Children's Home run by Serenity Care Homes Ltd in Hampshire

Interim inspection report children’s home: SC487165 1 SC487165 Registered provider: Serenity Care Homes Ltd Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The staff at this home care for children who experienced trauma and dysfunction within their family environments, have difficulty regulating their emotions and behaviours and who have experienced several care placements. The registered manager has been in post since 26 April 2017.

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Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged requires improvement to be good at the last full inspection. At this interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has sustained effectiveness.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Leaders and managers are on a journey to improve their management and oversight of the home. They have a commitment and a realistic approach to achieving this aim. They are making progress, but further work is necessary to fully embed changes in practice and maintain a consistently good level of care.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager has been supported effectively to improve his management skills. He knows the children well and thinks carefully about their care and what steps are needed to help them progress. Nearly all the requirements and recommendations made at the last inspection have now been met. Interim inspection report children’s home: SC487165 2 Stronger systems are in place to support and develop staff‟s skills and knowledge. Leaders and managers are changing various aspects of practice. For example, senior managers are delivering a wider variety of training, the monthly visitor reports are more inquisitive and challenging, and the results of an outside consultant‟s review are being used to inform developments at the home. The home‟s statement of purpose has been reviewed but the revised version was not sent to Ofsted as required at the time of the last inspection.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Supervision is now regular, analytical and appropriately challenging. A consultant therapist is also now regularly working with staff to further develop their understanding of children‟s needs and how they can respond to them effectively as a team. Nevertheless, this is a new development and meetings so far have been about getting to know the consultant. The first meeting to discuss children is planned to take place later in November 2018.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Managers assess the possible or likely impact of a child moving in, both for the children who live here and those moving in. However, one assessment record did not include all the details that were relevant to managing risks.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Risk assessments for children‟s behaviour are comprehensive and relevant. However, in a small number of instances, a risk is appropriately identified but plans lacked sufficient detail of the action staff should take to manage or reduce the risk.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The quality of care planning and recording is mainly good, but this is not consistent. Incidents are generally responded to and recorded appropriately. However, in some instances the records of conversations staff held with children after an incident were not comprehensive. This detracts from ensuring that children‟s views of incidents contribute to decisions about their care. Day-to-day records did not mention the positive aspects of children‟s lives; the registered manager had already identified this and is working to improve staff‟s recording.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

In one instance, staff‟s planning for a child to visit a friend was insufficiently rigorous, resulting in him going missing. Once the child had failed to return, staff liaised with the right agencies and took the right action to find him. This incident did not result in a full review which clearly identified learning and the actions needed to improve practice. Other incidents resulted in more appropriate reviews and actions.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children are supported to make their views known. If young people complain, managers listen respectfully and take the right steps to get to the bottom of what happened. Young people are given clear advice about who else they can talk to, such as an independent advocate.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Bullying is rare. When incidents have occurred staff sensitively explored what happened, supported children well, suitably challenged the behaviour and spoke to other agencies appropriately.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The premises are not in a good state of repair and the decor needs refreshing. For Interim inspection report children’s home: SC487165 3 example, the cover to a fire point had been broken and not made safe (this was put right during the inspection), the garden area was littered with cigarette butts, and kitchen surfaces were worn in places. Staff told the inspector about their responsibilities for managing small repairs and redecoration which they found difficult to achieve while meeting their responsibilities for caring for the children. Leaders and managers took immediate action to ensure that this was changed following the inspection.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Some children‟s current sleep patterns mean they are not sleeping well throughout the night. Children said that they were generally awake until three in the morning and did not get the sleep-in staff up. These daily routines do not support children to engage in education and develop a healthy lifestyle. This issue, combined with staff‟s responsibilities for maintaining the premises, brings into question whether there are always sufficient staff on duty to meet children‟s needs.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children‟s privacy is not always effectively considered. The staff do not always keep information privately and securely. For example, personal information is not removed from communal areas and some appears on display boards which are easily seen by visitors.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Closed-circuit television (CCTV) is used throughout the day and night in all communal areas. There is a policy about its use which identifies the provider‟s rationale, but there are no written procedures which explain its use, such as how long footage will be kept for, how visitors will be told about its use and what records must be kept about any viewing of footage. There is no guidance on how the use of CCTV will be regularly reviewed. This does not demonstrate that this restrictive practice is monitored effectively to prevent misuse and to promote children‟s rights to a private life.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/04/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 08/01/2018 Interim Declined in effectiveness 11/07/2017 Full Good 06/02/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness Interim inspection report children’s home: SC487165 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 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. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— (d) ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child. (Regulation 13(1)(2)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staffing arrangements at the home sufficiently meet children‟s needs at all times. 07/12/2018

