Children's home run by We Are Beams in Sevenoaks

Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC435152 1 SC435152

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We Are Beams

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is registered to provide short breaks for up to six children who have severe and complex needs and may have learning difficulties and/or physical disabilities. The home is operated by a charitable organisation.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in May 2015.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring inspection was carried out following the children’s home being judged inadequate at the full inspection on 19 and 20 December 2018. A compliance notice and requirements were issued from that inspection. The focus of this monitoring inspection was to review the progress made by leaders and managers towards meeting the compliance notice and requirements.

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This monitoring visit

At this monitoring inspection the registered manager was present; however, the responsible individual took the more active role. Since the last inspection, the service has continued to provide short breaks for disabled children.

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This monitoring visit

The steps of the compliance notice from the previous inspection are listed below, with details of the action taken by leaders and managers, and whether each step is judged to be met.

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ensure that the approach and ethos is being delivered in practice. Record

this review and any action identified from the review process.

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tracked; and how children’s views and feedback on their stays is captured

Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC435152 2 and used to improve and shape the service.

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tracked; and how children’s views and feedback on their stays is captured

The provider has updated the Statement of Purpose rather than completing a review to determine that staff understand its contents and how they deliver it. This new document remains in draft form until it has been shared with parents. Consequently, leaders and managers have not yet shared the final document with the staff team. Leaders and managers cannot demonstrate how the staff team is being evaluated in terms of its understanding and delivery of the Statement of Purpose.

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tracked; and how children’s views and feedback on their stays is captured

Leaders and managers have reviewed the systems for considering children’s progress and experiences. The have identified children’s targets and are capturing these in daily records, which include photographs of the child achieving them. These records are being developed further to include the child’s education, health and care plans.

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tracked; and how children’s views and feedback on their stays is captured

Leaders and managers have reviewed children’s meetings records. These include records of any requests that the children make and evidence that the requests have been listened to and acted upon, or that the reasons why not have been explained to children. The new format has not been used, so this will be reviewed at the next inspection.

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tracked; and how children’s views and feedback on their stays is captured

The specific aspect of the step in relation to the Statement of Purpose is not met. Overall, the step is not met.

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physical intervention techniques, and how to support children to learn

An audit of each staff member’s skills and training had not been completed prior to this inspection. On the day of this inspection, the responsible individual started this piece of work and identified some team training needs. Insufficient time and resources have been dedicated to this task, in order to compile an accurate and meaningful review for each individual staff member. This aspect of the step is not met.

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physical intervention techniques, and how to support children to learn

Some work has commenced to identify the specific communication needs of individual children. This is not fully completed. Resources are available to staff, who Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC435152 3 are undertaking additional training in their use. Staff have consulted parents and social workers on the best methods of communication for the children. The children’s education, health and care plans have been requested to identify the best communication method for each child. However, adequate guidance and training for the staff have not been delivered in response to the concerns about staff’s communication with children. Training identified as needed has not been provided in a timely way. This aspect of the step is not met.

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physical intervention techniques, and how to support children to learn

The recording format for physical interventions and restraints has been updated. A team meeting has been used to discuss these techniques with those who were present. Further training has been booked for June 2019. No other plans or strategies were described to the inspector to demonstrate that every member of staff will receive the same guidance. This aspect of the step is not met.

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physical intervention techniques, and how to support children to learn

The responsible individual told the inspector that some work had been carried out to improve liaison with parents, staff and social workers about children’s internet use. Internet agreements have been reviewed and some parents have signed them. However, more needs to be done to support and educate children to use the internet safely. This aspect of the step is not met.

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physical intervention techniques, and how to support children to learn

Step 3: 13 (2)(h) Undertake a review of internal monitoring systems. Record this review and any actions identified as a result of the review.

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maintain good standards:

 Children’s risk assessments  Children’s care plans  Physical interventions and restraint records  Sanctions  Fire safety including personal evacuation plans and practice drills.  Supervision systems  Direct observations of staff practice, including gastronomy feeds  Individual staff risk assessments.

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maintain good standards:

The provider has failed to demonstrate sufficient understanding of this step. No review has been undertaken. Consequently, important lessons in understanding the failings of previous monitoring systems and processes have not been learned. An audit tool has been designed and a number of documents and records have been reviewed and improved. The audit tool enables leaders and managers to assure themselves that records have been completed. However, it does not enable leaders Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC435152 4 and managers to monitor the quality and impact of these records, nor the processes and practice that underpin these.

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maintain good standards:

Leaders and managers have failed to demonstrate sufficient understanding of the progress needed and the changes that are required in order to meet this compliance notice, albeit some progress is noted. The compliance notice is not met. It will be reissued with an extended completion date to give the provider the opportunity to demonstrate compliance.

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maintain good standards:

The inspector also reviewed the progress made by leaders and managers towards meeting the previous requirements:

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maintain good standards:

Four requirements were made at the full inspection on 19 and 20 December 2018:

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The protection of children standard is that children are protected from

harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

help each child to understand how to keep safe.

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arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

Managers have reviewed all the children’s risk assessments to ensure that they are up to date. Audits of any changes that have been made will take place every three months and annually. However, the inspector was not given any evidence to demonstrate how children are helped to keep themselves safe, in particular regarding the safe use of the internet. This requirement has not been met.

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persons working at the home and, so far as reasonably practicable,

children are aware of the procedure to be followed in case of fire.

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In particular, complete personal emergency evacuation plans and night-

Managers have updated the children’s risk assessments to include personal emergency evacuation plans. They have used a staff meeting to address the step relating to fire drills. A practice night time scenario was completed and evaluated. Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC435152 5 However, this was carried out during the day. A follow-up discussion has been arranged with a member of night staff, but she was not part of the practice scenario, and a night time drill has not taken place. This does not evidence that staff will know what to do in the event of a fire at night and how to evacuate all the children and staff safely. This requirement has not been met.

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receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate

At the inspection, the responsible individual, rather than the registered manager, responded to the compliance notice issued. Neither the registered manager nor the deputy have had formal supervision since the full inspection. In addition, not all staff have had supervisions or appraisals. This is a poor response to the widespread concerns raised at the inspection. The registered manager has not had additional supervision training to ensure that she delivers good-quality supervisions. She is responsible for auditing the deputy manager’s supervision, despite the lack of up-to- date training provided in supervision practice.

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spoken to the user about the measure; and has signed the record to

There has been only one physical intervention since the last inspection. The manager spoke to the staff involved and signed to confirm that it is accurate. The responsible individual told the inspector that the responsible individual would review the records if the manager was involved in a physical intervention.

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spoken to the user about the measure; and has signed the record to

This requirement has been met. Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC435152 6

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 19/12/2018 Full Inadequate 29/08/2017 Full Good 21/03/2017 Full Good 15/12/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC435152 7

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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; help each child to understand how to keep safe. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)) 02/04/2019

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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– 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 staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home; ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13 (2)(a)(c)(h)) 02/04/2019

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Requirement Due date

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must– ensure, by means of fire drills and practices at suitable intervals, that persons working at the home and, so far as reasonably practicable, children are aware of the procedure to be followed in case of fire. (Regulation 25 (1)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, complete night time fire drills. 02/04/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees– receive practice-related supervision by a person with 02/04/2019 Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC435152 8 appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b))

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Requirement Due date

* This requirement is subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendations

 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 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)

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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 address: Allsworth Court, 38–40 St David’s Road, Swanley, Kent BR8 7RJ

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Inspectors

Suzy Lemmy, social care inspector Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC435152 9 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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