Children's home run by Kisimul Group Limited in North Kesteven

Inspection report children‟s home: SC367623 1 SC367623 Registered provider: Kisimul Group Ltd Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned service provides education, care and accommodation for up to 66 children and young people who have learning disabilities and/or challenging behaviours associated with autism spectrum disorder. For some children, this is their home. Other children have term-time only placements and a small number of day pupils also come for short breaks.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in August 2018.

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Information about this children’s home

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Information about this children’s home

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 the interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has sustained effectiveness.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

There has been an improvement in the atmosphere in the homes since the last inspection. Staff were generally observed to be more relaxed and this has had a positive impact on the care being provided for the children. The majority of staff speak warmly about the children and demonstrate an understanding of children‟s individual needs, likes, dislikes and personalities. However, the use of agency staff is high in some homes. Some of the agency staff do not know children well enough to be able to meet their needs confidently; for these children, interactions with staff are less positive.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children‟s individual care planning documents include the use of non-verbal Inspection report children‟s home: SC367623 2 communication tools, but inspectors saw few examples of these being used in practice. In one instance, staff did not use a child‟s personalised schedule and this led to an incident. Overall, staff are not knowledgeable enough about children‟s individual methods of communication and this reduces opportunities for children to communicate their views and feelings.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The quality of care plans has improved and they are regularly updated, but in some cases there are disparities between care plans and practice. Care plans have not always been updated when new behaviours have been reported and observed. One care plan had been reviewed, but did not include the progress the child had made and referred to the behaviour and triggers that had previously been a concern. Care plans do not consistently provide a full overview of the child to enable staff to know how to provide individualised, high-quality care.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Although „grab sheets‟, which include the important information staff need to know about children, are helpful, new agency staff are not always given time to read and understand the children‟s care plans and risk assessments.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff were seen reinforcing positive behaviours and de-escalating situations well. Inspectors observed staff using humour when intervening to de-escalate situations or distract children. Staff and children laugh together and this contributes to a lighter and more homely atmosphere that most children appear to enjoy.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Physical interventions have been used, but there has been a reduction in the use of higher-level restraints. There is a lack of management oversight of the behaviour management techniques being used by staff. When a child is moved from one form of restraint to another, the recording of physical interventions does not always include the required level of detail. For example, in a number of physical intervention records it states that children have been taken by staff to the soft-play room to calm down, but the details of how this took place, where the staff were at the time and how the room was used are not included. As a result, managers are unable to judge whether the safest and most proportionate approach was used. There are no clear guidelines for using this room to help children to calm down and appropriate scrutiny by managers is not evident. The manager is reviewing the format for recording restraint incidents to ensure that this

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

is addressed, and that children‟s views are sought following a physical intervention. The inclusion of children‟s views is not established practice, so the perspective of children is not always fully understood when restraint incidents are reviewed.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

When there have been incidents between children, the recording and review of information is not easy to locate. Body maps are routinely used, but they are not detailed enough. For example, they do not always include sufficient information about the size and location of injuries to enable a detailed follow up.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff vacancy rates in the children‟s home are high at 33%, which means that they remain at the same level as they were at the last inspection. The organisation continues to take assertive steps to recruit staff and a workforce development plan is now in place, but the home continues to be reliant on permanent staff undertaking overtime, and on casual and agency staff. Some staff said that staffing levels are having an impact on the Inspection report children‟s home: SC367623 3 quality and continuity of care that they are able to provide. The staff‟s shift patterns in the morning are managed so that there are fewer staff available at certain times, such as when waking night staff leave, to enable the maximum number of staff to be available during the busiest periods, such as breakfast. Although inspectors observed this approach running smoothly in one home, some staff said that some children have to

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

wait for carers to support their personal care needs, such as getting dressed.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

When children express worries about their welfare, or make allegations with regard to their care or treatment, they are listened to by the staff who first hear their concerns and then record them in the children‟s own words. Formal investigations into allegations are routinely undertaken and demonstrate that an appropriate and comprehensive range of relevant information has been reviewed before a conclusion is reached. Safeguarding chronologies and related documents are increasingly clear. However, most formal investigation records do not evidence that, in order to reach a conclusion, the investigating manager has either spoken to the child directly or has scrutinised the efforts made to communicate with the child in their preferred way. In a small number of instances, early assumptions were made about the reliability of the child‟s account or concern. For example, inspectors reviewed safeguarding documents which indicated that

