Children's Home run by Serenity Care Homes Ltd in Hampshire

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC487165 1 SC487165

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Serenity Care Homes Ltd

Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. A private company owns and operates this home, plus one other in the vicinity. The home is located in a semi-rural location within easy access of the local services and community.

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This monitoring visit

This visit took place as a result of information received from partner agencies. Notifications received from managers did not give sufficient detail; they lacked clarity and analysis and did not provide a clear account of the plans in place to mitigate and prevent recurrences of incidents. The home is currently subject to a restriction notice, which was issued on 17 March 2018. Inspectors visited the home to review two specific incidents dating from 8 and 9 March 2018 and 19 March 2018 and to determine whether appropriate action had been taken in response to these incidents.

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This monitoring visit

Inspectors found that the actions taken and the plans put in place by the registered manager were not sufficient to safeguard children. This highlighted deficiencies in his level of skill and knowledge. The responsible individual and service manager are aware of this and are currently seeking to support him to improve.

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This monitoring visit

The specific concerns related to a poor response to the safeguarding incident of the 8 and 9 March 2018. Staff did not report the significant concerns arising from the incident to the relevant agencies in a timely manner. They did not take sufficient steps to protect vulnerable young people living in the home and other young people in the community. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC487165 2 The action plan produced for a placing authority following the incident stated, ‘We will seek to engage [young person] through activities in his weekly plan but I expect [young person] will abscond or attempt to abscond from the home.’ When asked about the wording, the registered manager said he was being ‘realistic’. The wording is negative and the plan does not show that sufficient measures were being put in place to protect and care for the young person.

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This monitoring visit

Further, the registered manager was confused about the pre-placement information regarding the young person. He said that the young person had had an assessment regarding sexually harmful behaviours prior to the placement starting. The information from the local authority clearly states that such an assessment was not deemed necessary. In addition, the local authority indicated that work was carried out with the young person in relation to these concerns, but the home did not have information regarding the detail of this. It is of concern that the registered manager had not previously chased this information. The registered manager did not have a sufficient level of knowledge about the young people in his care.

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This monitoring visit

Young people’s plans with regard to strategies to take should young people go missing have been updated regularly and reflect current concerns. It was noted that one young person’s curfew times were inconsistent across documents. Staff were in agreement that his curfew time was 19:00. The registered manager had not identified this discrepancy through monitoring. The manager had not ensured that these plans gave details of the distance from the home that one young person was able to go before he breached conditions for court-imposed electronic surveillance measures. This is essential information to ensure that staff know whether the young person has left the property overnight, but may be within the immediate area.

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This monitoring visit

Records showed that other than the issues noted above, staff had followed appropriate processes when young people were missing from the home on other occasions.

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This monitoring visit

Staff had taken appropriate action on 19 March 2018 when young people went missing. The police were called immediately, and the specialist police officer for missing, exploited and trafficked people was also contacted to ensure that the young people were reported as missing.

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This monitoring visit

Inspectors noted a potential concern with the electronic recording system. Records for both of the young people being missing from the home are held in draft until they return, in order for staff to update the chronology. This means that it can be amended at any time without a record of the amendment. The responsible individual and service manager agreed to change this process so that staff will now submit anything they record to the manager to view. They will then be able to reopen the document, showing exactly what has been recorded at which time.

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This monitoring visit

During the visit, inspectors saw staff go outside with the young people going for a Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC487165 3 cigarette. Staff supervise young people and take the car keys with them in case they need to follow young people. Staff said this was their usual practice.

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This monitoring visit

The inspectors noted that the young people in placement were responding to staff instruction and that relationships were in the main positive. However, the responsible individual and service manager agreed that the staff did not have the necessary skills or experience to care for some of the young people placed. One young person moved on from the home on the day of the inspection.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 08/01/2018 Interim Declined in effectiveness 11/07/2017 Full Good 06/02/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness 08/08/2016 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC487165 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 staff— seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans; seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs; 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; and seek to develop and maintain effective professional relationships with such persons, bodies or organisations as the registered person considers appropriate having regard to the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the children’s home is to provide care and accommodation. (Regulation 5 (a)(b)(c)(d))

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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; understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(e)(f))

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Requirement Due date

This includes, but is not exclusive to, having clear, unedited records and being aspirational for those in the home’s care. 13/04/2018 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC487165 5 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 on from the home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose; (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that the needs of young people can be met by the current staff team, giving realistic consideration to skills and training; seeking all relevant information prior to placement, including reports by partner agencies. 13/04/2018

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

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Serenity Care Homes Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Greenacres, Silver Street, Hordle, Lymington, Hampshire SO41 0FN

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Inspectors

Jennie Christopher, social care inspector Jacqueline Georghiou, social care inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC487165 6 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 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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