Children's home run by Aurora ASD Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1268752 1 The

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Aurora Asd Limited

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a privately-owned children’s home, which is situated adjacent to a residential special school owned by the same provider.

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This monitoring visit

This children’s home was registered in June 2018 and young people were admitted to the home in July 2018. This monitoring visit took place due to Ofsted receiving reports about concerns about the home.

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This monitoring visit

Young people were admitted into the home in July 2018 from the adjacent residential special school. Since this time, there has been a sharp decline in the quality of care provided in the children’s home and an increase in significant incidents. There are systemic management failures to monitor and review the home. This monitoring inspection identified significant concerns relating to:

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This monitoring visit

 the management of risk  the skills and training of staff  staff consistency and the safe recruitment of agency staff  the way in which restraint is used in the home  the leadership and management of the home.

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This monitoring visit

Risk assessments do not contain sufficient detail about how staff should manage risks. Staff work inconsistently. For example, one risk assessment stated that a young person should not be allowed to go into the kitchen, but staff confirmed that this young person can be in the kitchen with two members of staff present. Most staff are trained in the use of ligature cutters, but risk assessments do not provide sufficient detail about when to use this equipment. One young person is subject to regular bedroom searches should there be concerns. However, the risk assessment does not detail what constitutes a concern. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1268752 2 Young people currently present with heightened risk. This includes the use of ligatures, swallowing of foreign objects and cutting with bladed items. However, not all staff are trained in how to respond to young people in crisis or distress. Currently,

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This monitoring visit

there are 11 staff employed by the provider working at the home. Of these 11 staff:

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This monitoring visit

 Six members of staff lack any first aid qualification.  Four members of staff are not trained in the home’s chosen method of physical intervention and behaviour management.  Two members of staff have not been trained in how to use ligature cutters.  Two members of staff have not completed safeguarding training.

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This monitoring visit

In a three-week period in July 2018, 30 different agency staff were used in the home. This means that there has been a prolonged period during which young people have not received care from a stable team of staff. This is further exacerbated by the agency members of staff not being appropriately vetted prior to their working in the home. The provider has not ensured that employment checks, as required, have been conducted. There is the potential for unsafe adults to work with vulnerable young people. Furthermore, the provider does not know what, if any, training these agency members of staff have received.

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This monitoring visit

Restraint is poorly managed. There was an incident during which a member of staff used a restraint outside of the home’s agreed methods. This happened in mid -July 2018. The home’s records show the young person’s arms being put behind their back and their being lifted from the ground. To date, this has not been referred to the local authority designated officer as a potential concern. The lack of follow up means that it is not known whether the young person was hurt or wished to complain.

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This monitoring visit

Another restraint took place after this incident and was not recorded. Similarly, further restraints with a different young person happened on the same day and were not recorded as required by regulation. This means that there is the potential for young people to be at considerable risk through poor staff practice and failures to record restraint when it is used. When restraint is recorded, there have been no debriefs with young people as required by regulation.

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This monitoring visit

The leadership and management of the home are ineffective. The management of the home has failed to address poor staff practice and has not ensured that regular checks of incidents take place. There is no oversight of the work in the home and there is a complete lack of monitoring and review. Additional management support has recently been put into place. There have been no regulation 44 visits to the home as required by regulation. The inspector was informed that a visit was due in mid-August 2018. However, the home has been registered since June 2018.

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This monitoring visit

As a result of this inspection visit, five requirements have been made. There are significant failures to meet regulation and these impact on the safety and welfare of young people. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1268752 3

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1268752 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 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

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Requirement Due date

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;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)(vi)) 31/10/2018

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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

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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’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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Requirement Due date

and use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(c)(e)(h)) 31/10/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

The requirements are that full and satisfactory information is 31/10/2018 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1268752 5 available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 32 (1)(3)(d)) 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

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure ("the user"), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure.

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Requirement Due date

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.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(c)) 31/10/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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Information about this inspection

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1268752 6 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

Provision sub-type: Residential special school

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 33 Holborn, London EC1N 2HT

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Inspector

Pete Hylton, social care compliance inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1268752 7 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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