ISP Whitstable

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1256561 1

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ISP

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this independent fostering agency

ISP is an independent fostering agency run by Partnerships in Childcare Services Ltd. ISP has centres in Kent, Buckinghamshire, Sussex and London. ISP Whitstable was registered with Ofsted in September 2017. The agency provides family based childcare services for children referred by local authorities.

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This monitoring visit

A full inspection of the agency was undertaken between 16 and 20 July 2018. The agency was judged to be inadequate due to widespread shortfalls across several areas of practice. In particular, it was identified that the agency was failing to safeguard and promote the welfare of children at all times and the arrangements for protecting children from harm were weak. Two compliance notices were issued on 6 August 2018. The purpose of this monitoring visit was to judge whether the steps outlined in the compliance notices have been met. A compliance notice was issued on 6 August 2018 under regulation 11(a) requiring action to be taken to ensure that the welfare of children placed, or to be placed, with foster parents is safeguarded and promoted at all times. The steps in the compliance notice specified that action should be taken to identify children assessed as being at high risk and review their risk assessments; review the personal

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This monitoring visit

development plans of leaders and managers and identify steps to be taken that will ensure that they have sufficient knowledge and skills to lead on the improvement of safeguarding and child protection practice; communicate with a specified child’s placing authority and identify any actions that need to be taken regarding a disclosure the child made while placed with the agency’s foster carers; identify weaknesses in the agency’s system for monitoring child protection practice and report on how these will be rectified. The deadline for meeting these steps was 1 September 2018. The responsible individual took the lead in identifying children assessed as being at high risk to themselves of others. The criteria used for identifying these children was Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1256561 2 narrow. It consisted of reviewing notifications of serious incidents and their current risk assessments. Thirteen children were identified, although three of these were no

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This monitoring visit

longer placed with the agency. The risk assessments of only four of the children identified as being at high risk had been reviewed and amended when the monitoring visit took place. The agency is currently undertaking work to improve the quality of children’s risk assessments, but this is not yet embedded in practice. Some of the risk assessments that have been reviewed and amended since the full inspection still do not contain risk reduction strategies or guidance for staff and foster carers to follow.

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This monitoring visit

This step in the compliance notice has not been met. At the time of this monitoring visit, the registered manager was not working and the day-to-day management responsibilities were being shared between the responsible individual and the manager from another of the organisation’s fostering services. Due to his absence, the personal development plan of the registered manager has not been reviewed. The responsible individual has a performance improvement plan that has been developed following the full inspection. This document specifies training that will be undertaken and there is a strong focus on defining the responsible individual’s responsibilities. However, there is insufficient detail or analysis of the responsible individual’s skills, professional development needs or gaps in knowledge. The agency has conducted a wider review of the factors leading to the inadequate judgement, and the role of the responsible individual in this, but this has not

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This monitoring visit

resulted in a comprehensive assessment of her, or other senior managers’, ability to ensure that safeguarding practice improves across the agency.

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This monitoring visit

This step in the compliance notice has not been met. Discussions have taken place with a manager from a specified child’s placing authority, and clarification has been obtained regarding the outcome of enquiries into a possible disclosure of abuse. It has been verified that no further action needs to be taken regarding this matter.

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This monitoring visit

This step in the compliance notice has been met. Some work has been undertaken to identify weaknesses in the agency’s systems for monitoring child protection practice. The responsible individual reported that this work is not yet complete, although examples of weaknesses that have been found in the agency’s monitoring systems were given. The agency’s action plan for rectifying weaknesses identified at the full inspection in July 2018 does not clearly establish a timeframe for completing all actions, the name of the person who is responsible for implementing the action, or specify what good practice will look like. The agency provided Ofsted with information taken from other reports following the monitoring visit, but has not provided a report that specifically addresses shortfalls in the monitoring systems, as required in the compliance notice. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1256561 3

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This monitoring visit

This step in the compliance notice has not been met. A compliance notice was issued on 6 August 2018 under regulation 12(1)(a)(b)(3)(a) requiring action to be taken to ensure that the arrangements for the protection of children are fit for purpose. The steps in the compliance notice specified that action should be taken to ensure that all staff and foster carers are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the agency’s safeguarding policy; a management review is undertaken of how safeguarding concerns relating to a specified child were managed; review practice monitoring systems and identify why senior managers failed to identify poor safeguarding practice at the agency. The deadline for meeting these steps was 1 September 2018. Senior managers have reviewed and amended the agency’s safeguarding policy, with the intention of highlighting the steps that must be followed when a child makes a disclosure of abuse. Effective communication has taken place to ensure that

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This monitoring visit

all staff and foster carers are aware of the changes to the policy, and the importance of implementing it in practice. This included senior managers attending a face-to- face meeting with foster carers, so that further clarification could be given where needed.

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This monitoring visit

This step in the compliance notice has been met. A comprehensive review of how child protection concerns for a specified child were managed has been completed. This clearly identifies the poor practice and mistakes that were made by staff and managers when dealing with this matter. The associated action plan specifies the steps that will be taken to reduce the likelihood of these mistakes being repeated.

