Children's home run by St Christopher’s Fellowship in Wandsworth

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC361206 1 SC361206

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St. Christopher’s Fellowship

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a charitable organisation. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to eight children. The home specialises in caring for children who have challenging behaviour. There is an acting manager in post who is not yet registered.

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This monitoring visit

This children’s home was judged inadequate at the full inspection on 4 June 2018. In order to evaluate the progress the home has made a monitoring visit was undertaken on 23 July 2018.

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This monitoring visit

Since the last inspection, the previous manager has left the organisation. A new manager has been appointed and is in the process of submitting an application to register with Ofsted.

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This monitoring visit

The provider has met eight of the 12 requirements made at the last inspection. Children are now able to make private telephone calls and are aware of how to contact organisations such as Childline and Ofsted. The manager has purchased a telephone that can have pre-programmed telephone numbers. This safeguards children who may place themselves at risk through contacting inappropriate people, while ensuring that they can speak to professionals, family members and outside organisations in private.

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This monitoring visit

The provider has completed a risk assessment for a member of staff who is waiting for their disclosure and barring service check to be renewed. In addition, further safety measures have been taken, such as no lone working for this member of staff, to ensure that only suitably vetted and assessed staff support children.

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This monitoring visit

The provider has taken sufficient action following an allegation made against a member of staff. All appropriate agencies were informed and an investigation undertaken in line with safeguarding procedure. In addition, the provider has Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC361206 2 ensured that all appropriate agencies, including Ofsted, are informed of significant events that have occurred in the home. This enables external agencies to monitor the actions the home is taking in response to serious incidents.

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This monitoring visit

No children have been admitted to the home since the last inspection. The provider has made changes to the process for considering children who may potentially be admitted. The system now includes impact risk assessments, consideration of the child’s known risks with the other children living at the home, and discussions with placing authorities. This will ensure that the home only admits children whose needs have been assessed as able to be met.

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This monitoring visit

Records of measures of controls are now recorded appropriately. This enables the home’s management to monitor any trends and patterns in behaviour, and identify any additional support the child may need.

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This monitoring visit

The majority of children have made progress in their engagement in education. Some children have completed their GCSE exams. Other children who were previously not engaging in education have made progress in their attendance and engagement.

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This monitoring visit

Records of internal and external complaints now detail all the action taken in investigating complaints. Where children have previously been dissatisfied with the outcome of their complaint, a person independent of the home has undertaken a review to ensure that the outcome of the complaint is further reviewed. This ensures that children feel listened to.

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This monitoring visit

The manager and staff have made some improvements to the environment. The children’s bedrooms have been decorated, and additional electrical sockets have been installed. There are photos displayed around the home of the children having positive experiences with staff and each other. However, further work is required to ensure that the home is of a similar standard throughout. This is because there are a large number of cigarette ends in the garden, and further parts of the home require thorough cleaning to ensure that the children are provided with a homely living environment throughout their home. Therefore, this requirement is repeated.

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This monitoring visit

The manager has made changes to children’s key workers and identified staff members who have built good relationships with the individual children. This enables children to have a member of staff they can talk to if they have a concern, or enjoy spending time with. However, the staff relationships with the children fail to consistently deter children from engaging in inappropriate behaviour, and do not always improve the children’s aspirations and outcomes. Therefore, this requirement is repeated.

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This monitoring visit

The manager has updated the location risk assessment. This document now identifies potential hazards and risks to children and staff, and the actions required to reduce those risks. The manager has updated children’s individual risk assessments. However, these fail to fully identify known risks to children, or the Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC361206 3 actions required to reduce these risks. Of significant concern is that on occasions there is a lack of action when children leave the home, in particular at night. This has the potential to place children at serious risk. Therefore, this requirement is repeated.

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This monitoring visit

Two further shortfalls were identified during this visit. The daily routine of the home fails to provide the children with a structure that fully supports their needs. Children spend more time in the home, however they are often late to settle at night, sometimes not until the early hours of the morning, and are late to wake up in the morning. In addition, children who did not smoke prior to their admission to the home now smoke cigarettes and cannabis. This does not support them in leading a healthy lifestyle.

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This monitoring visit

An independent consultant is completing an audit of the records in the home. This is in its final stages and will support the home’s management in moving the home forward. Ofsted continues to monitor the home.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 04/06/2018 Full Inadequate 16/01/2018 Full Good 22/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 16/11/2016 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC361206 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

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. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This is with particular regard to the children’s daily routine. 31/08/2018

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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— 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

meet the needs of each child; and enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b)(2)(c)(i)(ii)) 31/08/2018

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c)) 31/08/2018 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC361206 5 This is with particular regard to children who smoke cigarettes and cannabis. The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship;

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Requirement Due date

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children;

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Requirement Due date

are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children and to help children to do the same; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a)(ii)(iv)(vii)(ix)(x)(b)) 31/08/2018

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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 31/08/2018 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC361206 6 account 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

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; and

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(b)) The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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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

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;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in 31/08/2018 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC361206 7 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; and

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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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(h))

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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.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC361206 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: St. Christopher’s Fellowship

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 1 Putney High Street, London SW15 1SZ

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Inspectors

Trish Palmer: social care inspector Natalie Burton: social care inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC361206 9 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 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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