Children's home run by Beaufort Care Group Ltd in Barnet

Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC046480 1 SC046480

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Beaufort Care Group

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

 The home is registered for up to four children.  The home provides care for children who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.  The home is operated by a private provider who has three other children‟s homes in the area.  The manager has been in post since 25 June 2018, and has submitted an application to register with Ofsted.

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This monitoring visit

This children‟s home was judged inadequate at the full inspection on 2 August 2018. At that inspection, serious concerns were apparent in how well children were helped and protected, and their outcomes were poor. Leaders, managers and staff were not taking sufficient action to help children, to nurture them or to provide basic care and attention to support children‟s development. As a result, two compliance notices under Regulation 6: the quality and purpose of care standard, and Regulation 12: the protection of children standard were issued.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit was undertaken to review the actions leaders and managers have taken to address the weaknesses. The actions set out in the two compliance notices have been met.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers have tackled the previous weaknesses with enthusiasm. In the short time since the previous inspection, leaders and managers have demonstrated stronger and more effective leadership. Staff are receiving good- quality supervision and team meetings are attended by leaders and managers. Staff are now given clear directions about how to care for children and to nurture them. Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC046480 2 Leaders and managers are modelling their expectations for delivering good-quality care.

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This monitoring visit

Children‟s basic care needs are now met. The home is unrecognisable from the previous visit. It is now clean, safe, homely and very well decorated. Damaged furniture has been replaced and/or fixed. Staff are now taking more pride in keeping the home clean and help children to keep their rooms tidy and organised. A manager said that she is expecting staff to maintain children‟s bedrooms and the home to „hotel standards‟. These high standards and expectations were previously missing. Systems are now in place for leaders and managers to monitor whether these standards are consistently met.

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This monitoring visit

Incidents when children have left the home without permission and become missing, have continued to happen. However, staff now take more effective action to find children and return them to the home sooner. Serious incidents have happened when children have been missing. However, leaders and managers now work more effectively with multi-agency professionals to find ways to keep children safer. Leaders‟ and managers‟ confidence to hold other agencies to account is starting to develop.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers now respond to disclosures and allegations made by children more effectively. Information is swiftly shared with safeguarding agencies and action taken to protect children.

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This monitoring visit

Risk assessments and behaviour support plans now provide staff with clear direction and strategies for how to work with children and to keep them safe. Managers review these documents regularly to ensure that they remain useful.

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This monitoring visit

Staff no longer tolerate and accept children smoking and misusing substances, although stopping and preventing these unsafe behaviours is still in the early stages.

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This monitoring visit

Children are now provided with more opportunities to join in with activities. Staff and children work together to devise individual activity programmes. During the inspection, staff spent time with children playing together and enjoying each other‟s company; this was missing before. Leaders and managers understand that some staff are better at engaging children to join in with activities than other staff. Actions are now set in supervision meetings for staff to develop this practice.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers now have a more accurate understanding about the current functioning of the home and recognise that staff do not yet have the expertise to meet some children‟s high-risk behaviours. These children have not made progress in the home, and staff have been unable to effect change to keep them safe and improve their outcomes. Leaders and managers are working with placing authorities to review these children‟s placements.

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This monitoring visit

The work seen at this inspection was positive. However, none of the practices are Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC046480 3 yet embedded and need time to develop. As a result, the requirements raised at the previous inspection will remain in place and be assessed at the next full inspection.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

01/08/2018 Full Inadequate 19/09/2017 Full Good 14/12/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 14/04/2016 Full Good Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC046480 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

5: Engaging with the wider system to ensure children‟s needs are met

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, 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. (Regulation 5(c)) 31/08/2018

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Requirement Due date

6: The quality and purpose of care standard

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who— understand the children‟s home‟s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children; 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 staff—  protect and promote each child‟s welfare;  provide personalised care that meets each child‟s needs, as recorded in the child‟s relevant plans, taking account of the child‟s background;  provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably;  ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to— meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6(1)(a)(b), (2)(a)(b)(ii)(iv)(vii)(c)(i)) 15/08/2018 Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC046480 5 10: The health and well-being standard The health and well-being standard is that— the health and well-being needs of children are met; children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that children‟s sexual health needs are met. 31/08/2018

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff—  understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;  help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;  help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible. (Regulation 8(1), (2)(a)(iii)(iv)(viii)) 10/09/2018

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on— mutual respect and trust; an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and 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— that staff—  meet each child‟s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child‟s relevant plans; 31/08/2018 Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC046480 6  help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;  encourage each child to take responsibility for the child‟s behaviour, in accordance with the child‟s age and understanding;  help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;  communicate to each child expectations about the child‟s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child‟s age and understanding;  help each child to develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship;  understand how children‟s previous experiences and

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Requirement Due date

present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children;  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. (Regulation 11(1)(a)(b)(c), (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vii)(ix)(x))

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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— 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;  help each child to understand how to keep safe;  have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;  manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;  understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to 15/08/2018 Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC046480 7 protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;  take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child‟s welfare; and  are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home‟s child protection policies.  that the home‟s day-to-day care is arranged and

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Requirement Due date

delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm.  that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child‟s health; (Regulation 12(1), (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard

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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 staff work as a team where appropriate;  ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;  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.  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)) 31/08/2018

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children— receive effectively planned care in or through the children‟s 31/08/2018 Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC046480 8 home. (Regulation 14(1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees undertake appropriate continuing professional development; receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33(4)(a)(b)(c)) 31/08/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which— include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child; are kept up to date. (Regulation 36(1)(a)(b)) 31/08/2018

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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.

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Information about this inspection

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

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Children’s home details

Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC046480 9 Unique reference number: SC046480

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Beaufort Care Group

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 42 Lytton Road, New Barnet, Barnet EN5 5BY

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Jennifer Kendall

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Inspectors

Wendy Anderson, social care inspector Paula Lahey, regulatory inspection manager Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC046480 10 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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