Children's home run by New Forest Care Limited in Southampton

Inspection report children‟s home: SC063767 1 SC063767 Registered provider: New Forest Care Ltd.

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care and accommodation for up to four children. The statement of purpose states that the home specialises in the treatment of more challenging children who pose a specific risk to themselves and/or the community, whose placements elsewhere have broken down, or who are at risk of permanent exclusion.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since March 2017.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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requires improvement to be good

The children‟s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 6 February 2018

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: two compliance notices were issued on 25 April 2018 under section 22a of the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report children‟s home: SC063767 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/02/2018 Full Inadequate 06/12/2016 Full Good 21/06/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 22/02/2016 Full Outstanding Inspection report children‟s home: SC063767 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

Engaging with the wider system to ensure children‟s needs are met 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; 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)(d)) 29/06/2018

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Requirement Due date

The enjoyment and achievement standard The enjoyment and achievement standard is that children take part in and benefit from a variety of activities that meet their needs and develop and reflect their creative, cultural, intellectual, physical and social interests and skills. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff help each child to— develop the child‟s interests and hobbies; participate in activities that the child enjoys and which meet and expand the child‟s interests and preferences; (Regulation 9 (1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)) 29/06/2018

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard 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; In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the 29/06/2018 Inspection report children‟s home: SC063767 4 approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home‟s statement of purpose; 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; demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on— research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(2)(a)(f)(g)(i)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard The care planning standard is that children— receive effectively planned care in or through the children‟s home. (Regulation 14(1)(a)) 29/06/2018

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Requirement Due date

Fitness of registered provider A responsible individual must— have the capacity, experience and skills to supervise the management of the home, or the homes, in respect of which the responsible individual is nominated. (Regulation 26(7)(b)) 29/06/2018

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Requirement Due date

Fitness of workers The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children‟s safety. The requirements are that— full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. 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— the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (“the Level 3 Diploma”); or a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma. The relevant date is— 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. (Regulation 32 (1)(3)(d)(4)(a)(b)(5)(a)) 29/08/2018

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Requirement Due date

Inspection report children‟s home: SC063767 5 * Behaviour management policies and records The registered person must ensure that— within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes— the date, time and location of the use of the measure; details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure; the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35(3)(a)(iii)(v)(vii)(c)) 29/06/2018

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Requirement Due date

* This requirements is subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendations

 For children‟s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. Children‟s homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislations (alarms, food hygiene etc.); however in doing so, homes should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than „institutional‟ impression. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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Recommendations

 Just as in a family home, children should be able to access all shared areas of their home unless there are specific reasons why this would not meet a child‟s needs. Limits on privacy and access may only be put in place to safeguard each child in the home (Regulation 21(c)(i)). Any decisions to limit a child‟s access to any area of the home and any modifications to the environment of the home, must only be made where this is intended to safeguard the child‟s welfare. All decisions should be informed by a rigorous assessment of that individual child‟s needs, be properly recorded and be kept under regular review. Information on restraint and deprivation of liberty is contained in the protection of children section of the Guide from paragraph 9.41. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 15, paragraph 3.10)

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Recommendations

 Staff should continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. Where there are safeguarding concerns for a child, their placement plan, agreed between the home and their placing authority, must include details of the steps the home will take to manage any assessed risks on a day to day basis. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 42, paragraph 9.5) Inspection report children‟s home: SC063767 6  Where there is a possibility that a child will run away or go missing from a children‟s home placement, their placement plan should include a strategy to minimise this risk. If the child is looked-after, their care plan (arranged by their placing authority) should include such a strategy. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 45, paragraph 9.24)

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improvement to be good

Staff do not consistently show ambition for children, and children are not achieving their full potential. Staff have not encouraged and supported children to engage in a variety of activities and hobbies that promote the development of their social, personal and independence skills. Children have not yet made good progress given the time they have lived at the home; one child has been there for nearly a year, and the other for several years.

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improvement to be good

Care plans reflect need and long-term objectives but do not provide clarity about current targets to enable staff to identify progress. Children attend the organisation‟s school and are supported to explore future options and opportunities.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to access community healthcare services. Each child engages in an individual therapy programme. Plans do not detail the aims and objectives of these interventions, and staff do not promote or reinforce the learning from these sessions. Staff have not sought advice and guidance from the in-house multi-disciplinary service when it has been identified that a child requires a specific approach to support them to develop strategies to cope with the challenges they face.

