Children's Home run by Benjamin UK Ltd in Buckinghamshire

Interim inspection report children’s home: SC062317 1 SC062317 Registered provider: Benjamin UK Ltd Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children‟s 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

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged good at the last full inspection. At the interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has declined in effectiveness.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home has not had a registered manager or sufficient interim management arrangements since July 2016. Senior leaders have failed to notify Ofsted of all of the management changes, which have included four different managers since August 2017. A newly appointed manager, in post at the time of this inspection, had not received an induction, handover or training, despite having been in post for the last month. As a result, there has been no management scrutiny and oversight of the quality of care provided.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The new manager‟s lack of sufficient knowledge in relation to the underpinning legislation, regulations and quality standards was evident throughout this inspection. For example, he did not know the documentation required from a local authority when placing a young person. Senior managers had recognised this significant shortfall but had failed to take the required action to provide him with the necessary guidance, Interim inspection report children’s home: SC062317 2 support and training. He described having had only one supervision meeting in his first month, and having only two days off in four weeks, and he said that he was „exhausted‟. This example raises serious concerns about the provider‟s recruitment and induction practice for its managers.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

At this inspection, the new manager and a recently appointed quality assurance manager were unable to provide an update on the effectiveness of the staff team. Nor could they demonstrate the impact that the home has had upon the experiences and progress of the young people since the last inspection. However, they did share their concerns about their experiences of the wider operation and the culture of the organisation.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the previous inspection, senior managers have failed to provide a consistent and suitably trained workforce. Records viewed showed that the current staff team lacked the necessary skills, experience and qualifications required to deliver care in line with the underpinning model and ethos described in the statement of purpose. The records also showed that there had been a high turnover of staff, with only three of the team employed at the last inspection still in post. Consequently, the young people are not able to develop secure attachments with staff who know and understand their needs.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The degree of instability in the home is demonstrated by five young people placed under emergency arrangements and six young people moving out of the home in an unplanned way. The home‟s placement register states that these placements ended as a result of the staff team being unable to meet the young people‟s needs. Despite such a volatile and unsettling period, leaders and managers failed to provide the inspector with any further context as to the reasons for these placement breakdowns. Nor were they able to demonstrate that these occurrences had been reviewed or analysed. Consequently, poor admissions practice had become the norm.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The most recently placed young person is an example of the continuation of poor placement planning. This includes the failure by managers to obtain the relevant documentation from the placing authority and their failure to put internal plans and risk assessments in place. Managers had not considered whether the staff team could meet this young person‟s individual and complex needs. For example, the staff are not trained to work with young people who have Asperger syndrome and do not currently have the skills or knowledge to work with children at risk of child sexual exploitation. In addition, the impact risk assessment did not sufficiently explore the differing and competing needs of the young people, including the group dynamics and level of risk. This has resulted in staff members being unable to devote sufficient time and resources to each young person‟s individual needs.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The failure to implement sufficient safeguarding arrangements for the three young people currently living in the home, along with a lack of structure and routine, has resulted in actual incidents of young people harming each other. These, along with an increase in serious incidents, such as sexual and physical assault and self-harm, demonstrates the staff team‟s inability to keep young people safe on a day-to-day basis. This included the use of additional temporary staff, who were chaperoning, rather than proactively engaging with one young person. Interim inspection report children’s home: SC062317 3 The independent visitor has been highlighting concerns and identifying shortfalls over the past few months. This includes feedback from professionals who refer to the limited progress made by the young people. One such professional told the independent visitor that a young person had made „no progress‟. Leaders and managers have failed to

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Other than acknowledging the serious safeguarding risks and failings found by the inspector, leaders and managers were unable to demonstrate that these were identified prior to this inspection. This lack of awareness and inaction questions the competence of senior leaders and places the young people at serious risk of harm. Consequently, Ofsted is considering enforcement action, in order to protect and safeguard the young people.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/05/2017 Full Good 09/01/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness 18/05/2016 Full Requires improvement 05/01/2016 Interim Declined in 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

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children‟s home‟s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children‟s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 31/05/2018 Interim inspection report children’s home: SC062317 4 understand and apply the home‟s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home‟s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

protect and promote each child‟s welfare. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)) 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— that staff—

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child‟s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)) 31/05/2018

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children‟s home; and

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Requirement Due date

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—

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Requirement Due date

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)) 31/05/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children‟s home if—

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Requirement Due date

there is no registered manager in respect of the home; and

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Requirement Due date

the registered provider— is an organisation or a partnership; does not satisfy regulation 28; or is not, or does not intend to be, in day-to-day charge of the home. If the registered provider appoints a person to manage the 31/05/2018 Interim inspection report children’s home: SC062317 5 home, the registered provider must, without delay, give HMCI notice of— the name of the person so appointed; and the date on which the appointment takes effect. (Regulation 27 (1)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(2)(a)(b)) For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (“the Level 3 Diploma”); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home; or

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may defer the relevant date if the individual—

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Requirement Due date

does not work, or has not worked, in a care role in a home for a prolonged period; or

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Requirement Due date

works, or has worked, in a care role in a home on a part-time basis. (Regulation 32 (4)(a)(b)(5)(a)(b)(6)(a)(b)) 31/05/2018

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Requirement Due date

ensure that each employee completes an appropriate induction. (Regulation 33 (1)(a)) 31/05/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)) 31/05/2018

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Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children‟s home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must— 31/05/2018 Interim inspection report children’s home: SC062317 6 maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the records are kept up to date. (Regulation 37 (1)(2)(a)(b)) The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review“) at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children‟s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review (“the quality of care review report”).

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Requirement Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed; and

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Requirement Due date

make a copy of the quality of care review report available on request to a placing authority, if the placing authority is not the parent of a child accommodated in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1)(2)(a)(b)(c)(3)(4)(a)(b)(5)) 31/05/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)) 31/05/2018 Interim inspection report children’s home: SC062317 7

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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

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 Interim inspection report children’s home: SC062317 8 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:

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: http://www.gov.uk/ofsted

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