Children's home run by Aurora Care and Education Opco Limited

Interim inspection report children’s home: 1243958 1 Registered provider: Aurora Care and Education Opco Limited Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The children‟s home provides care and accommodation for up to 48 children who have learning and physical disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement

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Information about this children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged requires improvement at the last full inspection. At the interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has sustained effectiveness.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home received a full inspection on 17 July 2017. Overall, it has continued to operate well and provide stability and care for children.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the last inspection, the manager has successfully undergone the registration process with Ofsted. In a relatively short period of time, he has successfully addressed the vast majority of the requirements made at the last inspection. In particular, while accepting that there have been staff changes during this period, the use of agency staff has reduced. As a result, children are being provided with much more consistency of care.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The staff seen during the tour of the homes were engaged with the children and clearly knew their needs well. In particular, inspectors noted that the staff who were caring for a child with significantly complex needs were responsive, knew what to do to soothe her and knew why she might be agitated. Support is responsive to children‟s health needs and used to good effect. Interim inspection report children’s home: 1243958 2 The registered manager has introduced a new monitoring and tracking system. Early indicators are that this system will enhance the overall monitoring and reviewing of the home and the progress of children. It does, however, require further time to embed as inspectors found some restraint records, and records relating to comments a child is said to make about staff, which were incomplete, indicating that these records are not sufficiently monitored.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children‟s plans identify risks and associated strategies that staff should use to care for them. However, some of these plans contain a lot of description and do not link effectively to children‟s long-term goals and objectives. One child‟s plan did not clearly describe the impact of a sensory diagnosis and how staff should specifically care for this child because of this diagnosis. Management oversight of some records, for example body maps, is insufficient, as they lacked detail and were incorrectly completed.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Complaints raised during this inspection period have been investigated and appropriately dealt with. A newly introduced tracking system provides an auditable trail of serious incidents.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the last inspection, a good amount of refurbishment has taken place. Most of the children are now living in homes that are homely and have a domestic feel to them. Bedrooms are personalised and living rooms and kitchens are clean and tidy. Further refurbishment remains in progress, and as a result one home does not have the same fresh feel and look as the refurbished homes. This home is due to close and it is planned that children will move to a refurbished home. Children who live in one home are subject to some environmental restrictions, such as wardrobes and doors being locked. Staff do not have plans in place to move away from this approach, which would help children to have greater independence where possible. In one house, the kitchen door is locked on occasions in response to one child‟s behaviour. Staff do not keep records about when this happens and are unable therefore to identify any trends or patterns and/or

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

progress. Furthermore, inspectors found a number of areas, for example scaffolding, rubble and hanging cables in the home‟s grounds, that were a risk to the children. The registered manager assured the inspectors that these hazards would be made safe.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

A high proportion of the children living in the home have very complex needs, requiring medication and physical support. For these children, the systems are safe and there is sufficient skilled staffing to meet their needs. In the case of the small number of medication errors noted, staff have received refresher training and an additional layer of scrutiny is in place. In addition, since the last inspection, a new medication storage and administration system has been introduced. Since its introduction, medication errors have reduced.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/07/2017 08/11/2016 Full Full Requires improvement Requires improvement Interim inspection report children’s home: 1243958 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 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 the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child‟s health. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(d)) 30/03/2018

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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. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(2)(h)) 30/03/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which are kept up to date; and are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(b)(c)) 30/03/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that children can access all appropriate areas of the children‟s home‟s premises; and any limitation placed on a child‟s privacy or access to any area of the home‟s premises is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (b)(c)(iii)(iv)) 30/03/2018 Interim inspection report children’s home: 1243958 4

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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.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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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‟.

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Children’s home details

Provision sub-type: Residential special school

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Aurora Care and Education Opco Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 33 Holborn, London EC1N 2HT

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Inspectors

Linda Bond, social care inspector Steve Lowe, social care inspector Paula Lahey, social care inspector Interim inspection report children’s home: 1243958 5 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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