Children's Home run by Potton Homes Limited in Southend on Sea

Inspection report children’s home: SC438764 1 SC438764 Registered provider: Potton Homes Ltd

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered for up to six children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. This is one of three residential services operated by this privately run organisation. In addition, the organisation runs a school that is adjacent to this home. The suitably qualified manager has been in post since December 2016.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

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

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC438764 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/07/2017 Full Good 04/01/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 25/05/2016 Full Good 23/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC438764 3

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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—

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Requirement Due date

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 (1)(2)(b)) 28/01/2019

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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

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1)(2)(a)(b)(3)(a)(b)(c)(d)) 28/01/2019 Inspection report children’s home: SC438764 4 For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (‘the Level 3 Diploma’); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home; or

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may defer the relevant date if the individual—

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Requirement Due date

does not work, or has not worked, in a care role in a home for a prolonged period; or

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Requirement Due date

works, or has worked, in a care role in a home on a part-time basis. (Regulation 32 (4)(a)(b)(5)(a)(b)(6)(a)(b)) 29/03/2019

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Requirement Due date

ensure that each employee complete an appropriate induction;

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (1)(a) (4)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that all employees receive appropriate documented induction, sufficiently regular supervision, and annual appraisal. Furthermore, ensure that staff receive training that equips them effectively for the role that they undertake. 28/01/2019 Inspection report children’s home: SC438764 5 The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (‘the behaviour management policy’) which sets out—

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Requirement Due date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the behaviour management policy under review and, when appropriate, revise it. (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b)(2))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that all sanctions applied are clearly documented and that each sanction is reviewed by the manager. 18/02/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (‘case records’) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c)) 25/02/2019

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Recommendations

 For children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. Children’s homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislations (alarms, food hygiene etc.); however, in doing so, homes should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) In particular, ensure that the quality of decor is of a consistently high standard, undertake a night-time fire drill, and review the practice of locking the kitchen and lounge doors. Furthermore, undertake risk assessments specific to any pet that is owned by or visiting the home.  Staff should encourage children to share any concerns about their care or other matters as soon as they arise. Children must be able to take up issues or make a

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Recommendations

complaint with support and without any fear that this will result in any adverse consequences. Regulation 39 sets out the requirements on the registered person to have a complaints procedure. Children must be aware of this procedure and be Inspection report children’s home: SC438764 6 reminded of it as necessary. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 23, paragraph 4.13) In particular, evidence how children’s complaints are dealt with and the feedback that is given to the child on the outcome of their complaint.  The registered person should ensure that all incidents of control, discipline and restraint are subject to systems of regular scrutiny to ensure that their use is fair, and the above principles as set out in 9.35 are respected. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.36) In particular, when the manager undertakes a restraint, ensure that an

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Recommendations

independent review of that restraint record is carried out by a senior manager.  Ensure that staff understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording and that information regarding the child is recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  Review the appropriateness and suitability of the location and premises of the home at least once a year. The review should include the identification of any risks and opportunities presented by the home’s location and strategies for managing these. Providers should refer to the non-statutory advice about the location assessment process. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.1)

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improvement to be good

Shortfalls in the help and protection of children and the leadership and management of the home mean that, despite the positive support that the children receive from the staff, the service has been judged overall as requires improvement to be good. On most occasions, children’s moves into, return to and moves on from the home are well planned. Therefore, the majority of children experience a transition that helps them to settle and to build positive relationships with staff and each other. Consequently, most children enjoy good placement stability and make good progress from their starting points. The staff consistently ensure that the children receive individualised care that meets their complex needs. The staff try their utmost to manage difficult placements. However, some children’s case files are missing important information. As a result, it is difficult to clearly understand important aspects of one child’s current care plan, such as whether

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improvement to be good

staff can prevent the child from leaving the home without permission. The staff create a warm and nurturing home. The children are well supported. They build very positive and close relationships with the manager and staff, constantly seeking them out. The positive relationships that the children have with the staff underpin the good progress that most children make. A social worker said, ‘She [the child] is a different person. She’s much more confident, reflective, brighter and settled. She is Inspection report children’s home: SC438764 7 happy.’ The children are making progress in their education. Some of the children have moved from a resistant position to thriving in their new school environment. The staff have arranged work experience and been creative in their approach. For example, when a child expressed an interest in becoming an air hostess, the staff took the child to tour a plane. A teacher spoke of how the home has changed one child’s approach to life and

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improvement to be good

instilled aspirations for their future, when previously there were none. Partnership working with professionals and families is effective and promotes the children’s well-being. Staff have on occasion provided support to families that far exceeds their role. This has enabled one child to engage positively at the home to keep themselves safe. Partner professionals and parents are consistently highly complimentary about the service. A parent said, ‘I can’t thank them enough. They go above and beyond.’ The children said that they like the home and that the main reason for this is the nice staff. The children feel listened to. However, information is not consistently clear about the actions that staff take in response to children’s complaints or the feedback given to the children. The home provides a spacious environment that is generally well decorated and maintained. However, the kitchen corridor walls need repainting and the kitchen floor is

