Children's home run by Newrays Care Services Limited

Inspection report children‟s home: 1241861 1 Registered provider: Newrays Care Services Ltd

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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 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. There is an acting manager in post who is not yet registered.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 30 April to 1 May 2019

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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Inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected Inadequate

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Inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers Inadequate

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Inadequate

There are serious and/or widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded and/or the care and experiences of children and young people are poor and they are not making progress.

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Inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

On 15 February 2019, Ofsted issued a notice restricting accommodation. This is to prevent any new children coming to live at the home. This remains in place. Two compliance notices have been issued and met since the last full inspection. Two compliance notices were raised as a result of this inspection. Inspection report children‟s home: 1241861 2

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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 children‟s home: 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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child‟s needs; if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority‟s or a relevant person‟s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child‟s needs are met in accordance with the child‟s relevant plans. (Regulation 5(b)(c)) 16/06/2019

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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. 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)) 16/06/2019

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff— help each child to achieve the child‟s education and training targets, as recorded in the child‟s relevant plans. (Regulation 8(1)(2)(a)(1)) 16/06/2019

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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 mutual respect and trust; an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and positive responses to other children and adults. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff 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. 16/06/2019 Inspection report children‟s home: 1241861 4 (Regulation 11(1)(2)(a)(x)) The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on mutual respect and trust; an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and positive responses to other children and adults. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the

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Requirement Due date

registered person to ensure that staff understand and communicate to children that bullying is unacceptable. (Regulation 11(1)(2)(a)(xii))* 16/06/2019

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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. 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. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(i))* 16/06/2019

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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. 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. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b)(2)(a)) 16/06/2019

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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 promotes their welfare. 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)) 16/06/2019

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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)(a)(b)) 16/06/2019

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Requirement Due date

If the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005(a) applies to the home— the registered person must ensure that the requirements of that Order and any regulations made under it, except for article 23 (duties of employees), are complied with in respect of the home. (Regulation 25(2)(b)) 16/06/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which include the information and documents 16/06/2019 Inspection report children‟s home: 1241861 5 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)(c)

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Recommendations

 Staff should be familiar with the home‟s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Young people‟s progress has been compromised by the inconsistent care that they have received from staff while living at this home. In recent months, the organisation took the decision to close the home. Young people were subsequently told that they would be moving and arrangements for these moves commenced. This decision was then changed, with young people being told that their home would remain open. This level of uncertainty has caused young people a great deal of anxiety. Furthermore, the home‟s therapist was given notice. Therefore, young people did not have access to support at a time when they needed it most. When young people display bullying behaviour towards others, staff do not challenge this promptly or effectively. As a result, one child‟s placement ended early because the staff could not keep him safe. Staff then failed to carry out direct work about bullying with the young person who remains at the home. This does not help him to learn about

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

the impact of his behaviour on others and on himself. Furthermore, staff are not adequately preparing the young person to be able to live safely alongside others. Since the last inspection, there has been a complete change in the staff and management team. High staff turnover is unsettling for young people and affects their ability to form and maintain trusting relationships with staff. Some staff do not have the skills, knowledge and experience to meet young people‟s needs. In addition, managers and staff have not gained a good understanding of the individual needs and risks of the young person residing at the home. For example, staff do not know what grades the young person is working towards for his GCSEs. Furthermore, staff do not fully understand the risks that this young person presents. As a result, managers and staff are not in a position to support him appropriately and this limits the progress that he is making.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff meet some aspects of young people‟s health well. For example, they have responded appropriately by seeking prompt medical attention, when incidents relating to a young person‟s health condition have occurred. However, the staff do not always Inspection report children‟s home: 1241861 6 implement a therapeutic approach to the young person‟s care as set out in the home‟s statement of purpose. For example, some of the staff‟s interactions with and attitude towards the young person are inappropriate and unacceptable. This does not promote the young person‟s emotional well-being. Staff do not help young people to develop independence in line with their age and needs. This limits the progress young people make and the experiences they have. For example, in respect of one young person, the staff cite his health needs as the reason why he cannot have any time out of the home unsupervised. However, they have not

