Children's home run by SWAAY Child & Adolescent Services Ltd in Sutton

Interim inspection report children’s home: SC431807 1 SC431807 Registered provider: SWAAY Child and Adolescent Services Limited Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The service is a four-bedded children’s home registered for boys who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home is owned and operated by a private organisation that specialises in the assessment and treatment of male adolescents who have experienced abuse. The organisation also provides education and therapeutic interventions.

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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

Date of last inspection: 1 November 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 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

Following the last full inspection in November 2017, four requirements were made in order to address the breaches of regulation and improve practice. Shortfalls in the standard of practice had been identified in help and protection, leadership and management, the provision of staff training and record-keeping relating to the physical restraint of young people. The actions taken since the last inspection have resulted in some improvements being made, but overall, practice in the home has not yet reached a good standard.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Although managers and staff demonstrate a commitment to keeping young people safe, the processes for ensuring that this happens are not consistently effective. Young people’s individual risk assessments rely heavily on young people being under constant Interim inspection report children’s home: SC431807 2 staff supervision to prevent them coming to harm and insufficient consideration is given to developing additional strategies. For example, where it has been identified that there is a risk that a young person could harm one of his peers, the associated risk assessment does not address issues such as the location of the young people’s bedrooms, the potential for young people to avoid being supervised or giving young people the opportunity to discuss their peer relationships privately in key-work sessions.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

In one case, the strategies in a young person’s missing from care risk assessment were not followed when the young person left the home without permission. Consequently, staff did not follow the young person when he left the home, and the young person subsequently placed himself in a potentially dangerous situation.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Despite these shortfalls, there have been some positive developments in the areas of risk assessment and risk management. All young people now have an individual child sexual exploitation (CSE) risk assessment. These contain effective measures for reducing risk, such as young people’s attendance on a CSE awareness raising course. Following completion of the course, an assessment is made of the young person’s understanding of the course content, and this provides an indication of how vulnerable the young person is to becoming exploited.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager has taken steps to ensure that some young people’s individual risk assessments, pertaining to complex behaviours, are succinct. However, they still contain sufficient information to alert staff to the severity of the risk and the action they should take to minimise the potential for the young person to come to harm.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

At the inspection in November 2017, a requirement was made to ensure that staff take effective action when there is a serious concern for a young person’s welfare. Staff have not consistently achieved this. On one occasion, a vulnerable young person became upset following a verbal disagreement with a member of staff. At the time, there was only the one member of staff on duty, with three young people present, throughout the day. The member of staff failed to check the welfare of the young person following their disagreement. It was later discovered that the young person had left the home, undetected, five hours earlier.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

There has been a change of home manager since the last inspection. In November 2017, Ofsted was processing an application from the then manager, to become registered. This manager subsequently withdrew her application to Ofsted. The home’s deputy manager, who has previously been a registered manager with Ofsted, became the full-time manager of the home on the day of this inspection. She is in the process of submitting an application to become the registered manager.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The standard of leadership and management during this time of transition has been variable. At this inspection, the current manager, who has been in the deputy manager role throughout this period, did not have a detailed knowledge of the behaviour previously displayed by a young person who was admitted to the home in November 2017. This young person was transferred from another of the organisation’s homes, partly as a result of the unsafe behaviours he had engaged in. Interim inspection report children’s home: SC431807 3 Prior to this young person’s admission, senior staff had undertaken an assessment of the likely impact of the placement on other young people already living in the home. However, this assessment was not of a high standard. For example, it took no account of the fact that a young person already living at the home was said to be ‘traumatised’ after being exposed to behaviours similar to those previously displayed by the young

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

person being admitted. However, following the new young person moving into the home, staff have been observant in terms of the developing relationship between the young people.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Leaders’ and managers’ response to serious incidents has been mixed. The former manager challenged effectively a member of staff who was insensitive in his interactions with a young person, during formal supervision, but did not ensure that the practice issue was discussed with the whole team in a staff meeting. Systems for monitoring the quality of care being provided are still not consistently effective. For example, when the former manager reviewed a missing person incident report, she did not identify that strategies in the young person’s risk assessment had not been followed, and took no action to address the shortfall. On a more positive note, the organisation’s registered individual facilitated a meeting with the young people to specifically address the dangers of going missing from the home.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

At the full inspection in November 2017, a requirement was made to ensure that sufficient staff are on duty to care for each young person. A risk assessment is undertaken in respect of staff working alone with young people. At the time when it was discovered that a young person had left the home undetected, referred to earlier in this report, the risk assessment indicated that if a member of staff was alone with three young people for more than three hours, a second member of staff would come on duty. This did not happen on the occasion the young person went missing. An investigation was undertaken by managers following this incident. If the risk assessment that was in place at the time this incident occurred had been adhered to, the young person could have been supported more effectively.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

All staff have now either received, or are booked onto, training that provides them with the skills to undertake low-level physical interventions should these become necessary to prevent a young person coming to harm. Managers have actively sought staff training courses related to the organisation’s model of care. A relevant course will be provided in April 2018, and in the meantime the organisation’s head of care has ensured that other training being delivered reflects the model of care implemented across the organisation.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

No physical interventions have been used by staff to manage young people’s behaviour since the last inspection. Therefore, the requirement made at the last inspection, in relation to keeping detailed records of physical restraints, could not be fully explored at this inspection. A new template has been designed for recording physical interventions, and if this is completed in detail when a physical intervention does occur, then the requirement should be fully met.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

In recent weeks, two care staff have resigned from their posts and there is also a Interim inspection report children’s home: SC431807 4 vacancy for a deputy manager. Although the organisation is actively recruiting new staff, the manager anticipates having to use agency cover staff in the near future. One agency member of staff has been used to cover waking night duties since the last inspection. This agency member of staff did not have a residential childcare qualification.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Despite the shortfalls identified at this inspection, there continue to be many areas of good practice. As a result, young people are engaging positively with their education and therapeutic programmes. This is a significant achievement for these young people, who have experienced significant disruption and trauma in their lives. A particular area of strength is the organisation’s commitment to ensuring that young people have the opportunity to engage safely with their local communities and avoid becoming isolated. Consequently, young people are enjoying new experiences and pursuing their personal interests and hobbies.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/11/2017 Full Requires improvement 19/10/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 01/06/2016 Full Good 04/01/2016 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

In order to meet the protection of children standard, the registered person must ensure: (2)(a)(i) that staff – 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; (2)(a)(vi) take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. This is with specific reference to the assessment and 04/05/2018 Interim inspection report children’s home: SC431807 5 management of risk and the supervision of vulnerable children. 13: The leadership and management standard

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the leadership and management standard the registered person must: enable, inspire and lead a culture in relation to the children’s home that – (1)(b) promotes their welfare; (2)(a) 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; (2)(c) ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; (2)(d) ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child; (2)(h) use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. This is with specific reference to the manager’s knowledge of children’s unsafe behaviours, taking effective action following a serious event, staff interactions with children, ensuring that staffing levels are consistent with risk assessments and the effective use of monitoring systems.

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Recommendations

 All staff in a care role, including external agency or bank staff, must have the qualification in regulation 32(4) within the relevant timescale listed in regulation 32(5). (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.12)  The registered person should only accept placements for children where they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs as recorded in the child’s relevant plans and where they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4) Interim inspection report children’s home: SC431807 6

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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: SWAAY Child and Adolescent Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 591 London Road, Sutton, Surrey SM3 9AG

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Inspector

Stephen Collett, social care inspector Interim inspection report children’s home: SC431807 7 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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