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This monitoring visit

This step in the compliance notice has been met. A report that specifically addresses the weaknesses in practice monitoring systems has not been produced, although an action plan to address shortfalls identified at the full inspection, and documents provided to Ofsted after the monitoring visit had taken place, do make reference to improvements that will be made. One example given is that a front sheet chronology will be added to all safeguarding cases, to ensure more effective monitoring. However, the documents provided to the inspectors do not analyse why senior managers failed to identify poor safeguarding practice at the agency.

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This monitoring visit

This step in the compliance notice has not been met. Senior managers present at this monitoring visit had difficulty providing the inspectors with evidence to verify that there has been a well-planned, coordinated response to meeting all the steps specified in the compliance notices. Not all of the steps in the compliance notices have been met, despite senior managers from the organisation assuming responsibility for taking this work forward. The two compliance notices will be reissued with a revised timescale for meeting those steps that were judged not to be met at this monitoring visit. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1256561 4 Progress towards meeting the requirements and recommendation set at the full inspection in July 2018 was not examined during this monitoring visit. The requirements and recommendation are therefore repeated with a new timescale for completion.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

16/07/2018 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1256561 5

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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 registered provider and the registered manager must, having regard to— (a) the size of the fostering agency, its statement of purpose, and the numbers and needs of the children placed by the fostering agency, and (b) the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of the children placed by the fostering agency, carry on or manage the fostering agency (as the case may be) with sufficient care, competence and skill. (Regulation 8(1)(a)(b)) Specifically, ensure that contingency plans to cover staff shortages are made promptly, that the registered manager escalates concerns to placing authorities in a timely way and that the registered individual manages the performance of the registered manager effectively; make full use of the resources available to the agency; and maintain accurate foster carer training records. 02/11/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person in respect of an independent fostering agency must ensure that the welfare of children placed or to be placed with foster parents is safeguarded and promoted at all times. (Regulation 11(a))* Specifically, ensure that individual risk assessments and safety plans are kept up to date and contain all relevant information and strategies for keeping children safe, that effective action is taken when children are known to be at risk of harm and that foster carers have the skills and knowledge to protect children from harm. 02/11/2018

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Requirement Due date

The fostering service provider must prepare and implement a written policy which— is intended to safeguard children placed with foster parents 02/11/2018 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1256561 6 from abuse or neglect, and sets out the procedure to be followed in the event of any allegation of abuse or neglect. The procedure under paragraph (1)(b) must, subject to paragraph (4), provide in particular for— liaison and co-operation with any local authority which is, or may be, making child protection enquiries in relation to any child placed by the fostering service provider. (Regulation 12(1)(a)(b),(3)(a))* Specifically, ensure that the agency’s policy to safeguard and promote the welfare of children is fully implemented in practice.

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Requirement Due date

The fostering service provider must prepare and implement a written policy on acceptable measures of control, restraint and discipline of children placed with foster parents. (Regulation 13(1)) Specifically, ensure that the agency’s behaviour management policy is fully implemented in practice and children’s plans contain effective guidance and strategies for de-escalating challenging behaviour and minimising the potential for children to engage in unsafe behaviour. 02/11/2018

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Requirement Due date

The fostering service provider must provide foster parents with such training, advice, information and support, including support outside office hours, as appears necessary in the interests of children placed with them. The fostering service provider must take all reasonable steps to ensure that foster parents are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the policies established in accordance with regulations 12(1) and 13(1) and (3). The fostering service provider must ensure that, in relation to any child placed or to be placed with a foster parent, the foster parent is given such information, which is kept up to date, and to enable him to provide appropriate care for the child, and in particular that each foster parent is provided with a copy of the most recent version of the child’s care plan provided to the fostering service provider under regulation 6(3)(d) of the Care Planning Regulations. (Regulation 17(1)(2)(3))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that there is a clear audit trail of the decision-making process when matching children with foster 02/11/2018 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1256561 7 carers, provide foster carers with sufficient training so that they can meet the needs of children placed with them and ensure that all foster carers receive a copy of the child’s local authority care plan.

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Requirement Due date

The fostering service provider must ensure that all persons employed by them— receive appropriate training, supervision and appraisal. (Regulation 21(4)(a)) Specifically, ensure that the registered manager receives effective supervision that identifies support needs and areas for development. 02/11/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain a system for— monitoring the matters set out in Schedule 6 at appropriate intervals, and improving the quality of foster care provided by the fostering agency. (Regulation 35(1)(a)(b)) Specifically, ensure that quality of care monitoring systems are fit for purpose, enabling prompt identification of weakness and remedial action to be taken. 02/11/2018

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendations

 Children have access to a range of educational resources to support their learning and have opportunities beyond the school day to engage in activities which promote learning. (National minimum standards 8.2) Specifically, ensure that action is taken to identify children’s educational needs promptly so that there is a clear plan for securing access to the educational resources that they need at the earliest opportunity.

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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: 1256561 8

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Independent fostering agency details

Registered provider address: Partnerships In Childcare Services Ltd, Wavendon Tower, Ortensia Drive, Wavendon, Milton Keynes MK17 8LX

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Inspectors

Stephen Collett, social care inspector Sophie Wood, regulatory inspection manager Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1256561 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 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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