Children's home run by Barnardiston Hall Preparatory School Limited in West Suffolk

Inspection report children's home: SC443009 1 SC443009 Registered provider: Barnardiston Hall Preparatory School 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

This privately run home is one of a small group. Care and accommodation are provided for up to six boys who have moderate to severe learning difficulties. The manager has been in post since 25 February 2019. She is not yet registered with Ofsted.

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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

Date of last inspection: 5 February 2019

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: SC443009 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/02/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 05/11/2018 Full Inadequate 06/03/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness 23/08/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children's home: SC443009 3

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improvement to be good

The recent inspection history of the home is poor. A number of improvements remain necessary to ensure that young people and their families receive a good service

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improvement to be good

The young people have made progress in their behaviour, health, communication and education since coming to the home. However, this progress has stalled in some areas over the past 12 months.

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improvement to be good

Staffing inconsistencies have contributed to progress stagnating. Parents and professionals said that staffing changes and inconsistency negatively affect their children. The new manager accepts that the care has been inconsistent, with heavy reliance on agency staff and some poor practice. She has taken steps to address this. However, it is too early to assess the effectiveness of these actions.

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improvement to be good

There is little evidence of staff supporting young people to develop their independence skills. While some ad hoc activities occur, these are infrequent and unstructured. As a result, the service is still not preparing young people for adulthood.

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improvement to be good

The staff continue to provide care for two young adults. Although this does not bring additional risks, the young people do not have moving-on plans or transition plans. This does not plan for or help young people to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care.

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improvement to be good

The young people enjoy social and leisure opportunities. The staff have a good understanding of young people’s interests.

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improvement to be good

The quality of risk assessments is poor. Management oversight of risk assessments is lacking. One risk assessment, identified as inaccurate at an inspection in November 2018, has once again appeared in a child’s file. This was signed as read by staff on 18 February 2019. The young person therefore, once again, has a risk assessment that is factually inaccurate, does not reflect his experiences and history and could have followed him to his next placement with the risk that the information becomes accepted as fact.

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improvement to be good

No young people have gone missing, misused drugs or alcohol, self-harmed, been sexually exploited or been involved in crime since the last inspection. However, risk assessments for one child do not consider the potential risk of radicalisation. This is despite his vulnerability and his use of online gaming.

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improvement to be good

During the inspection, storage areas for hazardous materials were found unlocked. This Inspection report children's home: SC443009 4 is despite young people being present at the home. These areas included the shed at the end of the garden and the laundry room. Although the young people have one-to-one staffing and are closely supervised, it is possible that a young person could have accessed these buildings and been in contact with hazardous materials.

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improvement to be good

There have been no incidents of restraint since the last inspection. During the inspection, the staff were interacting calmly with the young people. Parents and professionals reported significant improvements in young people’s behaviour over the time that they have been living at the home.

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improvement to be good

One parent reported that their child has become safer because of the support that the home and the school provide. The parent said, ‘My child has achieved the miraculous escape from everything that he had become involved with in his local area. Safeguarding has improved tenfold.’

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

The registered manager left the home on 25 February 2019. A new manager took up the manager’s post on the same day. The new manager is not yet registered with Ofsted.

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

Management monitoring is not yet strong enough. Although care plans are in place for the young people and regular reports are submitted to placing authorities, the quality of these is poor. One monthly report included information copied and pasted from the previous monthly report, rendering it inaccurate.

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

The new manager is realistic about the scale of the task that she is facing and the number of areas that require improvement. She is beginning to have an influence on the service. Four of the six requirements made at the last inspection have been met.

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

The manager has not submitted an up-to-date statement of purpose to Ofsted. No update has been received since before the registered manager left. Although this does not directly affect the well-being of the young people, it is indicative of the wider managerial issues that the service has experienced.

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

Families and professionals are generally happy with the quality of care provided. There are typically good relationships between the home and families and professionals. The manager and staff work with local authorities to enable specialist interventions such as behaviour assessments and medication reviews.

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

Staff reported feeling supported by the new manager. The staff have received training. This includes training in safeguarding and the ‘Prevent’ duty.

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What does the children's home need to do to improve?

Inspection report children's home: SC443009 5

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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—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose; and

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(b)(vi)) 13/05/2019

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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—

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)) 13/05/2019

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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— 12/04/2019 Inspection report children's home: SC443009 6 that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(d)) 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

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided at the home; and

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(f)(h)) 13/05/2019

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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 arrangements are in place to— plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b)(2)(b)(iii)) 13/05/2019

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (3)(a)(b)) 13/05/2019 Inspection report children's home: SC443009 7

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Recommendations

 Staffing structures should promote continuity of care from the child's perspective. If children complain, or give a view on how the staffing structure could be improved to promote the best care for them, appropriate action should be taken. ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 54, paragraph 10.15)

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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: SC443009 8

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Barnardiston Hall Preparatory School Limited

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: Greenwood House, Greenwood Court, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk IP32 7GY

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Inspector

Ashley Hinson: social care inspector Inspection report children's home: SC443009 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 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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