New Park Project (The)

Inspection report children’s home: SC065046 1 SC065046 Registered provider: Beaufort Care Group Interim 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 homes, all of which are operated by the same company and situated in the south-west 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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Information about this children’s home

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Information about this children’s home

Date of last inspection: 5 September 2017

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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 to be good at the last full inspection. At the interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has sustained effectiveness. Requirements from the previous inspection have been met.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The quality of the interior of the home has deteriorated since the previous inspection. Leaders and managers identify that the interior of the home requires improvement. In places, both in the home and in the garden, the home lacks personalisation; there are no photographs of the children on display and there is no sense that children live here. Some of the walls are bare due to damage that has occurred to pictures, which staff have not yet replaced. Maintenance work has not been carried out in order to resolve some issues, such as writing remaining on a bedroom door and the use of a bedsheet as a curtain, which is detrimental to creating a positive environment for children to live in.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

During a tour of the home, the registered manager and the inspector identified a failure by the staff on duty to manage potential risks and provide all of the children with a safe environment. Staff did not challenge a child who had been smoking in the lounge. In one Inspection report children’s home: SC065046 2 bathroom, a razor had been left in the bottom of the shower; this bathroom is also used by a younger child in the home. A broken plastic box and a damaged wooden drawer both have sharp edges that could cause injury. Leaders and managers have not taken effective action to assess the potential risk one child’s belongings may pose to the other child who lives in the home. On two occasions, a younger child has set items alight in the home using an older child’s cigarette lighter. Staff were swift to manage this immediate risk, but there is no longer-term plan in place to prevent it from happening

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Leaders and managers understand most of the strengths and weaknesses of the home. Staff receive supervision that reflects on their practice and identifies areas in which they need to improve. If staff are not meeting the requirements of their role, leaders and managers support them to make progress through performance management reviews. The registered manager recognises that the staff team is new and still establishing itself. Staffing arrangements are sufficient to meet the needs of the children. The registered manager understands the relationships children build with certain members of staff and for one child he plans the staffing rotas around this, which has had a positive impact on the progress this child is making.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Too many incidents have occurred where one child has been harmed by another. Leaders and managers take action to stop this from occurring which has, at times, resulted in the restraint of a child to protect another. Following these incidents, the registered manager has worked with other professionals to review the suitability of children living together, and has implemented new strategies to minimise the risk of incidents reoccurring. Behaviour support plans and risk assessments detail the new information and strategies well. After an incident, leaders and managers analyse what happened, and identify the cause of the incident and learning points for the staff. Leaders’ and managers’ recording of this analysis lacks clarity and detail, and fails to show the level of understanding that they hold about the children.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The frequency of children going missing from home is decreasing. Some incidents have occurred where children have left the home together following disruptive events in the home. Staff followed the children and stayed with them. Risk assessments provide staff with strategies for distracting children from becoming involved in each other’s disruptive behaviour. When a child is missing, staff instigate the missing-from-home protocol well, and work closely with other professionals to find the child and bring them home. Leaders and managers do not have access to the information held in the independent return home interviews; therefore, they are unable to use this information to update risk assessments.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff have a sufficient understanding of child protection to know when to report concerns about a child’s safety. Leaders and managers report child protection concerns appropriately to the designated officer or local authority. Child protection records are well maintained, and include clear outcomes.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection report children’s home: SC065046 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/09/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 15/12/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 20/07/2016 Full Good 26/01/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness

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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

6: The quality and purpose of care standard

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home;

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Requirement Due date

In particular, improve the quality of the home, both internally and in the garden, to make it more homely and personalised. 28/03/2018

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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.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account 28/03/2018 Inspection report children’s home: SC065046 4 information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

In particular, review the home to ensure it provides a safe environment for all children. This includes ensuring broken furniture is removed and replaced.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure children understand rules and boundaries about their personal belongings and how they may pose a risk to other children living in the home such as cigarette lighters and razors.

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure records detail leaders and managers monitoring, analysis and learning. 28/03/2018

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Recommendations

 Ensure leaders and managers understand the content of independent return home interviews to enable them to take account of information provided by such interviews when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30)

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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 Inspection report children’s home: SC065046 5 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

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

Nicola Lownds, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC065046 6 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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