Children's home run by Newrays Care Services Limited

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1241861 1

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Newrays Care Service Ltd

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A small private company operates this children’s home. Ofsted has registered it to take up to four children who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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This monitoring visit

On 30 November 2017, Ofsted undertook an interim inspection. It found that the quality of the service had declined and there were concerns about the safety and welfare of children. Ofsted made 10 requirements, one of which was subject to a compliance notice. A restriction of accommodation notice was also issued. Ofsted undertook this inspection to monitor adherence to the compliance notice and to the restriction of accommodation.

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This monitoring visit

The restriction of accommodation applies from 1 December 2017 to 23 February 2018. The company has adhered to this notice and has not admitted any new children. The same two children are in residence and benefit significantly from the lower number of occupants. Ofsted will keep the notice under review.

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This monitoring visit

The last inspection identified serious shortfalls in how the staff managed the substantial risks posed by the children. Ofsted set a short timescale for the management team to remedy the situation. It has achieved this. As a result, staff understand children’s risks in detail, record them precisely, and act to reduce them. Staff liaise closely with other agencies and children’s families in order to agree on effective measures. This has reduced risk and there have been fewer negative incidents, which keeps children safer.

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This monitoring visit

The manager, in particular, is applying clear boundaries to children’s activities. For example, children are starting to understand how to earn free time. There are clear parameters about how children can earn free time, how they spend it, and where it may occur. This protects children and guides them towards positive activities. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1241861 2 The last inspection set longer timescales for the company to address other shortfalls, for example improving the maintenance of the house, ensuring that children make measurable progress in their education, and ensuring the continuity of care of children. Ofsted will keep these issues under review.

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This monitoring visit

During this visit, Ofsted identified additional shortfalls. The statement of purpose describes the service and is available on a website, as required. However, it gives the location of the service. This places children and staff at potential risk and demonstrates a lack of awareness of this safeguarding issue by the responsible individual. The responsible individual is taking action to address this. In addition, the responsible individual is reviewing the home’s statement of purpose for clarity and accuracy so that it reflects the service’s actual capability and capacity.

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This monitoring visit

The maintenance of the property is not always maintained to an acceptable standard throughout. The staff are not sufficiently well organised to keep the house adequately clean inside and outside or to address an unpleasant smell in communal areas. Heavily soiled outside windows give a poor impression. The responsible individual and all other staff tolerate this unacceptable standard, which is a poor model for the children. Hasps and padlocks protect several cupboards in the home. This type of lock is not of an acceptable domestic standard. Along with notices on the office doors, these shortfalls give an institutional feel to the home. Maintenance and redecoration is ongoing. The standard in most areas is satisfactory. However, some bedroom furniture, for example the children’s wardrobes, requires repair or replacement.

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This monitoring visit

The home has oil-fired central heating. However, staff recently allowed the fuel supply to run out. Although they have rectified this, this lack of planning is particularly concerning during winter and shows children a lack of care. This inspection occurred during the Christmas holidays when both children were at home. Nevertheless, one large communal room was particularly cold and therefore unavailable to children. This does not provide the necessary homely environment. In addition, the new manager is not sufficiently familiar with all areas of the house, including the storage of hazardous substances, or the systems that staff use, such as linen storage. This is an important deficit in the effective supervision of staff and the monitoring and improvement of the service.

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This monitoring visit

The turnover of staff has continued throughout 2017, and other staff have resigned. The last inspection identified shortfalls in this area. This jeopardises the vital relationships between staff and children. The children are aware of this shortfall, which undermines their trust in staff. All the day staff, apart from the manager and deputy manager, are unqualified. This means that even shift leaders are relatively inexperienced in residential childcare. Consequently, they do not meet the therapeutic objectives, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose, as well as possible. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1241861 3 The new manager and deputy manager started in October and apply energy and ambition to the service but require more time to consolidate the team and solve the problems. The manager has submitted her registration application to Ofsted in a timely way. She is reviewing the rotas, the use of the deputy manager’s hours, and

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This monitoring visit

the competence of each member of the team. This is to ensure that competent staff and leaders are on every shift, day and night.

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This monitoring visit

Ofsted has made additional requirements and a recommendation and carried forward the outstanding requirements from the last inspection. The restriction of accommodation remains in place.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 30/11/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness 23/05/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1241861 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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

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. (Regulation 5(c)) 30/01/2018

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children. (Regulation 6(1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

This is with regard to staff undertaking effective planning of each shift and keeping the property clean inside and out. 30/01/2018

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably; and ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are furnished so as to meet the needs of each child. (Regulations 6(1)(a)(2)(b)(vii) and 6(2)(c)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that there is always sufficient heating oil and replace or repair damaged bedroom furniture. 30/01/2018

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff— 30/01/2018 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1241861 5 support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study; maintain regular contact with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child’s education and training and to maximise the child’s achievement. (Regulation 8 (1)(2)(a)(ii)(vi)) 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.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to help each child to develop socially aware behaviours. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a)(ii)) 30/01/2018

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is to ensure that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered provider to ensure 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. (Regulation 12 (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the company’s website does not identify the location of the home. 30/01/2018

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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 aspire to fulfil their potential and promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child; use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(e)(h)) 30/01/2018

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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 promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the 30/01/2018 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1241861 6 registered person to 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. Regulation 13 (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager must be familiar with all parts of the home, how the home is run, and ensure that each shift is managed effectively. The care planning standard is that children receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and have a positive experience of arriving at or moving from the home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person should ensure that when considering the admission of a young person that they fully consider all relevant information to determine that staff are able to meet the child’s needs. Consideration should also be given to the compatibility with existing children and any steps needed to manage this. 30/01/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicine received into the children’s home. (Regulation 23 (1)) 30/01/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that within 48 hours of the measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, the registered person has spoken to the user about the measure, and has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and within 5 days of the measure the registered person adds to the record to confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(b) (i)(ii)(c)) 30/01/2018

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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. (Regulation 36 (a))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered provider should ensure that copies of local authority care plans and personal education plans are on file. 30/01/2018

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Recommendations

 Ensure that the home complies with relevant health and safety legislations (alarms, food hygiene etc.); however, in doing so, homes should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) This is with regard to replacing the padlocks and hasps that are in the home. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1241861 7

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Newrays Care Service Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Sinckot House, 211 Station House, Harrow HA1 2TP

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Inspector

David Morgan, social care inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1241861 8 to 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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