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improvement to be good

The staff skilfully help the children navigate group conflict and establish positive relationships with each other. However, on one occasion, a new child was admitted to the home when another child who was moving on was in a potentially highly emotionally-charged state. To compound the situation, a third child was readmitted the same day from a mental health unit, having committed an assault. This poor planning had an impact on the safety and group dynamics at the home. Potentially because of the highly charged situation, a child was the victim of assault by another child. Only suitably trained staff use physical restraint and do so only when children present a clear risk to themselves or others. The manager reviews all incidents of restraint to ensure that their use is fair and proportionate. When the manager has been involved in a restraint, the records have been reviewed by another person to provide appropriate

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improvement to be good

reflection. However, this review has been conducted by a member of staff for whom the manager has line management responsibility. This is not appropriate as it may undermine the effectiveness of the review. The safe recruitment procedures that are in place for substantive staff are not robustly applied for agency staff. The home does not have a consistent approach to evidencing suitability checks for agency staff. In some cases, there is good evidence of suitability checks undertaken. However, for others, there is no record of employment history, suitable references or criminal records checks. This means that there is insufficient scrutiny of information that may have a bearing on a staff member’s suitability. The manager, on one occasion, allowed a series of complex events and relationships to Inspection report children’s home: SC438764 8 cloud effective and safe decision-making. The manager arranged for an unchecked and

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improvement to be good

untrained member of maintenance staff to assist them to support a child who has complex emotional and behavioural needs on an emergency residential short break. This potentially placed the child and others at risk. Staff lock the lounge and kitchen doors at set times. This practice was implemented as the result of historical behaviours. This practice has not been reviewed and has become a matter of routine. This may give an institutionalised feel to the home and does not send a positive message of trust to the children. Fire prevention arrangements are appropriate. However, no night-time fire drill has been undertaken. This has the potential to undermine swift and effective evacuation in the event of a night-time emergency. Sanctions are not always clearly recorded. A financial sanction that was applied was not recorded in the sanctions records, and a financial sanction that was recorded in the sanctions records appears not to have been implemented. This means that there is a

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improvement to be good

lack of clarity about sanctions and, potentially, children’s finances. The children enjoy volunteer dog-walking and revel in the daily visits of one of the staff’s dogs. The manager has risk assessed dogs visiting the home, but this is not specific to each dog. This means that the potential risk level is not understood effectively. The children feel safe and well supported by the staff. The children believe that the staff have their best interests at heart. A parent said, ‘We are 100% happy. She [the child] loves it there and loves the staff.’ A child said, ‘I really like it here. The staff are really nice and always have time to listen.’ The children reflect on their improved ability to keep themselves safe. One child described how they feel much safer than they used to. They do not go missing now and are more careful about the people with whom they associate. Staff act effectively and in partnership with other agencies to ensure that the children are safeguarded when there

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improvement to be good

are any concerns. A social worker said, ‘This place has been fantastic. They’ve worked brilliantly with her [the child]. She is much better and safer for being here.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

This is the registered manager’s first management position and she has not always felt confident to seek advice from colleagues or senior leaders within the organisation to help her to navigate complex situations. Consequently, on one occasion, she demonstrated poor decision-making that placed children at potential risk. The manager described the series of events as ‘a perfect storm’ and has reflected on this. She knows how she would manage a similar situation effectively in the future. There is no formalised, documented induction for agency staff. This means that new agency staff may not be fully aware of the emergency evacuation or safeguarding procedures and the needs of individual children. There is a variety of suitable and relevant training available, which most staff have undertaken. Senior staff have received training in responding to situations when children use ligatures. However, the staff have not received training in the prevention of and

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

responses to self-harm. Nor have they received training in understanding the deprivation of liberty standards. This is particularly important as the home provides care to some Inspection report children’s home: SC438764 9 children who have a history of self-harming behaviours and/or are subject to a deprivation of liberty order. Although most staff who have worked in residential childcare for more than two years have completed the required level 3 diploma, not all have. Staff are not able to support children to the best of their ability when they do not receive good-quality training that equips them effectively for their role. The staff said that they feel well supported and that the manager and deputy are always available. However, formal staff-support systems are not fully implemented. For example, two new staff who have been employed for 12 months have received only four or five supervisions in that period, and there has been little continuity in their supervisor

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

and little focus on the documented supervisions. Staff have not had an annual appraisal within the past year. Staff therefore do not receive suitable formal support, guidance and professional challenge. The manager has undertaken a review of the appropriateness and suitability of the location and premises of the home. However, there is insufficient information or evaluation of any risks and opportunities with regard to promoting children’s emotional health and preventing radicalisation. This is particularly relevant as many of the children live some distance from their families and have complex emotional needs. Records are not consistently maintained. Some children’s records are missing important care and financial information, while other records are undated and unsigned. The manager has high aspirations for the children and the home. The manager leads the team in a highly child-focused way, ensuring that the children feel cared about and

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

wanted. The high staffing levels enable staff to deliver responsive support that the children value. The staff are highly valued by parents and partner professionals. A social worker said, ‘The staff are fantastic. They are really very caring people.’ There are several shortfalls identified as part of the inspection, and some requirements from the previous inspection remain. However, there are no concerns that mean that children are unsafe. The manager and director of care have plans to ensure that the home provides the level of care and support that they aspire to.

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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

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 Inspection report children’s home: SC438764 10 children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. Inspection report children’s home: SC438764 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Potton Homes Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 1 Cresswell Park, Blackheath, London SE3 9RD

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Inspector

Joanna Heller: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC438764 12 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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