Children's home run by Benjamin UK Ltd

Inspection report children’s home: 1242111 1 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

The 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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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 21 to 22 November 2017

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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 requires improvement to be 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: Inadequate

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: None Inspection report children’s home: 1242111 2

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Key findings from this inspection

 Children are making progress in all aspects of their lives.  Safeguarding children is embedded into practice.  Leaders and managers are committed to change and have learned from previous shortfalls.

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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

 Monitoring arrangements are not effective in helping to drive improvements.  The statement of purpose does not accurately reflect what the service aims to deliver.  Supervision of staff does not provide sufficient opportunity to reflect on practice.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/06/2017 Full Inadequate Inspection report children’s home: 1242111 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

The leadership and management standard in particular requires the registered person to use the monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements to the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (2)(h)) 26/01/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (3)(a)(b)) 26/01/2018

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard requires the registered person to ensure that the staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (2)(c)) 26/01/2018

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):

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Recommendations

 Any individual appointed to carry out visits to the home as an independent person must make a rigorous and impartial assessment of the home’s arrangements for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the children in the home’s care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.5)  The registered person must have systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)  All staff must have their performance and fitness to carry out their role formally appraised at least once annually. This appraisal should take into account, where reasonable and practical, the views of other professionals who have worked with

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Recommendations

the staff member over the year and children in the home’s care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.5) Inspection report children’s home: 1242111 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from high levels of attention from staff who are committed to meeting their needs. The implementation of clear routines and boundaries has had a positive impact and has helped the children know and understand the expectations placed on them. The staff have also worked extremely hard at building strong relationships by putting the children at the centre of life in the home. This has resulted in children feeling settled and happy, and they are now engaging in all aspects of their care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Recently reviewed and updated plans underpin the staff’s approach on a day-to-day basis. The guidance for staff is now clear and the team is working hard to apply it consistently. This, along with other clear strategies, has significantly reduced the level of challenging incidents since the last inspection. As a result, the staff and managers are achieving their stated aims and beginning to develop a culture where the children can thrive in a safe and nurturing environment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Proactive staff and managers routinely involve the children in the day-to-day running of the home. This includes everything including menu planning, choosing activities and more recently staff recruitment. Children spoken to at the time of the inspection said that they, ‘could talk to the staff’ and that ‘they listen’. They also said that they had helped, ‘come up with rules that everyone is happy with’. This mutual respect was evident during the inspection process, contributing to the positive and caring atmosphere experienced.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are now making progress in all aspects of their lives, in particular health and education. The successful implementation of the diversion programme by the staff is helping the children to develop. Significant outcomes include children now eating a balanced diet, playing football regularly, stopping smoking and regularly attending the organisation’s school. One child is on track to be the first to achieve the highest level of recognition for their achievements across the organisation.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Parents feel fully supported to remain in regular contact with their children. Staff go out of their way to facilitate and accommodate arrangements. A parent spoken to at the time of the inspection said that her child, ‘has made a lot of progress’ and that she was, ‘extremely pleased’, and, ‘couldn’t ask for more’. She also said that, ‘it’s been a difficult couple of years’, and, ‘this is the best it’s ever been’.

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

Safeguarding children is embedded into practice. Informed staff know how to report concerns to the appropriate people within the organisation. However, new staff spoken to during the inspection were less clear about how they should report concerns externally, specifically in relation to allegations against members of staff. While this does Inspection report children’s home: 1242111 5 not appear to have had any negative impact, this lack of knowledge could potentially put children at risk.

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

Improvements in staff practice and procedures help keep the children safe. Leaders and managers have worked hard to ensure that the staff know what action to take, for example, in the event of a child going missing. The policy clearly outlines the protocol for the staff to follow for individual children. However, this has not been necessary, as there have been no incidents of this nature since the last inspection.

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

Well-thought-out risk assessments support children to take age-appropriate risks. This has included children being involved in discussions with the staff about risk ratings. For example, one child negotiated a reduction in their risk rating because there had been no incidents. This resulted in the child having free time to go to the local shops. It also further strengthened the trusting relationship between the child and the staff team.

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

Positive behaviour management underpins the work that the staff do with the children. Well-thought-out strategies help them to manage their emotions and learn coping mechanisms. While this does not mean that the children will not display challenging behaviour, it does mean that the staff work hard to understand the reasons for it. As a result, there have been no incidents of negative behaviour that required intervention from the police.

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

Where children have previously been involved in offending, this has now stopped. The staff have worked hard to support, guide and steer the children away from this type of behaviour. This has included encouraging children to work with allocated workers from the youth offending team. This has helped children to understand the consequences of their actions and has provided them with a support network.

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

The home has been without a registered manager for almost six months at the time of this visit. Interim management arrangements since then have been variable, which has affected the staff team. However, having recognised this, senior managers have recently appointed a new manager and an application is in progress with Ofsted for them to become the registered manager. This, along with their clear vision, has already improved staff morale and given the team a sense of stability for the future.

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

Since the last inspection, leaders and managers have taken effective action to address the previous shortfalls. A strategic plan clearly identifies the areas for development. Senior managers feel that they have learned lessons from the events leading up to the previous inadequate judgement and are committed to preventing a reoccurrence. This includes reviewing the statement of purpose and amending it to reflect changes in practice to ensure that children only move in to the home in a planned way.

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

Leaders and managers are proactively rebuilding relationships with the police and the local community. Regular meetings take place to discuss any concerns, and named staff Inspection report children’s home: 1242111 6 are available to contact at all times. Senior managers feel that there is now a shared understanding between everyone, which has had a positive impact on the staff and the children, including their feeling part of the local community. However, managers feel that there is still work needed in this area, which they plan to continue.

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

Improved recruitment processes focus on the needs of the children. More consideration by managers of the suitability of new staff has ensured that they have the required skills and experience to carry out their roles effectively. The managers have also followed the safer recruitment guidance, which means that they have all been through thorough and rigorous interviews and checks. As a result, the home is now fully and ably staffed.

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

Managers have focused on ensuring that training is up to date for all of the staff. A clear process now tracks attendance and sends reminders when courses are due. However, there is currently no evidence of evaluating learning and therefore it is difficult to identify what the staff know or understand about specific topics. This is also the case when determining whether training leads to effective practice or competent staff.

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

Weak supervision arrangements do not meet the required standards. Not all supervisors have had training to enable them to deliver reflective supervision. There are also shortfalls in relation to the content and quality. Records lack measurable outcomes and timescales. Furthermore, the frequency of supervision for new staff is not clear or consistent. Despite this, the staff said that they feel supported and regularly discuss their practice with the managers.

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

Managers are making moderate progress in relation to staff appraisals. Meetings are starting to take place using a newly developed template to guide discussion. However, supervisors have not received training in the execution of the new format. This has led to some staff receiving the wrong rating within the company’s performance management system. Equally, there are no specific targets. Therefore, the staff do not have a clear plan as to how they can develop personally and/or professionally.

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

Current monitoring arrangements, both internally and externally, are disjointed. The independent visitor’s reports provide an audit of the service but no real evaluation of what the deficits mean. They also lack challenge and scrutiny. In addition, internal reviews by managers do not link to other plans and are not part of an overall system. This practice does not help drive improvements or match the commitment demonstrated by managers during the inspection process.

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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 Inspection report children’s home: 1242111 7 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: 1242111 8

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Children’s home details

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

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Claudette Deysel

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Inspector

Amanda Harvey, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1242111 9 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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