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

looked at whether this is proportionate or ways that they may be able to progress this. This means that they are not helping the young person to understand, manage and live with his condition to enable him to be as independent as possible. The home is not clean throughout and some areas of the home environment require improvement. This does not reflect a good quality of care and does not help young people to invest in their home or feel valued. Staff do arrange for young people to spend positive and safe time with their families. For one young person, this means he is now able to spend more time with his sibling, which he is pleased about. Young people also participate in some leisure activities with staff and so have some fun times. The young person living at the home told the inspector that he is now beginning to build some positive relationships with some of the new staff.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

Staff lack the skills and knowledge to be able to keep the young person safe. This is because the young person‟s risk assessments are not up to date and staff have not taken the time to read information about him. For example, staff are not aware of the young person‟s recent inappropriate social media use and the potential risks this poses to the young person and others. As a result, managers and staff have not put in strategies to reduce and manage this risk. Although staff have received some training since the last inspection, this has not had a positive impact on the care that they provide to the young person. Staff remain unable to consistently recognise and meet the young person‟s needs. For example, staff do not fully understand the young person‟s need for physical affection and do not respond appropriately when he seeks this out. This gives the young person mixed messages and does not help him to develop appropriate relationships with adults and peers. In

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

addition, the failure to address bullying continues to place young people at potential risk of harm. Staff failed to promptly address actions identified in the fire risk assessment, which was completed in February 2019. Although some action was being taken during the inspection, three recommendations, which required immediate action in February 2019, have still not been addressed. As a result, Ofsted has made a referral to the fire service. Staff are beginning to develop positive working relationships with members of the youth offending team. This has enabled the young person to start to undertake some helpful work to address behaviours that are a cause for concern. Managers have improved recruitment practice. This means that new staff have been Inspection report children‟s home: 1241861 7 safely recruited to work at the home. The compliance notice raised at the last inspection has been met.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The registered manager, responsible individual, therapist and staff team have all left since the last inspection. Although the new team is now in place, the manager and responsible individual started on the second day of the inspection. The lack of consistent leadership and management has led to poor management oversight and a lack of accountability. This has had a negative effect on young people‟s progress and experiences. Senior managers do not understand the strengths and needs of the home. This limits the capacity of the home to make and sustain improvements. Although a new manager and responsible individual have been appointed, they have not yet had time and opportunity to make the required changes. Managers do not have sufficient oversight of young people‟s progress or take effective action to address shortfalls. As a result, managers have failed to challenge the practice of staff and other professionals. For example, one young person does not have an

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Education Health and Care Plan. Staff were unaware of this and, therefore, this has gone unchallenged. This is likely to affect the young person‟s learning and progress. Furthermore, education providers have stated that communication from the staff has been poor and this also does not help the young person to maintain good attendance. The statement of purpose states that the staff use a therapeutic model of care. However, records viewed and observations made by the inspector show that managers and staff do not understand and implement a therapeutic approach to young people‟s care. This means that the home is not operating in line with its statement of purpose. In addition, the most recent version of the home‟s statement of purpose has not been sent to Ofsted in line with the requirement to do so. Although staff receive some training, they could not tell the inspector what they had learned from this training and how it had improved their practice. Staff who have the

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

responsibility for supervising others have not had training to enable them to do this effectively. Furthermore, the quality and frequency of supervision varies. As a result, staff do not have the opportunity to develop their skills and reflect on and improve their practice. As a result of this visit, the home was issued with two further compliance notices. The restriction of accommodation notice remains in place. Inspectors will continue to closely monitor the home‟s progress.

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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 Inspection report children‟s home: 1241861 8 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: 1241861 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Newrays Care Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 10 The Drive, Ickenham, Uxbridge UB10 8AF

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Inspector

Louise Battersby, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: 1241861 10 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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