised to his peer. There has been no repetition, but these

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improvement to be good

incidents must have been very frightening for a young child. This means that, for a time, his well-being was affected. Had it not been for the staff’s skill and experience, the situation could have been even worse. The inspector has no difficulty with the staff’s actions on the day. The problem lies in the staff’s failure to report these incidents to the social worker and to Ofsted. The safeguarding lead and the acting manager were on leave when the incidents took place. In their absence, no one deemed the incidents to be sufficiently serious to notify the Inspection report children’s home: SC065046 7 relevant authorities. Social workers receive weekly reports and have online access to the home’s electronic recording system. This means that the social worker would have found out about the incidents within a few days, but they should have been notified promptly. Ofsted found out about the incidents during this inspection. Failure to notify other agencies removes

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improvement to be good

an important check on the children and young people’s welfare. The children and young people’s risk assessments were not updated after these incidents took place. This means that the staff did not have quick access to the latest information to help them to keep the children and young people safe. The acting manager explained that they are reviewed monthly, rather than as needed. A requirement has been made. In other respects, the children and young people’s individual risk assessments are very detailed. In spite of the serious incidents three weeks ago, the young people generally get along reasonably well together. The acting manager assesses each prospective admission with his line manager. Clear compatibility risk assessments inform each new admission. Other health and safety practices in the home are well managed. Staff generally respond to the children and young people’s behaviour very well. They

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improvement to be good

have a practical system of rewards and consequences which are meaningful to each individual. The staff de-escalate most situations and use minimal restraint. When restraints have taken place, all but one has been carried out using approved methods. The exception to this was in extreme circumstances. A member of staff held a young person’s shoulders briefly to allow colleagues, who were under attack, to leave the room. This did not cause any harm to the young person. The acting manager discussed the hold during staff supervision. There has been no repetition, so no requirement has been made. There are shortfalls in how restraints are recorded. Some are recorded well, but occasionally the staff record minimal information. In one example, the description of the technique used contains only two staff initials and the word ‘arms’. This does not tell the reader what happened to the child or young person while being restrained.

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improvement to be good

The acting manager debriefs staff and the young person afterwards. He records the outcome of this in staff supervision notes, but not on the restraint record. This makes it difficult for other staff to see the manager’s comments and learn from them. A requirement has been made about restraint records. Other areas of safeguarding practice are good. The home has had no incidents where the children and young people have gone missing. The staff work hard to keep children and young people safe. They provide sound advice to help the children and young people to learn these skills for themselves.

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improvement to be good

Staff recruitment is exceptionally good. Since the last inspection, the company has further developed its safe recruitment practice. They carry out very detailed checks on applicants. For example, all gaps in employment history are followed up rigorously. Every aspect of the prospective appointment is scrutinised and, if necessary, risk assessed. This helps to make sure that only the most suitable people are appointed to work with Inspection report children’s home: SC065046 8 children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The home has been without a registered manager since 19 January 2017. The home was empty between the end of December 2016 and when it reopened, 17 weeks ago. The home initially admitted one young person, who came in crisis from another of the company’s homes. Numbers steadily increased and there are now four children and young people living there. The acting manager has been with the company for many years. He has a great deal of experience in practical childcare. He holds NVQ at level 4 in the care of children and young people. He is extremely child-centred and focused on their individual needs. The acting manager has now applied to Ofsted to be registered. The manager recognises that he and his team have some learning and development needs with regard to recording. These are described above, in terms of the placement planning and physical interventions. The home has a detailed statement of purpose, which describes the service well. There

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

are a number of minor typing errors in this document, as well as in the children’s guide. This is a poor example to the children and young people. The electronic version of the children’s guide also contains a web advertising logo, which has no relevance to the home. These documents should inform children, young people, parents and commissioners accurately. More attention to detail is required, so a recommendation has been made. The home has a full staff team and does not need to use agency personnel. This helps to provide continuity for the children and young people. Staff receive a good induction and continuing professional development. The acting manager supports his staff team very well. He has created a warm, nurturing and positive atmosphere in the home. This has undoubtedly contributed to the children and young people’s progress. Staff benefit from regular and supportive supervision. The team members also receive regular clinical supervision to help them to respond to the

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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 differences 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. Inspection report children’s home: SC065046 9 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

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Information about this inspection

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: SC065046 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Beaufort Care Group

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 42 Lytton Road, New Barnet, Barnet EN5 5BY

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Jennifer Kendall

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Inspector

Heather Chaplin, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC065046 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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