Children's home run by Royal Mencap Society

Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC020682 1 SC020682

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Royal Mencap Society

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides short breaks care for up to seven children who have learning disabilities and/or physical disabilities and complex needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The service is provided by a national charity that has a contract with the local authority.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit took place to review the progress made in addressing the shortfalls identified at the last inspection. One compliance notice was served regarding the lack of supervision of staff, and good progress has been made to ensure that all staff now receive supervision by a suitably qualified person.

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager is absent from the home, and the organisation has ensured that there is appropriate managerial support for the home during this period. There has been progress in improving the supervision, appraisal and training of staff. The acting manager ensures that there are sufficient staff to meet children‟s needs and that there is greater consistency of staffing in the home. The acting manager ensures that relevant children‟s plans are in place so that children receive effectively planned care. This informs better organisation of specific staff to each child on each shift. The acting manager also ensures that Ofsted now receives the independent visitor‟s monthly report.

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This monitoring visit

Other progress is embryonic and requires further development to ensure that regulations are met. This includes systems to evaluate the effectiveness of the care provided and the way in which this is monitored and reviewed to ensure continual improvement. For example, the home‟s statement of purpose has not been reviewed and submitted to Ofsted following significant changes in the staffing of the home, and the acting manager has not ensured that there is consent in place for the use of Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC020682 2 electronic monitoring of children and bedroom door alarms.

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This monitoring visit

There has been poor progress in addressing concerns in relation to the help and protection of children. In particular, staff failed to report an incident of inappropriate behaviour management and physical intervention for 10 days. This placed children at risk of harm in the intervening period. Appropriate actions were taken by the acting manager once this incident was identified. There have continued to be incidents of children being able to harm one another since the last inspection, although the acting manager has a plan to reduce the opportunities for this to occur in future through more effective compatibility assessments when planning children‟s short breaks.

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This monitoring visit

Risk assessments have not been reviewed to reflect current risks to children. Steps to reduce risk referred to in the risk assessments, at times, suggest the use of restrictive practice, which limits children‟s access to parts of the home. This does not promote age-appropriate risks or a homely environment for children. There are further shortfalls in the environment. For example, the visitors‟ book is incomplete and does not indicate when visitors have left the home, and staff do not consistently check visitors‟ identification. This does not safeguard children from unsuitable people accessing the home or ensure that there is sufficient management oversight of who has been in the home.

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This monitoring visit

The recording of physical intervention continues to demonstrate that children and staff are not offered an opportunity to discuss the use of restraint. This does not allow children, staff and managers to have the opportunity to reflect on the incident, and to explore alternative methods of responding to children‟s behaviour. Recording by staff and managers lacks clarity. This is not helpful to children and does not safeguard their welfare. For example, the full names of those who have worked in the home and the times they have worked are not clearly recorded on rotas.

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This monitoring visit

Further shortfalls were identified during this inspection. The arrangements for the administration of medication have not been safe. There have been two errors in the administration of medication since the last inspection and concerns about a child not being appropriately supervised in their independent administration of medication. This latter incident not only placed the child who did not receive their medication at risk of harm, but also other children who may have accessed the tablet, which was subsequently found on a sofa in a lounge. The acting manager has ensured that these incidents have been reviewed and that further systems have been introduced, but these have not been effective in preventing another error from occurring.

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This monitoring visit

Two compliance notices and seven requirements have been set as a result of this inspection.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC020682 3 Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

12/09/2018 Full Inadequate 31/07/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 02/02/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness 22/08/2016 Full Good Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC020682 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— 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; manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other; 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 delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm (Regulation 12 (a)(i)*(iv)(vi)*(vii)*(b)) 31/12/2018

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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—

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Requirement Due date

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; and use monitoring and review systems to make continuous 31/12/2018 Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC020682 5 improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(f)(h)) The registered person must ensure that ─

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes the date, time and location of the use of the measure, and within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”) ─ has spoken to the user about the measure; and has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and 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 (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(iii)(b)(i)(ii)(c) 31/12/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the statement of purpose under review and notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days. (Regulation 16 (3)(b)) 31/01/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children‟s home. In particular, the registered person must ensure that medicine which is prescribed for a child is administered as prescribed to the child for whom it is prescribed and to no other child. (Regulation 23(1)*(2)(b)) 31/12/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only use devices for the monitoring or surveillance of children if the child‟s placing authority consents in writing to the monitoring or surveillance. (Regulation 24(1)(b)) 31/12/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4 and ensure that the records are kept up to date. (Regulation 37 (2)(a)(b)) 31/12/2018

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Recommendations

 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 Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC020682 6 helpful to the child. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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

Registered provider: Royal Mencap Society

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Royal Mencap Society, Concordia House, 123 Golden Lane, London EC1Y 0RT

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Janine Tregelles

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Inspector

Rebecca Quested, social care inspector Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC020682 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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