Children's Home, Residential special school run by Kisimul Group Limited in Lincolnshire

Inspection report children’s home: SC034241 1 SC034241 Registered provider: Kisimul Group Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This residential special school is registered as a children’s home because young people stay for more than 295 days per year. The home provides care and education for up to 55 young people who have severe learning difficulties and challenging behaviour. The manager has been registered with Ofsted since 2007. He is suitably qualified.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspectors were aware during this inspection that serious child protection allegations were being investigated by the appropriate authorities. While Ofsted does not have the power to investigate allegations of this kind, actions taken by the setting in response to the allegations were considered alongside other evidence available at the time of the inspection to inform inspectors’ judgements.

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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 widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

Ofsted suspended this service on 31 October 2018 because a number of allegations of Inspection report children’s home: SC034241 2 abusive practice were made to Lincolnshire police. A police investigation was instigated. On 8 January 2019, following consultation with Lincolnshire police, the suspension was lifted. However, to manage risk during the police investigation Ofsted imposed the following additional conditions of registration:

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

 The provider is to inform Ofsted directly before lifting the suspension of any staff.  Each staff member is to be accompanied by at least one other staff member while working directly with children.  The provider will ensure a senior management presence (above team leader) on each shift. This will include some direct observation and evaluation of care practice. Ofsted has carried out two monitoring visits. These visits have confirmed that the conditions are being adhered to. The conditions remain in place.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/08/2018 Full Good 15/02/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness 30/08/2017 Full Good 28/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC034241 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

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

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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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, to ensure that the registered person seeks to increase trust between staff and managers so that staff have confidence in all safeguarding processes. 26/07/2019

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Recommendations

 Staff skills for safeguarding should include being able to identify signs that children may be at risk, and support children in strategies to manage and reduce any risks. Staff should encourage children to express their views about whether they feel safe both within and outside the home. Staff should support children to understand how to ask for help to stay safe and that the home is an environment which supports this. This is in particular reference to staff implementing safe practices, for example locking gates near to a main road. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.10)  Supervision of staff practice should ensure that individual adults in the home are engaged in the safeguarding culture of the home so they understand what they would need to do if they found other staff misusing or abusing their position to the detriment of the safety of a child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations

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Recommendations

Inspection report children’s home: SC034241 4 including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.14)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

During the course of their investigation, police have shared information with Ofsted, the home’s managers and the local authority as appropriate. The information shared by the police confirms that some children have been mistreated by staff since the last inspection. Managers were not aware that mistreatment of children was taking place. The home’s managers are working constructively with the local authority and the police to conclude the investigatory processes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The staff who were suspects in the police investigation remain suspended while safeguarding processes continue.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The overall progress and experience of children is weakened by ongoing safeguarding shortfalls. These shortfalls relate to the fact that a number of staff members do not have confidence in the home’s managers’ ability and willingness to respond appropriately if staff were to report safeguarding concerns.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The allegations of abuse, subsequent suspension of the service and ongoing investigation have had a significant impact on the operation of the home. Young people who have returned to the home after the suspension was lifted have been given support to help them to cope with the impact of their move from the home. When behaviours have regressed, staff have tried to address this by re-establishing previous routines. For example, young people have gone back into the same bedrooms that they had previously.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Despite the identified safeguarding shortfalls, the delivery of day-to-day care observed during the inspection was suitable. Staff are attentive to young people’s needs. They interact positively and they understand young people’s communication needs. Young people have been supported to maintain their educational placements and/or have returned to engage in the educational provision. Young people have benefited from this continuity of support. For example, a young person who moved to an alternative education provision during the period of suspension was provided with daily support by the home’s education support assistant.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff ensure that young people’s health needs are met. When specialist health services, such as children’s mental health services, are required, young people have prompt access to these services. Overall, young people’s health needs are well understood and met.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Young people are being well supported to prepare for moves to adult care placements. A parent commended the staff for the work that they have done to help their child to come to terms with transition plans. Inspection report children’s home: SC034241 5

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

A significant number of staff members state that they do not trust managers to respond openly and positively to safeguarding concerns that are brought to their attention. This is a significant and continuing weakness. There is a potential for delay or inaction because the referral route via managers is not trusted. The lack of confidence in managers is a barrier to effective safeguarding practice. One member of staff stated clearly that they would not pass on safeguarding concerns to the registered manager, saying, ‘I don’t trust them. I don’t think he likes me.’ Another member of staff expressed concerns that colleagues would not pass on concerns to managers, saying, ‘Staff are down, demoralised, scared and worried to say anything.’

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

Some staff also express a lack of trust in the home’s whistleblowing systems. This is of particular concern in light of the issues highlighted through the ongoing safeguarding investigation. One member of staff stated, ‘It’s all about blaming the whistle-blower.’ Another member of staff, in a pre-inspection questionnaire, said that they would like to change ‘the general idea that management actively nurtures that blowing the whistle is bad for the company and your colleagues’.

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

There is also significant concern among the staff group about the wider safeguarding culture. A number of staff members reported that leaders and managers are not promoting an effective, open and transparent safeguarding culture. Comments included:

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

 ‘Management think they are untouchable.’  ‘I don’t believe they have learned anything.’  ‘Change needs to come from the top of the management structure to become an effective process. I don’t believe that they have learned from anything that has happened.’

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

This high level of mistrust between staff and managers means that safeguarding is not robust. The safeguarding culture is weak because some staff do not trust managers to respond properly to issues or concerns.

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

The police and the local authority have shared appropriate information with the home throughout their investigation into allegations of abuse. This has enabled managers to take some actions to ensure that poor practice is not repeated. These actions include the appointment of night care managers and a restructuring of some care teams. Information from the police and the local authority designated officer confirms that the home’s managers have engaged openly with the investigation. All 12 members of staff who were suspects in the police investigation remain suspended.

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

During the inspection, a perimeter gate was observed to have been left open. Staff confirmed that the gate should have been closed. Staff quickly used distraction techniques to prevent a young person from running out of the gate. This near miss could have been prevented if safer working practices had been implemented. Inspection report children’s home: SC034241 6

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There is a high level of disconnect between staff and managers. Many staff members report that they do not trust managers. This is a barrier to effective safeguarding practice. Staff say that there is a closed culture. Actions taken by managers to strengthen whistleblowing systems and safeguarding processes are undermined because staff lack faith in managers to implement these systems properly.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

A significant number of staff members are not confident that managers respond openly or positively to their feedback. For example, regular staff debriefing opportunities are available, but these are ineffective because staff do not feel comfortable reporting to managers and do not believe that managers will take appropriate action.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Managers have adhered to the conditions imposed since the last inspection. They have increased the amount of direct monitoring of staff practice. However, the quality of recording of these visits is mixed. Staff report that the newly appointed night managers are effective and supportive. Visits by the independent visitor take place each month. These visits highlight concerns and areas of potential improvement. For example, some training needs have recently been identified by the independent visitor, particularly in relation to physical intervention. However, leaders and managers respond to recommendations and points raised through this mechanism.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The statement of purpose contained some information about the provision’s educational facility which may have been misleading. This shortfall has no impact on the young people living at the home and can readily be addressed.

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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: SC034241 7

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Children’s home details

Provision sub-type: Residential special school

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Kisimul Group Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Kisimul School, The Old Vicarage, High Street, Swinderby, Lincoln, Lincolnshire LN6 9LU

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Donna Varley-Turner

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Inspectors

Bev Allison: social care inspector Caroline Brailsford: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC034241 8 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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