Children's home run by Newrays Care Services Limited

Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: 1241861 1

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Newrays Care Services Limited

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The service specialises in providing planned and managed therapeutic interventions for children who have suffered early life trauma as the victims of serious abuse and/or profound neglect. The registered manager has managed the home since July 2018.

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This monitoring visit

Ofsted carried out a monitoring inspection of the home. This was after a number of whistleblowing concerns were shared with the regulator.

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This monitoring visit

This visit found a number of concerns. These included:

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This monitoring visit

 a lack of leadership and management  an unqualified and inexperienced staff team  unsafe recruitment  inconsistent staffing arrangements  a failure to meet the home‟s statement of purpose.

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This monitoring visit

Young people are going through an unsettled period. This started with the organisation taking the decision to close the home. Young people were told that they would be moving to new placements, and arrangements for these moves commenced. This decision was then changed, with young people being told that the home would remain open. This level of uncertainty has caused young people and staff a great deal of anxiety.

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This monitoring visit

There is currently no registered manager. Staff are not receiving structured handovers to help them to ensure that the needs of the young people are met. In the past four weeks, seven staff have left. Some members of staff have agreed Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: 1241861 2 plans to leave in the near future, and other member staff have recently left with minimal notice. This high level of change leaves young people without a consistent staff team that has the skills and knowledge to meet their needs.

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This monitoring visit

Staff lack qualifications. For example, only one member of staff has the required level 3 diploma in residential childcare. Despite a young person living at the home being diagnosed to have autism spectrum disorder, only two members of staff are trained to be able to meet his needs. Staff have been brought in from another home in the organisation to offer help and support. However, no assessment has been completed to assess whether these additional members of staff have the required skills and knowledge to support the young people. This leaves a lack of understanding as to whether staff have the suitable skills and/or qualifications to care for the young people.

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This monitoring visit

Safe recruitment is weak. New staff have been allowed to start working at the home without sufficient checks being completed on their suitability to work with young people. For example, there are gaps in checking that suitable references are obtained and that verification is gained for the reasons why the member of staff left their previous positions working with children and/or vulnerable adults. As a result of these shortfalls, young people are at risk of being exposed to adults who may pose a risk to them.

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This monitoring visit

The home does not offer a therapist as described in the home‟s statement of purpose. This is misleading to any reader over what the service actually offers.

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This monitoring visit

As a result of this visit, the home was issued with two compliance notices and a restriction of accommodation notice.

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This monitoring visit

The requirements raised during the full inspection will be revisited during the next full inspection.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 20/08/2018 Full Good 30/11/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness 23/05/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: 1241861 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 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.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(2)(c)(i)) 28/09/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child; are kept up to date; and are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)) 28/09/2018

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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 promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

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 and that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child. (Regulation 13(1)(b)(2)(c)) * 17/03/2019

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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.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home‟s statement of purpose; ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for 17/03/2019 Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: 1241861 4 each child; ensure that the home‟s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(d)(e))

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children‟s home if there is no registered manager in respect of the home; and the registered provider— is an organisation or a partnership; does not satisfy regulation 28; or is not, or does not intend to be, in day-to-day charge of the home. If the registered provider appoints a person to manage the home, the registered provider must, without delay, give HMCI notice of— the name of the person so appointed; and the date on which the appointment takes effect. (Regulation 27 (1)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(2)(a)(b)) 17/03/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children‟s safety. (Regulation 32 (1)) * 17/03/2019

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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.

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Requirement Due date

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.

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Requirement Due date

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)) 17/03/2019

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice. Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: 1241861 5

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Recommendations

 Ensure that just as in a family home, children are able to access all shared areas of their home unless there are specific reasons why this would not meet a child‟s needs. Limits on privacy and access may only be put in place to safeguard each child in the home (regulation 21(c)(i)). Any decisions to limit a child‟s access to any area of the home, and any modifications to the environment of the home, must only be made where this is intended to safeguard the child‟s welfare. All decisions should be informed by a rigorous assessment of that individual child‟s needs, be properly recorded and be kept under regular review. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 15, paragraph 3.10) This is with reference to ensuring that bedroom door alarms are used only on the basis of individual safeguarding need.

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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: Newrays Care Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Sinckot House, 211 Station House, Harrow HA1 2TP

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Inspector

Louise Battersby, social care inspector Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: 1241861 6 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 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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