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improvement to be good

Children who are due to move on from the home experience anxiety about their futures. Staff talk with them about this though evidence is lacking to show that staff have protected them from issues which they need not worry about. Staff have been active in gaining the child‟s voice and views about the care children receive, but records lack evidence that staff share plans with children. Staff provide children with guidance and information about advocacy services. The provider has appointed an independent listener who has met the children on one occasion.

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improvement to be good

One-to-one sessions lack a clear structure or plan, but children are able to speak with staff about their concerns and worries. There are leaflets, information and advice about the impact of risk-taking behaviours in the home, but there is little evidence that this is available to, or shared with, children.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to form and maintain positive relationships with their family and friends through well-planned and well-managed contact. Inspection report children‟s home: SC063767 7

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improvement to be good

Developments in the reporting and recording systems have failed to ensure that they are of the quality required. Records of behaviour management and physical intervention do not provide all of the required information required in regulation, for example how the child feels about the measure used. Records lack detail of the de-escalation techniques used to avoid the need for physical intervention.

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improvement to be good

Staff have been punitive in their approach to sanctions and are not routinely utilising restorative measures. A sanction enforced was to not allow a child to socialise and do activities with another child who lives at the home. The home has an internal area called „the independent flat‟. Currently a child lives in this part of the home as a behaviour management strategy to restrict his access to others. Records and plans do not evidence that this was assessed, reviewed or agreed collaboratively.

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improvement to be good

Children state that they have a trusted adult they can confide in and that they feel safe at the home.

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improvement to be good

Leaders and managers have referred and reported concerns and allegations to others. They complete internal investigations when instructed; however, the records in the home do not provide a clear evidence trail of instigation to outcome, though these are available if requested.

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improvement to be good

Children said they do not feel it is worthwhile to make a complaint as staff and managers do not listen to them. Staff did not act on this information and ensure that children are supported to feel that their voice will be heard. One child did make a complaint and leaders have responded to this. An investigation was completed and the child was provided with an outcome.

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improvement to be good

Staff manage episodes of missing effectively and collaboratively. There are individual approaches in place, though one record viewed was inconsistent in the required response from staff. Staff are proactive; they seek and locate children and welcome them back to the home.

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improvement to be good

The risk assessments viewed were complicated and lacked clarity and information to ensure that staff provide a consistent approach to risk management. On occasions staff have not been proactive and considered in their response to children in order to manage risk.

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improvement to be good

During the inspection, chemicals were found that were not stored as required. Fire drills have occurred though records do not detail who took part. There are areas of the home which are being used to store items, and it is unclear if this has been considered in the home‟s fire risk assessment.

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improvement to be good

Staff recruitment processes do not clearly evidence that all required aspects are explored. Records do not evidence that the provider assures themselves of an employee‟s previous Inspection report children‟s home: SC063767 8 employment history. Risk assessments completed in relation to recruitment do not consider all the strategies that can be applied to safely manage staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager is appropriately qualified. He and senior managers have not addressed all the shortfalls identified at the previous inspection. The compliance notices issued in April 2018 have not been met and a further compliance notice is being issued. Senior leaders have not evidenced that they have the understanding, capacity, experience and skills to supervise the management of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There has been some improvement in the presentation of the home, though further work is required. During the inspection, areas of the home were not clean, tidy or utilised to their full potential.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Managers have implemented monthly review systems to monitor the home, children‟s plans and the quality of care provided. The managers‟ review and evaluation of practice has improved. The home action plan details targets and actions but it does not consistently specify target dates for completion.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Children‟s plans are not effective and clear, so do not enable, encourage or promote children to achieve their full potential. Staff are inconsistent in their approaches with children and do not aspire for children or challenge them to achieve their best. Managers are not able to clearly assess and identity progress made.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Managers support newly recruited staff effectively through the induction process. Staff are given regular supervision and their practice is appraised at least annually. Supervision records lack clear structure, agenda and plans to ensure that issues and developmental needs are discussed and reviewed. Staff access the internal training programme, though not all staff have achieved the required qualification in the allotted time frame.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers have not developed and maintained effective, collaborative or professional relationships with the placing authority responsible for the children currently living in the home. This impacts negatively on children who show that they are very aware of these poor relationships. Children have not been protected from the effect of these issues. Leaders and managers do not demonstrate their understanding of the challenges, experiences and impact this has on children who are moving back to live with their families. Inspection report children‟s home: SC063767 9

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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

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‟. Inspection report children‟s home: SC063767 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: New Forest Care Ltd.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: West Shore House, West Street, Hythe, Southampton SO45 6AA

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Inspectors

Amanda Maxwell, social care regulatory inspector Stephen Collett, social care regulatory inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC063767 11 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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