Children's Home run by Cornerways Care Limited in Hertfordshire

Inspection report children’s home: 2491062 1 Registered provider: Cornerways Care Limited

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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 provides care and accommodation for up to two children who present with challenging complex behaviours. The manager was registered with Ofsted at the same time as the registration of the home in October 2018.

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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: not applicable

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2491062 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

This is the first inspection. Inspection report children’s home: 2491062 3

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improvement to be good

The home requires improvement. The children have only been living at the home for a few months and therefore their progress from their starting points is limited. Some children engage well with staff, who spend time with them. However, improvements to practice are required to enable the staff to fully meet the children’s needs and support them to fulfil their potential.

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improvement to be good

Some children attend their health appointments and lead an active lifestyle. However, not all children attend important health appointments, eat the healthy menu options offered or are provided with sufficient information about the impact of their lifestyle choices on their well-being. This does not ensure that all children’s health needs are met.

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improvement to be good

The home is clean and tidy. However, now that the children have been living at the home for a few months, they would benefit from personalisation of their home to make it more welcoming.

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improvement to be good

One child is engaging well with the staff. The child attends the education provided and works with staff to improve his potential education achievements. The child embraces the support offered and attends all appointments. Staff motivate the child and enable some progress in all areas of his life.

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improvement to be good

The staff encourage children’s contact with their families and people who are important to them. The staff work hard to try to engage with family members and meet children’s friends. When appropriate, the children’s friends are involved in activities with them. This helps children to develop their sense of identity.

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improvement to be good

Staff actively seek the children’s views. The children are involved in the plans about their care. When key-work sessions have occurred, these are relevant, and the records are detailed. External professionals come to see the children at the home to share their knowledge and awareness of topics such as knife crime. This provides children with information that is important in keeping themselves safe.

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improvement to be good

Individual risk assessments support the staff in working with children. However, not all the risk assessments give staff a full picture of the risks or the actions that they need to take. The assessments are not consistently reviewed following incidents. This means that the staff could miss important information needed to safeguard children.

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improvement to be good

Staff’s management of incidents of verbal abuse from and damage to the home by the children is inconsistent. Staff do not consistently address inappropriate language. They Inspection report children’s home: 2491062 4 make exceptions to some situations and go against strategies agreed. In addition, staff do not constantly follow through actions identified to help the children to learn alternatives to their frustrations, anger and learned behaviour. Therefore, inappropriate behaviour for some children continues, and their progress is limited.

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improvement to be good

There have been no physical interventions. When sanctions have been applied, they have, on occasion, been excessive. Records lack evidence that the child’s view was sought, and of the effectiveness of the sanction. In addition, the template that staff are required to complete is not in line with regulation. Therefore, the ability to identify patterns and trends of what is effective for children is restricted.

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improvement to be good

Some children have gone missing from the home. The home has swiftly developed effective working relationships with external agencies. Staff attend multi-agency meetings and ensure that information is passed to the appropriate professionals to reduce the risk to children. This has resulted in a reduction in the number of incidents for children from their starting points. However, not all strategies are consistently adhered to in order to reduce the risk of children going missing. For example, staff do not consistently make contact with children at agreed times. Thus, children are given mixed messages about returning to the home.

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improvement to be good

The recruitment of staff and agency staff is meticulous. The system ensures that only suitably vetted staff care for the children.

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

The manager is enrolled on and currently undertaking a level 5 qualification in leadership and management. He is passionate about his work. Staff commented on his commitment to the children and the positive support that he provides to them all. The newly established team lacks experience and requires a significant amount of support and guidance. The provider has recognised this. The recent appointment of a deputy manager is likely to further support the changes required to improve practice at the home.

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

Staff spoke with enthusiasm about the informative and varied training that they receive to build their knowledge about ways to support the children. However, staff require training in the ‘Prevent’ duty and online safety in order to fully meet children’s needs.

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

The manager provides all staff with fortnightly supervision. There is evidence of the manager addressing some of the shortfalls in staff practice and informing staff of the expectations of their roles and responsibilities. Team meetings focus on children’s needs and, along with supervisions, provide staff with time to reflect on their work.

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

Staff provide detailed information in children’s daily and weekly records. However, there are inconsistencies in the children’s plans. These inconsistencies could be confusing for the children and the staff. In addition, staff have not started to collate, or encourage children to collate, memorabilia of significant days and activities. This fails to provide children with memories of their time at the home. Inspection report children’s home: 2491062 5 External monitoring of the home occurs monthly. The independent person makes recommendations for improvement for the manager to consider. However, progress has been slow. Inspection report children’s home: 2491062 6

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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 health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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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

achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

understand the child’s health and well-being needs and the options that are available in relation to the child’s health and well- being, in a way that is appropriate to the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

take part in activities, and attend any appointments, for the purpose of meeting the child’s health and well-being needs; and

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Requirement Due date

understand and develop skills to promote the child’s well-being. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)) 03/06/2019

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults. 03/06/2019 Inspection report children’s home: 2491062 7 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child’s age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful;

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Requirement Due date

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust;

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Requirement Due date

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children;

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Requirement Due date

are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(viii) (ix)(x)) 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

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. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)) 26/04/2019 Inspection report children’s home: 2491062 8 In particular, ensure that all children’s risk assessments are up to date and include all potential identified risks and the action required to reduce those risks. The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

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—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; and

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(c)(e)) 03/06/2019

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Requirement Due date

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—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

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’)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

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. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(ii)(iii)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)(iv)) 03/06/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (‘case records’) for 03/06/2019 Inspection report children’s home: 2491062 9 each child which—

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Requirement Due date

are kept up to date. (Regulation 36 (1)(b))

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Recommendations

 Ensure that staff provide a nurturing environment that is welcoming. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.7) This is with particular regard to the personalisation of the home.  Ensure that staff keep and encourage children to keep appropriate memorabilia of the time spent living at the home and help children to record significant life events. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.5)

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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 children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. Inspection report children’s home: 2491062 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cornerways Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 7 Paynes Park, Hitchin, Hertfordshire SG5 1EH

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Inspector

Natalie Burton: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2491062 11 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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