Esther House

Inspection report children’s home: SC474150 1 SC474150 Registered provider: Benjamin UK Ltd

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and run by a private organisation. It provides care and accommodation for up to four children. The manager was registered with Ofsted in May 2018.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

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

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 15 February 2018

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC474150 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/02/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness 02/08/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 01/12/2016 Full Good 03/08/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC474150 3

p.2

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.

p.3

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. 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. (Regulation 12(2)(a)(i)) Specifically, identify risks and address these this in risk assessments; ensure that staff follow any plans put in place as a result of an identified risk. 19/10/2018

p.3

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other. (Regulation 12(2)(a)(iv)) 19/10/2018

p.3

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. 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, furnished and maintained as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12(2)(d)) Specifically, ensure that children’s bedrooms and bathrooms are clean and maintained in a manner that reduces dirt and grime build-up and minimises the risk of spread of infection. 19/10/2018

p.3

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs, and should understand the key role Inspection report children’s home: SC474150 4 they play in the training and development of staff in the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11) Specifically, ensure that staff receive training in all forms of exploitation, including child criminal exploitation.  Staff should be familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page

p.3

Recommendations

62, paragraph 14.4) In particular, use appropriate language when describing incidents of negative behaviour and do not use institutionalised language when talking about children.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress while living in the home due to the positive relationships they have with staff. The staff team is relatively stable and has a good understanding of each child’s needs; this enables the staff to provide consistent support. Interactions are calm and take into account how the child may be feeling. Children, in return, are generally respectful to staff and visitors to the home, with a social worker saying that they are ‘amazed’ by how well a child is now communicating with her, the staff and other professionals. Children say that they feel listened to and that they like the staff and the home. Children are supported to maintain friendships and family relationships, with staff supervision if required. As a result, children who have struggled with maintaining relationships in the past now have positive times with their families, including overnight stays, which would not previously have been possible. A parent noted how well his

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

daughter has moved on since living in the home, and he was complimentary about how well staff keep him informed and involved in planning for his daughter. Children’s independent time in the community is built up over time as children show they are able to manage time by themselves in the community. Children have engaged well in this process, and it has led to a significant reduction of incidents of being missing. Children attend education as planned, either in local schools and colleges or in the organisation’s school. Two children have recently completed GCSE qualifications, with one due to start college and another considering her next steps. Staff liaise with education professionals to reduce barriers to learning. Two children who have been out of education for more than a year are now attending on agreed timetables. The use of incentives, such as linking rewards or independent time to education attendance, has

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

significantly improved children’s engagement. In addition to formal education, children are offered a range of activities to increase their social skills. Children have access to the therapy team which visits the home twice weekly. While Inspection report children’s home: SC474150 5 there are no set sessions, the therapists are aware of current concerns for each child and offer support, guidance and a safe space to discuss any issues or ongoing concerns. Staff share their concerns regarding specific issues or behaviour with the team members who will, in turn, work through these with the children. The lead therapist said that children’s engagement was good. Children’s physical health is promoted through key- work sessions and general discussion. Depending on their age, children are encouraged to make their own appointments with staff oversight, which ensures that all routine checks are up to date.

p.4

improvement to be good

Children say that they feel safe in the home and that they have staff they would go to if they were worried or upset. Staff have a strong understanding of their role in keeping children safe and have processes to follow should they be concerned for a child’s safety or well-being. Concerns are appropriately shared with partner agencies and any guidance or recommendations are implemented by the home. Children in the past have frequently been missing from care. There has been a significant reduction in this, with no occurrences since March 2018. Staff have worked to educate and support children regarding the dangers of being missing, while encouraging them to engage in reward programmes to gain greater free time in the community. Local police have noted the reduction in missing and recognise this as a significant improvement for the home. Staff have a good understanding of child sexual exploitation and the local risks. However, there is limited knowledge of child criminal exploitation and