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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. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— (d) 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)(d)) 07/12/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only use devices for the monitoring or surveillance of children if— (a) the monitoring or surveillance is for the purpose of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the child concerned, or other children; (d) the monitoring or surveillance is no more intrusive than necessary, having regard to the child‟s need for privacy. (2) This regulation is subject to any monitoring or surveillance requirements imposed by a court. (Regulation 24(1)(a)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that:

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Requirement Due date

 the policy and practice fully comply with current legislation, especially in relation to access to records, and the length of 01/01/2019 Interim inspection report children’s home: SC487165 5 time records are kept  that regular reviews into its use, impact and effect on children‟s safety and privacy occur. Any issues identified through this process must be rectified. The review must always consider whether the use of CCTV at the home remains appropriate  there are written procedures which outline who can access the footage, how the footage can be accessed, how records of any viewing are to be kept and how any person visiting the home will be informed of its use. The registered person must compile in relation to the children‟s home a statement (“the statement of purpose”) which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1. (3) The registered person must— (b) notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the

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Requirement Due date

revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16(1)(3)(b)) 07/12/2018

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who— (iii) treat each child with dignity and respect. (Regulation 6(1)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the staff take appropriate action to keep information about each child private. 07/12/2018

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Recommendations

 The registered person should oversee the welfare of the children in their care through observation and engagement with: each child; the home‟s staff; each child‟s family/carers where appropriate; and professionals involved in the care or protection of each child including their social worker, Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO), teachers, clinicians and other health professionals etc. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, pages 54-55, paragraph 10.23)

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Recommendations

In particular, the registered person should ensure that they:

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Recommendations

talk to children as soon as possible after an incident occurs consistently use every incident as a learning opportunity through which they can improve their understanding and care of a child review whether the routines of the home fully support children to engage in their education and meaningful activities, which support children‟s progress.

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Recommendations

 The registered person must challenge (under regulation 5(c)) any placing authority who asks them to accept a child in the absence of a complete and Interim inspection report children’s home: SC487165 6 current relevant plan, as the expectation that a placement of a child without the necessary information would go ahead (in circumstances other than an emergency) is inadequate in relation to their role. It is essential that homes understand what will be required of them before they accept responsibility for a child‟s placement, to avoid disruption and instability for the child in future and for other children in the home. For non-looked-after children, the home should ensure they have sufficient information from the child‟s „placing authority‟ (usually their parents/carers) and other relevant agencies to effectively assess whether they can meet the child‟s needs before agreeing to the placement. („Guide to the

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Recommendations

children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, pages 56-57, paragraph 11.5)

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Recommendations

In particular, the registered person should ensure that they record their assessment of how a child they are proposing moves into the home may affect children already living there. The assessment should also include how the child they intend should move in may be affected by the other children living there.

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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.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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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‟. Interim inspection report children’s home: SC487165 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Serenity Care Homes Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Greenacres, Silver Street, Hordle, Lymington, Hampshire SO41 0FN

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Inspectors

Ruth Coler, social care inspector Stephanie Murray, senior HMI social care Interim inspection report children’s home: SC487165 8 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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