Children's home run by We Are Beams in Sevenoaks

Inspection report children‟s home: SC435152 1 SC435152 Registered provider: We Are Beams

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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 is owned and run by a charity. It provides overnight short breaks for children who have a learning disability and/or complex needs. Currently 58 children are registered to use the short breaks service, with six children able to use the service at any time.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in May 2015.

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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: 19 December 2018

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

A monitoring visit on 6 February 2019 judged that the compliance notice in relation to regulation 13 had not been met. This compliance notice was reissued on 15 February 2019. Inspection report children‟s home: SC435152 2

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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 children‟s home: SC435152 3

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improvement to be good

Consultation methods with all the children are not yet fully embedded. Consequently, the service is not yet regularly reviewed in response to all the children‟s views, wishes and feelings. Meetings with children are, however, improving. Through the staff‟s advanced planning and the use of communication aids, such as pictures and symbols, children with verbal communication difficulties are being better included.

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improvement to be good

Some aspects of medication management pose risks. The practice of covert administration in some cases means that those children are unaware that they are taking medicines. In such examples, the consent and agreement from the prescriber to use such methods in the child‟s best interests are not made clear. In some cases, children‟s health and medical plans contain additional hand-written comments and notes. While it is positive that this demonstrates parental input, the accuracy of this guidance is not always explicitly clear.

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improvement to be good

Medication is stored securely, and staff have recently had training in the administration of medication and specific children‟s needs, such as gastrostomy feeds, diabetes and emergency medication for epilepsy. Photos are used to aid staff on how to appropriately use and apply children‟s medical appliances and aids.

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improvement to be good

Children were seen to be enjoying their time during this inspection. Some said they liked their stays, while others indicated that they were enjoying themselves through their actions and engaging happily in activities alone or with other children and staff.

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improvement to be good

Staff provide a good level of support and interact confidently with the children. They use a variety of communication techniques, suited to each child‟s needs. Children make choices about their next activity and their food within the set menu. For children who are unable to make a choice independently, staff provide support through pointing or showing them what is on offer.

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improvement to be good

Parents are complimentary about the service, managers and staff. They say they are confident their children are being well looked after while in the care of the short breaks service.

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improvement to be good

Staff have been working much more closely with the children‟s schools to ensure that care plans are consistent in all settings. As a result, children‟s plans are improving, with clear detail on the child‟s achievements during their stay, consideration on how or if they have made progress, and if not, the reasons for this.

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improvement to be good

Parents are updated about each stay, with records including photographs of their child undertaking activities and new tasks. It has been recognised that the new recording Inspection report children‟s home: SC435152 4 format requires further adjustment to make goals and targets clearer, and a new format is being introduced. It is now evident and recorded how children are developing new skills, such as using cutlery, tidying after themselves and staying at the dining table, in addition to trying new activities and spending time relaxing with friends, when able.

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improvement to be good

Children enjoy new experiences while using the short breaks service. These have included ambitious trips on the train, with children purchasing their own tickets and making changes en route to their destination. A staff member commented that their role is to „adapt activities‟ so that all children have the opportunity to join in and engage.

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improvement to be good

Staff‟s recording of their use of physical interventions is not clear enough. In some cases, staff are not certain or secure in their own understanding about the type and nature of the support that they have used. Whether a method of physical intervention or physical restraint has been used is not always clear. Effective monitoring is compromised as a result of this confusion. It hinders the registered manager‟s ability to monitor staff‟s practice effectively and assess whether the support provided for individual children remains appropriate.

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improvement to be good

Children‟s plans do not always state clearly that some restrictions may be in place for children‟s safety. Such restrictions include physical prompts to move away from dangerous situations, and the holding of children‟s hands when delivering necessary medical and health procedures.This further adds to the confusion on the types of support interventions that should be recorded and those that should not. Staff have received behaviour management training. Its impact and the staff‟s learning are continuing to be reinforced through team meetings and staff supervisions.

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improvement to be good

Staff demonstrate a good understanding of how children communicate through their behaviour. Plans are usually clear on how to respond when children are anxious or upset. The inspector observed good practice when a child used the service in an emergency. The staff were aware of this child‟s behavioural needs but did not let this become a barrier to trying new activities and going out into the community.

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improvement to be good

Work has been completed to help children who can use the internet to stay safe online. This includes parental involvement with regard to written agreements that help the staff and parents to work together.

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

Sufficient action has been taken to meet the compliance notice previously served, but the changes introduced by leaders and managers are not yet fully embedded. The work to update children‟s care plans is not yet fully complete. Leaders and managers are also continuing to revise and amend management monitoring systems. Targeted Inspection report children‟s home: SC435152 5 development planning for the short breaks service is compromised because it is absorbed within wider development planning for other aspects of the organisation and it is primarily focused on financial aspects.

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

Leaders and managers are seeking to improve the quality of the care provided for children through the evaluation of staff skills, linked in to targeted training. Some staff have been assigned tasks in areas where they are particularly skilled. This has enthused staff to consider how they can improve children‟s enjoyment, including enhancing the equipment they need to better provide for children‟s experiences during their stays. This includes jelly bean buttons for communication and toys that the children particularly enjoy.

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

Staff say they feel valued and well trained. They can access managers as needed, and are reassured that they can contact a registered nurse if they are unsure on any aspect of delegated health tasks.

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

The statement of purpose has been updated to reflect the service provided, and the staff understand its content. The most recent update of this document had not been sent to Ofsted, and was only sent when prompted by the inspector. Inspection report children‟s home: SC435152 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 the health and well- being needs of children are met; children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and 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— that staff help each child to achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child‟s relevant plans. (Regulation 10 (2)(a)(i)) 17/06/2019

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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— use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (2)(h)) 17/06/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (3)(b)) 17/06/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that 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. Paragraph (3) does not apply in relation to restraint that is planned or provided for as a matter of routine in the child‟s EHC 17/06/2019 Inspection report children‟s home: SC435152 7 plan or statement of special educational needs. (Regulation 35 (3)(b)(i)(ii)(c)(4))

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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: SC435152 8

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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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Inspector

Jennie Christopher, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC435152 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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