p.5

improvement to be good

the risk of criminal gang activity locally. There are ongoing concerns regarding substance misuse, particularly cannabis, with some children in the home. Staff provide a consistent message regarding the risks and dangers of substance misuse, and children affected have completed some basic worksheets and education regarding this. Substance misuse workers and the therapy team have tried the engage children, but with little success at this stage. Smoking in the house is an ongoing concern, with evidence of this noted in children’s bedrooms. Risk assessments are not up to date and do not reflect the actual risk currently posed. Further, they contain inaccurate information of house rules for smoking areas for staff and children. Plans for how to respond to children smoking in the house are not being followed. Children do not currently say bullying in an issue. It is recognised that it was a significant concern with children who have recently moved on from the home. The manager and

p.5

improvement to be good

staff explored the issue with those concerned, but were unable to prevent it from continuing. They have attempted to manage this through the organisation’s school, but the content of sessions seen has so far focused on self-esteem and has not tackled the issues of bullying and the impact this may have on others. Staff provide a consistent approach to behaviour management. They liaise with the therapy team to understand what behaviour children may be communicating. Children are aware of what is expected of them and the consequences for misbehaviour. Police Inspection report children’s home: SC474150 6 note the reduction in callouts for unwanted and challenging behaviour, as well as the significant reduction in missing episodes. Restraint is rarely used. Records are clear and show that children and staff have full debriefs, and key-work sessions are used to address any issues which arise. The home is mostly well maintained. However, children’s bedrooms are unacceptably

p.5

improvement to be good

dirty and damaged. Cigarette butts and tobacco were observed on surfaces and carpets, with a used ashtray in one room. Walls and surfaces are stained with make-up and other dirt and grime. One child’s wardrobe doors had the plastic inserts missing; the child said that she broke them ‘ages ago’. The general untidiness is beyond that of a typical teenager’s bedroom and detracts from the calm and relaxing atmosphere sought. The shared bathroom was also unacceptably dirty with a build-up of grime on the floor. In addition, clothes, including soiled underwear, were left on the floor. The children are expected to tidy their rooms and bathroom as part of their daily tasks. Staff are not monitoring this to an acceptable standard.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is effectively run by the registered manager who has many years management experience. She is supported by a deputy manager who has experience in other public services, and one year’s experience in residential care. The deputy manager is keen to learn more and is constantly seeking to improve his skills and knowledge. The management team effectively monitors the home and service provided through the reports compiled by the independent visitor in line with regulation 44 and their own regular evaluation. The requirements and recommendations from the last inspection have all been met and the registered manager accepts the shortfalls noted at this inspection and is keen to improve these areas. The registered manager has produced a critical, thorough and honest staff development plan. It recognises the flaws in the staff team’s previous turnover and the skills and knowledge that require further development. These include understanding of

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

professional boundaries, specifically that staff are adults and not friends, and developing professional curiosity. As a result, this has significantly improved some staff’s perspectives on their roles. Staffing in the home is generally consistent the wider organisation often swaps staff between homes. This home is more stable due to the consistency of the team and no agency staff have been used for a significant period. Staff say that there are generally enough staff members on shift, but it can be a struggle if only two staff are on shift with four children. Staff feel well supported and that they have the training they require to meet children’s needs. They have benefited from specific training prior to children’s placements commencing, in order to better meet their needs. Staff say that they can approach managers at any time and that supervision is regular and provides good reflection on their work. They have a good working knowledge of the statement of purpose and were

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

able to explain their role in the therapeutic care process. Staff find access to the therapy team useful and this has helped with their understanding of children’s behaviour. Through observations and discussion, it was noted that staff use institutional acronyms when talking, such as ‘YP’ instead of saying young person, and negative, inaccurate Inspection report children’s home: SC474150 7 terms such as ‘kick off’. This contrasted with the positive interactions seen with children. Some documents in the home also have a negative tone, for example children sign a ‘code of conduct’ when they move into the home. Joint working and positive community presence are well imbedded in the home. The local police officer said that joint working has led to a reduction in criminalisation of children, through a joint understanding of what requires police attention. Complaints from neighbours are low and rectified immediately, including making good with children,

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

and staff apologising to neighbours with flowers and cakes. Children also have a positive presence in the community through making cakes for fetes and the church bake sale.

p.7

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.

p.7

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: SC474150 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Church Farm House, Station Road, Aldbury, TringHP23 5RS

p.8

Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Claudette Deysel

p.8

Inspector

Jennie Christopher, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC474150 9 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.

p.8

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.9

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.9

Inspector

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

p.9