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

because a child had made allegations previously this would be a factor in the decision- making about the current allegation.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The previous requirement to ensure that all staff have the required level 3 qualification within the necessary timescales has not been fully met. The manager is looking at how to rectify this on an individual basis with staff, to promote more timely completion. In addition, there is no clear time frame within which the agency staff who are used as full- time staff will undertake this level of qualification.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

For the new admissions to the home that have taken place since the last inspection, impact risk assessments have been undertaken in each case. The evaluations in the documents are largely generic, and do not fully demonstrate the likely impact of the new admissions on other children who are already residing in the home.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the last inspection, Ofsted has been notified of all significant incidents as required. Overall, managers demonstrate a better level of oversight and understanding of the areas that require improvement, but a number of improvements are required.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/07/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 06/12/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 05/10/2016 Full Good 02/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children‟s home: SC367623 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who— understand the children‟s home‟s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children; use this understanding to deliver care that meets children‟s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— ensure that staff— protect and promote each child‟s welfare; provide personalised care that meets each child‟s needs, as recorded in the child‟s relevant plans, taking account of the child‟s background. (Regulation 6(1)(a)(b)(2)(b)(iv)) In particular, ensure that children‟s individual communication tools are understood and used and that care plans are reviewed as required. 22/02/2019

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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. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child; ensure that the home‟s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b)(2)(c)(d)(e)) 22/02/2019 Inspection report children‟s home: SC367623 5 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. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the

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Requirement Due date

registered person to— use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(h)) In particular, ensure that thorough monitoring of behaviour management practice takes place. 22/02/2019

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Requirement Due date

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— the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (“the Level 3 Diploma”); or a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma. The relevant date is— 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 in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016. The registered person may defer the relevant date if the individual— does not work, or has not worked, in a care role in a home for a prolonged period; or 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))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (“the behaviour management policy”) which sets out— how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children‟s home; and the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home. The registered person must keep the behaviour management policy under review and, where appropriate, revise it. 22/02/2019 Inspection report children‟s home: SC367623 6 (Regulation 35(1)(a)(b)(2)) In particular, undertake a review of the use of the soft-play room and ensure that there are clear guidelines in place for the use of this room, including clarity for children and parents. 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— the name of the child; details of the child‟s behaviour leading to the use of the

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Requirement Due date

measure; the date, time and location of the use of the measure; a description of the measure and its duration; details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure; the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used; the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure; 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.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 35(3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)(iv)) 22/02/2019

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Recommendations

 Staff should have the skills and confidence to communicate easily and understand the importance of listening to, involving and responding to the children they care for. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 22, paragraph 4.10) In particular, following allegations, ensure that children are spoken with in their Inspection report children‟s home: SC367623 7 preferred way.  Ensure any allegation of harm or abuse is addressed in line with the home‟s child protection policy. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 44, paragraph 9.17) In particular, ensure that the language used during investigations is scrutinised to ensure that assumptions are not made.  The registered person should only accept placements for children where they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child‟s assessed needs as recorded in the child‟s relevant plans and where they have fully considered the

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Recommendations

impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 56, paragraph 11.4)  The registered person should ensure that all incidents of control, discipline and restraint are subject to systems of regular scrutiny. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 46, paragraph 9.36) In particular, ensure that all incidents of challenging behaviour are fully evaluated.  Staff should continually and actively assess the risks to each child. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 42, paragraph 9.5) In particular, make sure that the information in body maps is sufficiently detailed to enable proper monitoring.

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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‟. Inspection report children‟s home: SC367623 8

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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: Kisimul School, The Old Vicarage, High Street, Swinderby, Lincoln, Lincolnshire LN6 9LU

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Donna Varley-Turner

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Inspectors

Emeline Evans, social care inspector Amanda Maxwell, social care inspector Suzy Lemmy, social care inspector Stephanie Murray, Senior HMI Inspection report children‟s home: SC367623 9 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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